Cohen: 'They Have Broken All Trust With the People of Wisconsin'

GOP Senate Kills Public Sector Collective Bargaining; Recalls Underway

Wisconsin Senate Republicans used a "nuclear option" Wednesday night to destroy their state workers' bargaining rights, violating the state's open meetings law and defying the vast majority of voters who polls show support collective bargaining for public employees. The state Assembly passed the bill Thursday.

Wisconsin union members and allies, who have been demonstrating inside and outside the capitol for weeks, angrily returned to the building by the thousands last night as word of the surprise vote spread. Legal recourse was expected to begin immediately, and petitions are being circulated to recall eight of the Republican senators.

"What happened in the Wisconsin Senate last night is a shameful act, and one that will not stand," CWA President Larry Cohen said in a statement Thursday. "The governor and some senators chose to trample democracy to follow an extremist agenda. They've broken all trust with the people of Wisconsin, and especially the working men and women who keep communities clean and safe, who help the less fortunate live in dignity and who make our communities better places to live and raise our families."

Republicans killed collective bargaining by taking the language out of a broader budget bill and making it stand-alone legislation. They claimed that doing so made it a non-fiscal matter, allowing them to vote without a quorum and the Senate's Democrats.

The Senate's 14 Democrats left the state three weeks ago in order to prevent a quorum and the immediate vote that Gov. Scott Walker was demanding. They were attempting to negotiate with Walker and their GOP colleagues when the Republicans pulled their sneak attack Wednesday night. Many legal and parliamentary experts say the vote was illegal on multiple grounds.

Walker and Republican lawmakers had falsely claimed that the bill was needed to reduce the state's budget deficit. But Wednesday's action clearly shows their true intent to end collective bargaining and unions.

Further proving the claim a lie, Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald slipped up and admitted to Fox News that busting unions is about Republican power and the 2012 elections. "If we win this battle, and the money is not there under the auspices of the unions, certainly what you're going to find is President Obama is going to have a much more difficult time getting elected and winning the state of Wisconsin," he said.

ALERT:

Keep this in mind when you're at any demonstration, or if a media outlet you've never heard of is trying to interview you. Right-wing tea partiers and groups like FreedomWorks often show up at union events trying to stir up trouble. They might try to provoke an aggressive response, or get you to say something in anger or off message. Don't fall for it. Don't give them what they want.

At a rally, just walk away. If being pushed to respond by an unfamiliar reporter who could be a front for some right-wing group, you won't gain anything by being interviewed. Repeat our message: we're standing up for democracy and workers' rights. That's all they need to hear.