I just came up from my basement here on the southwest side of Madison. I thought for a minute the man in my basement was Mark Miller but turns out it was Z! Haukness, the home squatter.
This is beyond wild. The 14 Democrats in the State Senate are in hiding, refusing to vote on the governor's budget repair bill, knowing they do not have the votes.
No, I don't think there is any precedent for senators avoiding work. But, hey! If John Matthews and his unionized teachers can walk off the job, so can Democrats in the Legislature. I just wish they had done more of that when they were in the majority.
Nineteen of the 33 state senators are Republican but quorum is 20 when enacting legislation. Now the State Patrol is out looking for the runaways. They are said to be headed out of state.
That happened in Texas last year when Gov. Perry introduced his redistricting plan. The Democrats fled to Oklahoma.
I would look for a Toyota Prius plastered with those Co-Exist bumper stickers hogging the left lane with the turn signal blinking.
Now activists in the State Capitol are trying to organize a physical blockade of the chambers to prevent access. Folks, I warned back on Sunday that this thing could get violent before it was over. And it ain't over. There have already been several arrests. This is Tahrir Square in reverse -- demonstrators trying to deny democracy.
Their victory will be pyrrhic. If Governor Walker cannot get his budget repair bill, he will start laying off people without pay. Those layoffs will number 5,500 over the next year or so -- with a like number at the local level.
Ald. Thuy ain't marching any more
Now the Madison Common Council is supposed to meet in the chamber at 5:45 this afternoon then walk with Union Reps from the front of City Hall all the way to the Overture Center to show Solidarity. The Council is meeting at Overture to rush through more union contracts while the getting is still good.
Ald. Thuy Pham-Remmele will not be marching.
"These elected officials promised to serve the people of Madison," she told the blog. "Why are they now committed to serving these unions so blatantly? There are roughly 4,500 Madison public workers represented by several organized local unions. ... I am quite disgusted with these on-going intimidations & pressure."
Former Ald.Dorothy Borchardt asks, "Does anyone see a conflict of interest here? Seems to me that any alder that participates in the walk should have to abstain from voting on the issue."
The Milwaukee Tea Party is on the case
Meanwhile the leader of the original tea party, Orville Seymer of Citizens for Responsible Government, today filed an open records request of the Madison and Milwaukee school districts.
They're the ones who forced Tom Ament out of office as Milwaukee County Exec and replaced him with Scott Walker.
Orv is demanding a key word search of all employee e-mails for mention of the following words:
"John Matthews, Mary Bell, budget repair bill, Scott Walker, MTI, protest, job action, school closing, AFSCME, SIEIU, collective bargaining, State Capitol, protest."
He has asked for a response by February 24. You can see what he is looking for: evidence of collusion in an illegal job action.
Wisconsin state law assesses penalties for illegal job actions. Any labor organization violating the strike prohibition is subject to the following penalties:
- Any dues check-off agreement or fair-share agreement between the labor organization and the municipal employer will be subject to a one-year suspension.
- Where an injunction has previously been issued, a forfeiture of $2 per member per day, but not more than $10,000 per day, will be imposed. Each day of continued violation constitutes a separate offense.
- Separate contempt of court penalties may also be imposed in addition to any of the foregoing penalties. These penalties do not apply to a "wildcat" strike not authorized or condoned by the labor organization. Any individual nonprotective municipal employee who engages in a strike after the issuance of an injunction is subject to the following penalties:
- A fine of $10 per day. Furthermore, nonprotective and protective employees absent from work because of a purported illness (unless verified by a physician) are deemed to be on strike and are subject to a fine of $10 per day.
- A fine of $15 per day where the non-protective employee authorizes or otherwise participates in a strike after the issuance of an arbitration award. Each day of continued violation constitutes a separate offense.
- No employee may be paid wages or salaries covering the period that the individual engages in any strike.
- A fine of $10 per day. Furthermore, nonprotective and protective employees absent from work because of a purported illness (unless verified by a physician) are deemed to be on strike and are subject to a fine of $10 per day.
Pandering at the expense of the taxpayer
Jonathan Barry, one of the most astute observers of government we have, sent me this:
Now Mayor Dave, in his most progressive pandering posture, proposes to hold an emergency City Council meeting on Thursday to pass new union contracts to again, he says, protect our city and employees from the "assault" by Governor Walker.
How's this going to work out?
Well, Dane County's new union contracts (the ones the County Board Chair brags will save a million dollars), are, according to the County Finance director, going to cost at least a net of $4.7 million in new dollars yearly. That's because there is a $6 million or 3% wage increase for next year. Plus, the county will cover the entire cost of health care premiums and the full cost of employee pensions-for the next four years.
Doing the math, Dane County may have a $30 million hole in their budget for next year: $10 million deficit to start, $6 million in new salary costs and a foregone hole of $16 million from employee benefits that every other county, school and municipality will have the power to access.
So, if these four-year contracts stick, Dane County could be facing deep cuts or some 500 layoffs!
And this is what the City of Madison seeks to emulate?
