no more collective bargaining?

I promise I'll get off Wisconsin politics soon and return to books and teaching. Two weeks-ish ago, the Democratic state senators left the state so that the budget repair bill could not be voted on, as the senate would not have quarum. It was the only way to avoid the vote going through, and it gave time for hundreds of thousands of people to rally in Madison. Rather than come to a compromise, the remaining 19 senators have sidestepped the need for quarum by creating a new bill; they voted to end collective bargaining rights this morning without the presence of 14 elected officials, as explained by this New York Times article. As a teacher of English, I'm horrified by the lack of communication (not to mention fair play) that's gone on in our state senate.

roadblocked wisconsin

For an excellent article from WI-Sen. Jauch, click here.