(The Associated Press circulated the following on February 17, 2011.)
MADISON, Wis. — A bill eliminating most collective bargaining rights from nearly all Wisconsin public employees passed the Legislature’s budget-writing committee late Wednesday night despite two days of mass public protests.
The bill went through with all Republicans backing it and no Democratic support.
The vote clears the way for the Senate to take up the bill Thursday.
Thousands of protesters packed the Capitol Rotunda to watch the hearing on television monitors, booing and screaming when supporters of the measure talked. Protesters packed the Capitol all day Tuesday during a 17-hour hearing, overnight and again all day Wednesday.
But their attempts to change the bill proposed by new Republican Gov. Scott Walker were in vain. Republicans made some changes, but nothing that would keep bargaining rights intact.
School districts in Madison and other Wisconsin cities said there will be no classes Thursday as the state’s largest teachers union called on all 98,000 of its members who could to attend rallies at the capital.
Wisconsin has long been a bastion for workers’ rights. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees was founded in 1936 in Madison.
Under Walker’s plan, state employees’ share of pension and health care costs would go up by an average of 8 percent. The changes would save the state $30 million by June 30 and $300 million over the next two years to address a $3.6 billion budget shortfall.
Unions could still represent workers, but could not seek pay increases above those pegged to the Consumer Price Index unless approved by a public referendum. Unions also could not force employees to pay dues and would have to hold annual votes to stay organized.
In exchange for bearing more costs and losing bargaining leverage, public employees were promised no furloughs or layoffs. Walker has threatened to order layoffs of up to 6,000 state workers if the measure does not pass.
The full story appears at www.msnbc.com.