Posted on 03/09/2011 8:57:45 AM PST by Freedom56v2
Efforts to recall 14 Republican and Democratic senators in Wisconsin picked up momentum Tuesday while Gov. Scott Walker released emails suggesting the two sides discussed compromises in the three-week standoff over the governor's "budget-repair" bill.
A handful of emails between the governor's staff and top Democrats appear to show the governor softening his position on collective bargaining for public employee unions, which has been at the center of the stalemate. Fourteen Democratic senators left the state on Feb. 17 to prevent a vote on Mr. Walker's legislation.
The governor, who has previously said collective-bargaining rights should be restricted to wages, broadened his position to include mandatory overtime, performance bonuses and hazardous duty pay, the emails show. He also discussed scrapping a proposal to limit wage increases to the rate of inflation.
Cullen Werwie, a spokesman for the governor, said the emails "demonstrate that the lines of communications have been open and negotiations have been ongoing for more than a week. We have repeatedly tried to get Senate Democrats to come home and continued to provide reasonable offers for their consideration."
Democratic Sen. Bob Jauch, a recipient of several of the emails, said their release was a positive step that "enables people to see the kind of starting point you can get to achieve a compromise."
"There was some real serious discussion about bringing collective bargaining back from the grave," he said.
The talks, which began around Feb. 28 and continued at least through Sunday evening, appear to have faltered Monday when the two sides failed to agree on a face-to-face meeting. There are no indications that an agreement is imminent.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Also, where is the RNC in Wisconsin or in helping Walker?!! I received 2 fundraising calls from them yesterday, but I have heard nothing about GOP assistance or funding in Wisconsin yet Dems are funddraising and paying for recalls, etc.
Thots anyone?
It seems like when they win they win and when they lose they win. Either way, not matter what it seems like they always win.
Seems to me that I read that you couldn’t recall an elected official in Wisconsin within a year of them taking office.
I know its 6 months in michigan
It’s going to be interesting to see how this recall effort turns out in the end.
Even then, the employer shouldn't be forced to hire only union members and collect dues.
If the union is providing a worthwhile service, then the members will willingly pay the dues.
I wonder how many union members would tell their unions to go pound sand if given the choice.
When the right to work is put ahead of the right to collective bargaining, then I will believe that unions are serious about worker's rights.
Correct. In Wisconsin you must be in office for a year before you can be re-called. Only half of the state Senators are eligible for recall. Almost all the Repubs being targeted are in districts that voted heavily for Walker.. With the opposite being true for the Dems. It’s gonna be a tough slog for the Dems to make any ground. They are more likely to lose ground.
Several armys of union and Obama front groups can force a recall, no doubt. Whether it will go any further than that is anyone’s guess. We shouldn’t be surprised that they’re going to throw everything they can at conservatives. They’re trying to stop reform in all the other states in the union. But if we’re right, there’s only one thing to do, and that’s keep on fighting. BTW, we’re right. They’re wrong, and if things continue the way they are, they’ll get what’s coming to them.
You are right — it’s 1 year in WI.
These e-mails only show the definition of “pay”. That’s all.
It is perfectly reasonable to define “pay” as those payments made to the employee, particularly if they appear as separate line items in a pay stub, but are then summed up to calculate taxes, etc. The IRS considers overtime, hazardous duty, etc. as income, so why shouldn’t the State of Wisconsin.
Total non-event. Just some lawyers defining “pay” and I think they got it right.
Walker has NOT changed his position, IMHO.
The employer is not forced to hire only union members, The State of WI hires contractors working through staffing agencies and tell the public that they are saving money. What actually happens is that the wages paid to the Contracting agency far exceeds the wages and benefits that a State employee makes, often multiple times what a State employee is making.
Let’s really save the State of WI money and allow contractors to become State employees.
Scott walker is on newstalk 1130 with vickie mckenna online. right now
It should be spread far and wide in the media to expose it as one more union lie.
The unions are collecting money for a recall effort they know damned well isn’t going to happen.
Vicki McKenna 1130 WISN radio has Governor Walker on program right now.
I doubt people aware of all the benefits that these State Employees are entitled to that private sector workers are not—
Ex. Stacking of overtime...you can be out your regular shift, get paid on sick day, then go in and work a back-to-back second shift and get time and a half. So people are scheduling themselves to do just that.
That is not reasonable—esp. in a state that has no money!!!
Indeed, thank you and I posted a link!
When we talk about public employment, the reasons for using contractors multiply. To the common list, you can add such things as an end-run to hiring freezes or political payback and money laundering for campaign favors.
The bottom line is that most states and localities where public employee unions call the shots also have laws in place where these governmental units also have to pay prevailing union wages to these contractors. And somehow, mysteriously, non-union contractors seldom get selected.
I agree. Walker has let this drone on to long. If you give these criminals any time at all they will regroup and counter attack. They usually win.
We get the hammer but are afraid to use it because we don’t want to appear “unreasonable”. At the same time the libs can be completely lawless and nothing is said.
Note to Repubs. STOP TRYING TO PLAY NICE WITH TYRANTS!!
Huh! 14 Republicans?
I agree. Mandatory OT, hazard pay, etc is all part of wages. Walker has clarified, not changed, what was meant by wages, and I don't consider any of it unreasonable.
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