St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 11, 2011, Friday

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St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri)

March 11, 2011, Friday

Wisconsin measure advances Bill to limit union power goes to governor over boos, chants.

MADISON, Wis.- Stoking Republican efforts to check union power across the country, Wisconsin's state Assembly sent Gov. Scott Walker a bill he has sought to limit the collective bargaining rights of government workers.

The vote is expected to intensify bitter fights in capitols from Idaho to Indiana, emboldening other budget-cutting Republican governors to press ahead with anti-union legislation.
But it also is likely to galvanize unions and their Democratic allies. Since Republican senators in Wisconsin ap-proved the bill Wednesday night, the state's Democratic Party has taken in more than $300,000.

Opponents of the bill packed the balconies in the Assembly during another emotional day at the Capitol and began jeering as soon as representatives started voting, making it almost impossible to hear the result. Boos and chants of "Shame!" broke out as the bill passed, 53-43, culminating weeks of heated debate that has brought tens of thousands of protesters to the Capitol and sent Democratic lawmakers fleeing the state to try to prevent the bill's passage.

"This was our only option to move forward and avoid layoffs," said Rep. Scott Suden, the Assembly majority leader. "While some don't like the outcome and are going to continue to protest, this is the right thing to do to make sure that Wisconsin's fiscal house is in order."

As the bill advanced in Wisconsin, a crowd of more than 7,000 gathered outside the statehouse in Indiana to protest legislation to curb union influence there. Union-opposed bills have advanced in Ohio and Idaho and are under consideration in Kansas, Tennessee and other states, though national polls show a solid majority of Americans oppose efforts to limit bargaining rights.

"We're now up to 22 states," said Robert Bruno, professor of labor and employment relations at University of Illi-nois. "It's almost an epidemic."

Legislation introduced in Texas this week takes aim at a tactic used by Indiana and Wisconsin Democrats to stall anti-union legislation: The lawmakers fled to Illinois to deny Republicans a quorum. The Texas proposal would keep lawmakers who flee the state from being counted toward a quorum.

Opponents of the Wisconsin legislation are taking their fight to the courts, contending that Republicans violated the state's open meetings act in the vote, a charge that the Republican dispute. Opponents have launched recall campaigns against the bill's supporters.

Richard Hurd, a Cornell University professor of labor and industrial relations, said Republicans in other states contemplating similar measures will likely watch the recall campaigns closely.

"It may energize the right, and it may give them the confidence to be more aggressive, but those in the Republican Party who are a little more cautious may want to wait and see how it plays out," he said.

In the Wisconsin battle, both parties resorted to legislative maneuvers to get under each other's skin. Republicans passed rules that would take away parking spots from the missing senators and restrict access to copy machines by their staff. Assembly Democrats held 130 hours of round-the-clock "listening sessions" to keep the Capitol open to protesters.
In Washington, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said the Wisconsin legislation was mobilizing public and pri-vate sector unions.

Others predicted the opposite effect. Chris Edwards, a Cato Institute economist, predicted that Wisconsin will "kick-start a movement toward public sector union reform."

The Wisconsin measure had been stalled since Feb. 17, when all 14 Democrat senators fled the state. But on Wednesday, Republicans removed financial provisions from the bill, which meant it did not require as many senators present for a vote.

The bill that would eliminate most collective bargaining rights for public unions does not apply to police and fire-fighter unions.

The measure now goes to Walker, who has said he will sign it. Democrats are expected to fight the plan in the courts and have started recall campaigns against some Republicans.

The Wisconsin Capitol was eerily quiet Thursday night following three weeks of protests against the proposed leg-islation that drew tens of thousands of demonstrators to Madison. While people had been sleeping in the building for weeks, all eventually left after the Assembly vote.

GRAPHIC: Photo by John Hart o Wisconsin State Journal/Associated Press - Law enforcement personnel escort Elizabeth Wrigley-Field of Madison, Wis., out of the Wisconsin State Capitol Assembly Room lobby on Thursday in Madison. Photo by Morry Gash o Associated Press - Demonstrators protest Thursday outside the Assembly Cham-ber at the Capitol in Madison, Wis.

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