Category: State news

Wisconsin needs to be fiscally responsible. There is no question that these are tough times, and they may require tough choices. But Gov. Scott Walker is not making tough choices. He is making political choices, and they are designed not to balance budgets but to improve his political position and that of his party.

Top GOP lawmakers said Tuesday that Gov. Scott Walker?s budget repair plan will pass the Legislature even as thousands of workers converged on the Capitol to protest the proposal?s cuts in employee benefits and union bargaining rights.

Andrew Welhouse, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau), said Republicans had the support needed to get the bill through the Senate, where it faces its biggest hurdle. The bill makes cuts to public workers? pension and health benefits and eliminates almost all union bargaining rights.

Thousands of state union workers and their supporters blanketed the Capitol on Tuesday for a daylong demonstration to protest Gov. Scott Walker?s plans to wipe away most of their bargaining rights and reduce fringe benefits.

One of Scott Walker?s pledges in his campaign for governor was to “strip policy and pork projects from the state budget.”

SOMERS – University of Wisconsin-Parkside employees objected to the governor?s budget repair bill Tuesday, calling it “short-sighted” and “draconian” and claiming it will ultimately make the state ill-equipped for future challenges.

Thousands of people came to the Capital City with the hope Governor Walker would hear their message — of opposition. “I think we?ve lost the sense of democracy,” Terry Ferriss says, “I feel like what people in Egypt are fighting for right now. That?s exactly what I feel like I?m fighting for right now is basic democracy and our basic rights.”

There was no shortage of passion or emotion inside the Capitol Tuesday, with nearly every Capitol observer describing the scene as crazy or unbelievable.

MADISON, Wis. — Republican co-chairs of a legislative committee are considering cutting off public testimony on a proposal to erase most collective bargaining rights for nearly all public workers.

Hundreds of Wisconsin?s public employees clogged a hearing for hours and camped out in the state Capitol overnight in a desperate attempt to delay action on Republican Gov. Scott Walker?s plan to strip away most of their collective bargaining rights.

Union workers who oppose Governor Scott Walker?s repair bill, some shouting ?When I say Walker you say stupid,? convene at the state capitol by the thousands. In fact, according to Department of Administration estimates, 3,000 inside the building and 10,000 outside.

Testimony before the Joint Finance Committee on Governor Scott Walker?s budget repair bill stretched into the early hours of Wednesday morning, with many protestors camping out in the Capitol rotunda waiting for their turn to speak.

Despite having hundreds of people still wanting to speak on the Governor?s budget repair bill, the Legislature?s Finance Committee wrapped up its public hearing at three this morning.

Senate President Mike Ellis says the Republicans have the votes to pass Walker?s budget repair bill:

The UW should and must be a major job creator. It needs greater flexibility, autonomy AND accountability to do so. We support The New Badger Partnership, to Unleash the UW.

Although thousands of public employees are facing cuts of up to 8 percent of their family budgets if Gov. Scott Walker?s proposal to curb bargaining rights and require pension contributions comes to pass, the state?s conservative “pro-family” group, Wisconsin Family Action, is fully in favor of the legislation.

The president of the Wisconsin state Senate said Tuesday there are enough votes among Republicans to pass Gov. Scott Walker?s explosive plan to end collective bargaining rights for nearly all public employees.

Governor Scott Walker on Friday proposed a “budget repair” bill that may fix the state budget but could do some real damage to the personal budgets of faculty members and others who work at the University of Wisconsin System. The plan proposes changes in benefit contribution requirements that would cost university employees in excess of 5 percent of salaries and could reach as high as 10 percent, according to some faculty advocates.

Gov. Scott Walker?s budget repair bill may be in jeopardy as rumors swirl around seven Republican state senators said to be on the fence about supporting the legislation.

Tentatively scheduled to be passed by the Legislature at the end of the week, the governor?s controversial budget repair bill is the focus of a finance committee public hearing today where turnout is expected to be large and vocal.

After Gov. Scott Walker released the outline of his proposed budget repair bill on Friday, many working across UW-Madison were surprisingly quiet when contacted by a reporter seeking comment.

“I think I better let this sink in over the weekend before saying anything,” one campus leader confided. After sleeping on it for a night or two, some now are willing to share their thoughts.

Hundreds of University of Wisconsin-Madison students and their teachers are telling Gov. Scott Walker to drop a bill that would strip most public workers of almost all their collective bargaining rights.

Gov. Scott Walker refused to back down Monday from his proposal to remove collective bargaining rights for most Wisconsin public employees, saying he needed all the concessions he was seeking. Protests popped up around the state over the weekend and into Monday at the homes of state lawmakers, the Capitol, University of Wisconsin campuses and elsewhere. Hundreds of University of Wisconsin-Madison students and their instructors surged into the Capitol over the noon hour Monday, chanting “kill this bill” and “stop the law, stop the hate, don’t Walker legislate.” Peter Rickman, a 28-year-old UW-Madison law student who led the march, poured out hundreds of homemade Valentine cards outside the governor’s office asking Walker not to break their hearts.

Gov. Scott Walker refused to back down Monday from his proposal to remove collective bargaining rights for most Wisconsin public employees, saying he needed all the concessions he was seeking.

Union workers organized protests throughout the state yesterday against Governor Scott Walker?s plan to end most collective bargaining rights for public employees.

What could happen under Governor Scott Walker?s budget proposal has many local families thinking about their options. As primary bread winners this proposal is so scary for an office full of women at UW-Whitewater, they don?t know how they?ll make ends meet.

More than five hundred chanting demonstrators marched into the state capitol Monday, vowing to advocate to kill Governor Walker?s proposal to strip public employee unions of most of their ability to collectively bargain.

After three days of marches and protests around the state, union groups are preparing for the biggest counter-attack yet against Governor Walker?s budget repair bill: a massive rally outside the capitol.

In response to his budget repair bill, about 1,000 University of Wisconsin students, faculty and staff fill the state capitol building shouting, ?Spread the love, stop the hate; don?t let Walker legislate.? The crowd delivers thousands of valentines to Governor Scott Walker asking him ?not to break their hearts? with budget cuts.

Governor Scott Walker is indicating there?s no room for compromise on his budget repair bill, especially on provisions that remove the collective bargaining rights of most state workers.

Hundreds of University of Wisconsin-Madison students and their teachers turned out Monday to tell Gov. Scott Walker to drop a bill that would strip most public workers of almost all their collective bargaining rights.

The Legislature?s Joint Finance Committee plans to hold a public hearing and then vote on Gov. Scott Walker?s proposed changes to public workers? benefits and union rights on Tuesday.

Public and private sector union leaders in Wisconsin are coming together to oppose Gov. Scott Walker?s proposal to take away collective bargaining rights for nearly all public employees in the state and force them to pay more for their pensions and health insurance.

Madison – State workers signaled Monday they could accept benefit cuts proposed by Gov. Scott Walker even as they prepared to battle with Walker over his plan to cut most of their union bargaining rights.

A rally of more than 300 people at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee called for an end to a plan to cut wages and benefits for state employees.

The state Legislature should take a thoughtful look at Gov. Scott Walker?s attempt to neuter state public employee unions. Walker?s proposals, part of a budget repair bill, shouldn?t come to the floor until opponents have had a chance to be heard and until legislators fully understand what they are being asked to do.

Gov. Scott Walker?s proposal to sell heating and cooling plants could generate hundreds of millions of dollars, but stronger pollution rules that govern the aging facilities could make them less attractive to potential buyers.

Labor leaders said Monday that Gov. Scott Walker?s proposal to end collective bargaining rights for the vast majority of public employees amounted to a declaration of war on unions. Public and private union leaders came together to denounce Walker?s plan, announced just four days earlier, that the Legislature could vote to pass as soon as Thursday.