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Are Wisconsin Republicans Getting Desperate?

Posted by: Linda Carbonell on April 29, 2011.

04-29-2011 by L. S. Carbonell

Wis. Sen. Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald

With the anti-collective bargaining law tied up in the Wisconsin courts until who-knows-when, Governor Scott Walker and the Fitzgerald boys may be planning an end run. They appear to be planning to put the provisions to deny collective bargaining for everything except salary increases limited to the cost of living for all public sector unions except firefighters and police into the state’s budget. It was originally part of a package of laws Walker wanted in place so he could implement his budget proposals, but was separated out to allow the State Senate to vote on it without a quorum. While it was in the so-called ” budget repair” bill, it could not be voted on while 14 Democratic Senators stayed in Illinois. But when they separated out the collective bargaining provision, they failed to meet the requirements for open meetings in the state’s laws, so it has been challenged in the courts.

The Republicans are facing a deadline. Six recall petitions have been filed against Republican Senators. If only three seats change party, the Republicans lose control of that chamber. Recall elections are going to be held this summer, probably by mid-July. But three Democrats are also facing recalls. It would be impossible for the Democrats to leave the state again during the recall process because it would make those three Senators too vulnerable to losing their seats.

The wildcard factor is the six Republicans facing recalls. At least three of them have poll numbers that indicate they will lose their seats. They may choose to change their votes because the collective bargaining ban, though Sen. Alberta Darling is planning to vote for it.

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, whose baby brother is the Speaker of the Assembly, issued the following through his spokesman Andrew Welhouse: “There is a possibility, and it has been informally discussed among Republican leadership, including the Joint Finance Committee co-chairs, that if the matter can’t be fully decided on by the Supreme Court, then it will be inserted into the full budget.”

This law has nothing to do with saving the state money, as all the unions have agreed to increased contributions to health insurance premiums and pension funds. Walker has claimed that collective bargaining must be scrubbed to allow municipal and county managers “flexibility” in job assignments, but no municipal or county manager has delayed contracts with the public sector unions or said that the measure is necessary for them to close their budgets. They are aware that the governor’s budget cuts a billion dollars from support for local governments, while giving new tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires.

The anti-union measures demanded by Walker set off weeks of protests gathering up to 70,000 attendees. It was a purely grassroots action that led to the purely grassroots recall petitions. Though the protesters received celebrity visits of support, there was no organization behind the protests. The Republican recall petitions, however, were run by the Tea Party Express, which is allegedly (have to say that, they get get angry if we don’t) funded by the Koch brothers. Walker is deeply indebted to the Kochs for his election and was punked by a Buffalo blogger pretending to be one of the Kochs.