eduardo89
03-03-2011, 07:23 PM
Wis. Dems threatened with police action, layoffs
By SCOTT BAUER,
Associated Press
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_wisconsin_budget_unions
MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin's governor threatened Thursday to issue thousands of layoff notices within 24 hours if Senate Democrats who fled to Illinois fail to return for a vote on a measure that would cripple public unions, and their Republican colleagues also stepped up the pressure by authorizing police to round up the missing lawmakers.
The efforts marked the most drastic steps in the standoff that has extended more than two weeks, halting action on Gov. Scott Walker's plan to end most collective bargaining for state workers, which he says is critical to solving the state's budget crisis.
Also Thursday, police said they found 41 rounds of .22-caliber rifle ammunition scattered at several locations outside the Capitol. The revelation came during a court hearing over public access to the building, and a county judge signaled he would order 100 protesters who had been spending the night there for weeks to leave by Thursday evening.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Walker said he will issue layoff notices to 1,500 state workers on Friday if his proposal, which also would force the workers to pay more for benefits, isn't passed. Because the Senate Democrats left, the chamber doesn't have a quorum.
While Walker said he is actively working with some of the Democrats in hopes of striking a deal, he told the AP he won't compromise on the collective bargaining issue or anything that saves the state money....
How long is this going to go on for...
By SCOTT BAUER,
Associated Press
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_wisconsin_budget_unions
MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin's governor threatened Thursday to issue thousands of layoff notices within 24 hours if Senate Democrats who fled to Illinois fail to return for a vote on a measure that would cripple public unions, and their Republican colleagues also stepped up the pressure by authorizing police to round up the missing lawmakers.
The efforts marked the most drastic steps in the standoff that has extended more than two weeks, halting action on Gov. Scott Walker's plan to end most collective bargaining for state workers, which he says is critical to solving the state's budget crisis.
Also Thursday, police said they found 41 rounds of .22-caliber rifle ammunition scattered at several locations outside the Capitol. The revelation came during a court hearing over public access to the building, and a county judge signaled he would order 100 protesters who had been spending the night there for weeks to leave by Thursday evening.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Walker said he will issue layoff notices to 1,500 state workers on Friday if his proposal, which also would force the workers to pay more for benefits, isn't passed. Because the Senate Democrats left, the chamber doesn't have a quorum.
While Walker said he is actively working with some of the Democrats in hopes of striking a deal, he told the AP he won't compromise on the collective bargaining issue or anything that saves the state money....
How long is this going to go on for...