Lawmakers Flee, Walker Persists With Union Busting

Wisconsin Democrats in the Senate fled the State Capitol today, putting a halt to all business in the capitol. With no quorum, the Governor's union busting bill could not pass the Senate. It will have to wait until 20 Senators show up, out of the 33.

With the plan hanging in the balance, apparently labor efforts are hinging on 3 members of the Senate. The Governor is saying he will lay off 6,000 workers if he does not get the bill he wants, which would end collective bargaining, and give him the power to cut off health care programs for residents temporarily. Thousands of protestors are in the capitol to protest the bill, which could pass the House tomorrow.

This bill simply kills the right of workers to bargain for a better wage. People like Paul Ryan claim these public workers are doing so much better than the private sector employees, and he's just wrong. Wisconsin public-sector workers make less than their private sector counter-parts, and that's even more so true when you consider education levels. Should workers just continue to accept less and less? Or is there a point to show backbone?

I say it now, and I'll say it again: If this bill passes, they should not go back to work, and should continue to protest. There's no point in going back to jobs where the Governor can simply take away your benefits and pensions at a moment's notice. He claims he won't lay off workers if he gets his bill, but is there any reason to trust him? With unions removed from the equation, he can simply do what he wants, and no one will be there to stop him. This needs to be fast-tracked to Federal jurisdiction, and needs to be defeated there. In the meanwhile, workers should exercise their rights to protest, and should stay in that capitol until the bill is defeated or repealed.