Wisconsin Crowds Swell to 30,000; Key GOP Legislators Waiver.

[Ellipsis]

Republican Governor Scott Walker wants to strip state workers of their collective bargaining rights. Wisconsinites are fighting back.

John Nichols

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Where Tuesday’s mid-day protests drew crowds estimated at 12,000 to 15,000, Wednesday's mid-day rally drew 30,000, according to estimates by organizers. Madison Police Chief Noble Wray, a veteran of 27 years on the city’s force, said he had has never see a protest of this size at the Capitol – and he noted that, while crowd estimates usually just measure those outside, this time the inside of the sprawling state Capitol was “packed.”

On Wednesday night, an estimated 20,000 teachers and their supporters rallied outside the Capitol and then marched into the building, filling the rotunda, stairways and hallways. Chants of "What's disgusting? Union busting!" shook the building as legislators met in committee rooms late into the night.

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Republican legislators -- who had been poised to pass the governor’s plan Thursday, and might yet do so – were clearly paying attention. Two GOP senators broke with the governor, at least to some extent. Dale Schultz from rural southeastern Wisconsin and Van Wanggaard from the traditional manufacturing center of Racine, proposed an alternative bill that would allow limit bargaining rights for public employees on wages, pensions and health care for the next two years but allow them to continue to bargain on other issues.

While that’s hardly an attractive prospect to state workers – as it would also require them to make significantly higher pension and health-care contributions – the measure rejects the most draconian component’s of the governor’s plan. Other Republicans resisted the proposal, however, offering only minor amendments to the governor's plan.


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more...

http://www.thenation.com/blog/158661/wisconsin-crowds-swell-30000-key-gop-legislators-waver








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[Tippy]

1. Way to go...... WI Unions

[Reader Rabbit]

2. I wish this movement would spread nationally.

I would love to see teachers up in arms like this over ed deform.

[dhill926]

3. just loving this...........n/t

[louis-t]

4. 30,000, and still not much coverage by MSM.

[MineralMan]

5. Ah, so far this is an evening news sort of event, except in

Wisconsin. It's peaceful, and it's about one bill in the flyover. It'll get major coverage in the evening news, but it's not quite big enough for 24-hour non-stop coverage. It's important, of course, but full-time coverage isn't in the cards at this point.

[Ellipsis]

6. Unconfirmed: Senate adjourns because of no quorum ...for the day.