In Wis. the democrats & public unions are all atwitter and up in arms because of the governor's plan to reduce some of the red in the state deficit and insure ALL their jobs by making them pay 12% of their health ins premiums-OUTRAGEOUS!- contribute more to their retirement programs (still a hell of a lot less than private workers do), limit future raises to cost of living increases without a referendum, and eliminate their ability to collectively bargain over said retirement and health ins premiums. "NO!!" they say. If the dummies stop this reform they will loose over 6000 public worker's jobs altogether! STUPID! And it will be blamed on evil Repukes. I think it's about time the redundancy in having a Govt.job (that is just about guaranteed job security)together with public worker's unions collective bargaining abilities, come to an end. No fuking reason the govt. worker should have so much of a sweeter deal than anyone else. IMO

Everybody thought that they needed change, and now that they voted it in, they are upset that something might change. I want to know how many of these govt. workers that are protesting actually voted for/against the new governor.

IMO doesn't matter who introduced the plan, it sounds like a good one. Why should everybody but govt workers feel the pinch? I'm pretty sure that if the plan isn't acceptable to some of these workers that there are unemployed people that will find the terms just fine.

And did any of the People who decide this, offer any deep cuts for themselves???
Larry you sound word for word just like the 640 Radio shows here for the last couple of days..

UPDATED Thursday, February 17, 2011 --- 12:15 p.m.

A source tells NBC15 News that all 14 members of the State Senate are meeting at an out-of-state location to avoid the Senate reaching quorum.

The reason they have left the state is because the Senate has the power to issue a Call of The House, which would send the Wisconsin State Patrol to bring absent Senators in.

The source tells us that the Senators say they understand this is an extreme move, but their feeling is that the legislation is extreme, and they're doing what they can to slow things down.

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UPDATED Thursday, February 17, 2011 --- 12:25 p.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Police officers are looking for Democratic Wisconsin lawmakers who were ordered to attend a vote on a bill that would strip public employees of collective bargaining rights.

No Democrats showed up for Thursday's Senate session, meaning a vote cannot be taken. Republicans need one Democratic senator to be present. Calls to Democratic leaders were not immediately returned.

Republicans are pushing the anti-union bill proposed by GOP Gov. Scott Walker. Thousands of people clogged the halls of the Statehouse for a third straight day in opposition.

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald says law enforcement officers were searching for Democrats after they were ordered to attend the Senate session.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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UPDATED Thursday, February 17, 2011 --- 11:20 a.m.

We're following breaking news out of the Capitol. Democratic Senators are not showing up for the session in order to prevent a quorum call. Sources tell us the Senators are out of state.

Also at the Capitol, Democratic Assembly members are wearing orange t-shirts as a show of support. Stay with NBC15 as we continue to follow this breaking news story.

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UPDATED Thursday, February 17, 2011 --- 11:45 a.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- No Democrats are present at the start of the Wisconsin state Senate session to vote on a bill stripping public employees of collective bargaining rights.

Republicans are pushing the bill proposed by Gov. Scott Walker. Thousands of people clogged the halls of the Statehouse for a third straight day in opposition.

Observers in the balcony shouted "Freedom! Democracy! Unions!" as Republicans tried to start debate.

Republicans ordered a call of the house to force Democrats to show up.

Seventeen Republicans were present so the session began without the Democrats. Calls to Democratic leaders and others in the 14-member caucus were not immediately returned.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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UPDATED Thursday, February 17, 2011 --- 10:45 a.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Republican Gov. Scott Walker is in the state Capitol as thousands of protesters descend for a third day in the hopes they can stop passage of a bill that takes away collective bargaining rights from public employees.

The Republican-controlled Legislature was expected to pass the bill that Walker proposed just a week ago.

The measure set off a firestorm of opposition with rallies that attracted 13,000 people on Tuesday, 20,000 on Wednesday and thousands more Thursday.

But Republican leaders and Walker say they have the votes to pass the bill.

Protesters clogged the halls outside the Senate chamber, which was taking up the bill first.

Walker says it's needed to help balance the budget but opponents say it's an unfair assault on middle class workers.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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UPDATED Thursday, February 17, 2011 --- 7:50 a.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Wisconsin lawmakers are prepared to pass a momentous bill that would strip government workers of nearly all collective bargaining rights.

The move would come over the loud objections of thousands of teachers, students and prison guards who have packed the Capitol for two days of protests.

The nation's most aggressive anti-union proposal has been speeding through the Wisconsin Legislature since Republican Gov. Scott Walker introduced it a week ago.

It cleared a major legislative hurdle Wednesday night. It's now headed to votes in the Senate and Assembly.

The move would mark a dramatic shift for Wisconsin. The state passed a comprehensive collective bargaining law in 1959 and was the birthplace of the national union representing all non-federal public employees.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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UPDATED: Wednesday, February 16, 2011 --- 11:55 p.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- A bill eliminating most collective bargaining rights from nearly all Wisconsin public employees has passed the Legislature's budget-writing committee.

It passed just before midnight Wednesday with all Republicans backing it and no Democratic support.

The vote clears the way for the Senate to take up the bill Thursday.

Thousands of protesters packed the Capitol Rotunda to watch the hearing on television monitors, booing and screaming when supporters of the measure talked. Protesters packed the Capitol all day Tuesday during a 17-hour hearing, overnight and again all day Wednesday.

But their attempts to change the bill proposed by Republican Gov. Scott Walker were in vain. Republicans made some changes, but nothing that would keep bargaining rights intact.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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UPDATED Wednesday, February 16, 2011 --- 8:00 p.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Republican lawmakers say they've improved Gov. Scott Walker's emergency budget bill even though they didn't remove his elimination of collective bargaining rights for public employees.

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald says the need to force public workers to pay more for benefits and pensions and removing their bargaining rights is necessary to give local governments more flexibility to deal with upcoming budget cuts.

Fitzgerald says the goal was to rein in spending and he thinks taxpayers will support the idea.

Thousands of people have come out over the past two days to protest it in demonstrations that lasted all night Tuesday and only grew in intensity Wednesday night. More people were expected in the Capitol on Thursday when the Senate is expected to vote on passing the plan.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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UPDATED Wednesday, February 16, 2011 --- 7:15 p.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Some of the changes Republican leaders will make to Gov. Scott Walker's emergency budget bill will institute a grievance procedure for public employees who lose their collective bargaining rights under the proposal.

The proposal up for a vote Wednesday night in the Legislature's budget committee would also require that panel to approve of changes made to the Medicaid program by Walker's administration. The power to circumvent current law and legislative approval would only last four years.

It would also give the budget committee the power to stop the sale of any state power plant. Walker's plan called for selling the plants.

The changes would not touch the most divisive parts of Walker's plan to strip collective bargaining rights for state and local public employees.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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UPDATED Wednesday, February 16, 2011 --- 4:30 p.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald tells The Associated Press that no major changes are planned to be made by Republicans to Gov. Scott Walker's proposal to strip collective bargaining rights from nearly all public employees.

Fitzgerald said Wednesday that some changes will be made to the bill by the Legislature's budget committee, but the core parts of Walker's proposal taking away collective bargaining rights and forcing higher pension and health insurance contributions will remain.

Republicans were meeting in secret all day Wednesday working out a deal. Walker and party leaders had expressed confidence the bill would pass largely as Walker proposed.

More than 10,000 protesters flooded the Capitol the past two days to try and stop the bill. It appears their efforts will be in vain.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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UPDATED Wednesday, February 16, 2011 --- 3:15 p.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature say they plan to offer significant changes to a sweeping bill that would strip most public employees of their collective bargaining rights.

A spokeswoman for Rep. Robin Vos, the co-chairman of the budget committee, said the revisions would be offered later Wednesday, the same day that thousands of people have descended on the state Capitol to protest the legislation.

Democratic Sen. Lena Taylor of Milwaukee said on her Facebook page that the amendment would be substantive, technical and complex.

No details were immediately available.

Gov. Scott Walker said earlier that he was open to changes in the bill but would not reconsider the fundamental principles of his plan, which is the nation's most aggressive anti-union proposal.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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UPDATED Wednesday, February 16, 2011 --- 3:00 p.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- A spokeswoman for the co-chair of the Wisconsin Legislature's budget committee says Republicans will propose substantive changes to Gov. Scott Walker's proposal to take away collective bargaining rights from public employees.

Details of the amendment to be offered later Wednesday in the committee were not immediately released.

Kit Beyer is spokeswoman for Rep. Robin Vos of Rochester. She says Republicans will have an amendment that offers more than just technical changes to the bill.

Democratic Sen. Lena Taylor of Milwaukee says on her Facebook page that the amendment will be substantive, technical and complex. Taylor says she doesn't have any details.

Walker said earlier Wednesday he was open to changes, but not to the fundamental principles of his proposal.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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UPDATED Wednesday, February 16, 2011 --- 2:55 p.m.

This crossed the Associated Press wire service: MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Republicans to propose changes to Wis. governor's anti-union bill, details unknown.

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UPDATED Wednesday, February 16, 2011 --- 12:05 p.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker says he has the votes to pass a bill removing collective bargaining rights for public employees.

Walker says he is open to making changes to the measure, but that he will not "fundamentally undermine the principles" he is proposing.

Senate Republicans met in secret earlier Wednesday in advance of a planned vote on the bill in the Legislature's budget committee.

More than 13,000 protesters descended on the Capitol a day earlier to participate in a 17-hour public hearing. Thousands more came on Wednesday, with hundreds chanting outside his office door, "Recall Walker now!"

The full Legislature could start voting on the bill as soon as Thursday. Walker has said concessions are needed from public employees to help balance a projected $3.6 billion budget shortfall.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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UPDATED Wednesday, February 16, 2011 --- 11:55 a.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- There are indications that support among Republicans for Gov. Scott Walker's plan to remove collective bargaining rights for public workers may be starting to crack.

Sen. Dan Kapanke of La Crosse told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he did not know where Republicans stood on the proposal that drew more than 13,000 protesters to the Capitol on Tuesday.

When asked about the position of Republicans, Kapanke said he didn't know the answer.

Sen. Luther Olsen of Ripon told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that there will be changes to the bill, but he didn't know yet what they were.

Their comments come after Republican leaders in both the Senate and Assembly said on Tuesday that there were enough votes to pass the bill.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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UPDATED Wednesday, February 16, 2011 --- 8:40 a.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Hundreds of people slept overnight in the Wisconsin state Capitol and more protests are planned Wednesday in opposition to Gov. Scott Walker's plan to take away collective bargaining rights from public workers.

The Madison school district was forced to close after more than 40 percent of its 2,600 union-covered employees called in sick. Many of them along with thousands of others were expected to converge on the Capitol for a second day of protests. On Tuesday, an estimated 13,000 people showed up.

Hundreds of them spoke during a 17-hour public hearing that ended at 3 a.m. The committee was expected to start voting on Walker's proposal Wednesday afternoon with the full Legislature taking it up as soon as Thursday.

Walker is not backing down from his plan.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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UPDATED Tuesday, February 15, 2011 --- 7:30 a.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Few substantive changes are expected to be made to a bill that removes collective bargaining rights from public employees before it's voted out of the Legislature's budget committee.

The Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee took public testimony on the bill all day and into the night on Tuesday. The panel was meeting again on Wednesday to vote on possible changes.

Committee co-chair Rep. Robin Vos says he expects few changes to be made before the bill is passed.

The Senate is expected to debate the measure first, perhaps as soon as Thursday with the Assembly to follow. Leaders in both chambers say they have the votes necessary to pass it.

About 13,000 people showed up at the Capitol to protest the bill on Tuesday.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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UPDATED Wednesday, February 16, 2011 --- 7:25 a.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Wisconsin Republicans have called a halt to a marathon public hearing on their plan to strip almost all public workers of their collective bargaining rights.

The hearing in front of the Legislature's finance committee began around midmorning on Tuesday. Hundreds of public workers lined up to speak in hopes of delaying the committee's vote on the measure.

The hearing dragged on and on. Dozens of University of Wisconsin-Madison students and teaching assistants put down sleeping bags and blankets and slept in the state Capitol's rotunda.

Republican House member Robin Vos finally ended the hearing at 3 a.m. Wednesday morning. Democrats said they would continue to listen to workers who still wanted to speak.

The committee is expected to return later in the day to vote.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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UPDATED Tuesday, February 15, 2011 --- 10:00 p.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Republican co-chairs of a legislative committee are considering cutting off public testimony on a proposal to erase most collective bargaining rights for nearly all public workers.

The committee was in its 12th straight hour of taking testimony when co-chair Rep. Robin Vos of Rochester said Tuesday night that no additional speakers would be allowed to speak other than the roughly 300 that had already signed up.

Vos says he's trying to avoid what a previous testifier called a "citizen filibuster" to delay legislative action on the bill.

Democrats on the panel cried foul and said everyone who showed up should be allowed to testify.

Many of those waiting were from the University of Wisconsin-Madison who planned to have people testify all night.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights

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UPDATED Tuesday, February 15, 2011 -- 5:29pm
By Zac Schultz
Twitter @zschultz15

Madison: There was no shortage of passion or emotion inside the Capitol Tuesday, with nearly every Capitol observer describing the scene as crazy or unbelievable.

The mad rush started early, when hundreds of people created a long line out the door of the 4th floor hearing room. They filled out slips which would give them the right to speak before the Joint Finance Committee.

Inside, the committee of 12 Republicans and 4 Democrats settled in for a long day. The rules are simple; each speaker gets two minutes. No cheering and no booing.

"I've been to much happier funerals," remarked Sen. Bob Jauch (D-Poplar).

Security was tight, with speakers escorted into the room right before their turn came up. Most people watched the proceedings from an overflow room, where the cheering rule was not enforced.

Michael Hochrein has worked in Wisconsin's prisons for nearly 21 years and is afraid the civil service system won't protect him without the union. "Most people would be willing to make those contributions. They don't want all the rights taken away."

Hochrein wonders if anybody is really listening, "They all say they want to listen to the people, but do they really? Is this all just for show?"

"People are quite upset about this," says Tracy Covert, a probation and parole agent. She was part of a bus caravan from Milwaukee, but didn't wait to speak. "We just filled out a slip because they said it was probably going to be up to ten hours before we could even speak. So we just filled out a slip opposing the bill."

"I pay more than what they're asking them to pay," says Keith Best, a salesman from Waukesha. He was proudly walking through the protesters wearing a Scott Walker t-shirt. "I work full time, but I felt that strongly that I had to be there that I made sure I covered my job for the couple hours I needed to get out to Madison to make my feelings known."

Arlyn Halvorson did get a chance to speak before the committee. He is a Dane County Highway Worker and a member of the McFarland School Board. "Step back and look at this. It's one thing to do fiscal business. It's another thing to do political business and take people's rights away."

Shaela Liebfried is a Certified Nursing Assistant with St. Croix County. "With mandatory increases included in your bill a loss of bargaining rights I foresee a catastrophic effect on my family's income."

But supporters of the bill testified as well. Meg Ellefson is an unemployed member of the Wausau Tea Party. "This isn't about private versus public sector. This isn't about us versus them. This is about we the people of Wisconsin. What are we the people of Wisconsin going to do as individuals to help save our state? My family is already paying our fair share."

Sanna Huebschmann and her husband own a business in Chilton. "Significant cuts have to be made." She says they made sacrifices when their business was suffering during the recession. "An example was foregoing paychecks for ourselves for a few weeks so we could continue to pay our employees rather than laying some of them off."

The leaders of Joint Finance still plan on voting the bill out of committee after the hearing.

The State Senate will take up the bill on Thursday, where GOP leaders say they now have the votes. The Assembly will pass the bill after that.

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UPDATED Tuesday, February 15, 2011 --- 1:55 p.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Government workers and private citizens are bickering over a bill that would erase most collective bargaining rights for almost all public workers.

Scores of people have jammed a hearing on the bill in front of the Legislature's finance committee. Many more are watching the proceeding on television screens in the Capitol rotunda.

Government workers tell the committee the bill would send Wisconsin backward. The bill's supporters say public workers must make sacrifices to help balance the state's budget.

Meg Ellefson, who says she leads the Wausau Tea Party, says her husband has always accepted what his employer offered and paid his share of health insurance costs with no negotiation. Monona Grove High School teacher Denise Peterson counters the bill is about destroying unions, not the state's finances.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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UPDATED Tuesday, February 15, 2011 --- 10:15 a.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- The president of the Wisconsin state Senate says there are enough votes among Republicans to pass Gov. Scott Walker's plan to end collective bargaining rights for nearly all public employees.

Senate President Mike Ellis of Neenah told The Associated Press on Tuesday that there are the 17 votes needed in the 19-member Republican caucus to pass Walker's proposal.

Ellis says senators are worried that not passing the plan would lead to thousands of layoffs.

His proposal has deeply divided the state, with thousands of union members expected to converge on the Capitol Tuesday for the public hearing on the measure.

Ellis says he would have preferred to vote on a different version of the bill, but as it stands now Walker has the votes to get what he wants.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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UPDATED Tuesday, February 15, 2011 --- 7:25 a.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Thousands of people were expected to converge on the state Capitol for a public hearing on Gov. Scott Walker's proposal doing away with collective bargaining rights for public employees.

Walker argues the workers are getting by easy compares to private sector employees and they need to be forced to pay more for health care benefits and their pensions. He's proposing that their rights to bargain over everything except wages to a limited extent be removed.

Walker says the changes are needed to help deal with the state's projected $3.6 billion budget shortfall.

Unions and Democratic critics say Walker has declared war against middle class workers and his proposal would devastate the state's economy.

The hearing on his bill was expected to last all day Tuesday.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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UPDATED Monday, February 14, 2011 -- 5:12pm
By Zac Schultz
Twitter @zschultz15

Madison: Governor Walker's controversial proposal to require public employees to pay more for their health insurance and pensions is on a fast track through the Capitol.

He introduced his budget repair bill last Friday and it may be ready for his signature by this Friday.

Workers across the state are angry not only because the bill would force them to pay more for their pension and health insurance, but because it would remove the collective bargaining rights for all public employees except for police and firefighters.

The first and only public hearing on the bill is scheduled for Tuesday at 10 am. That hearing is expected to go all day long and the Joint Finance Committee will vote on the bill whenever the hearing is complete.

Once approved, the bill will head to the legislature, where the senate and the assembly are expected to vote on Thursday.

Most insiders agree if this bill will be stopped or amended in any way it will happen in the state senate.

At this point Republicans have a 57 to 38 lock on the Assembly, with one independent. That means the Republicans can afford to lose 7 members and still pass the bill.

Many of those members are freshmen who got elected by promising to shrink government and fix the budget and a senior assembly staffer tells NBC 15 News they are not worried at all and are confident they have the votes.

The concern is in the senate, where Republicans have a 19 to 14 majority. Observers on both sides say they have identified 3 to 5 Republican senators who still support the bill, but may not be comfortable removing collective bargaining rights from all public employees.

Governor Walker says he spent the weekend calling Republican senators and is confident he has their vote. "And to the extent of senators I've had a chance to contact and other members of the assembly as well, who had concerns, they to a person have said to me I'd much rather make these sorts of modest changes than lay thousands upon thousands of state and local government employees off."

The Republican senators that have been identified as not having fully made up their minds include Dale Schultz of Richland Center, Rob Cowles of Green Bay, Randy Hopper of Fond du Lac, Mike Ellis of Neenah and Luther Olsen of Ripon.

In Senator Luther Olsen's office there is rarely a quiet moment. Staffer Sarah Archibald says the office was inundated before she even got in Monday. "There were thousands, like 5,000 emails and there had been calls all weekend. The phones have been ringing off the hook all weekend."

Senator Luther Olsen is a Republican from Ripon, and both sides of the debate have identified him as a swing vote on Walker's plans to end collective bargaining rights for public employees.

Both supporters and opponents of the bill are being urged to call his office and voice their opinion.

Sarah is trying to identify callers from the Senator's district. "We look at the area code and try to pick up as many as we can that people that elected him to represent them. We want to know what they think."

The emails are coming faster than they can read them. "One of my coworkers is going through all the emails and we're keeping track of all the calls that we're getting. We are going to try to give the Senator some indication of the volume yes and the volume no. That's the best we can do."

So far the response is pretty evenly split. "We feel like this is the democratic process in action. People are energized and they are calling."

Sarah says the best part is most people are being courteous. She describes one caller. "It was a call for somebody that wanted him to vote against it, but he said I understand we may need to take a hit, but this is really drastic."

Capitol Police is expecting protests and rallies every day this week and they've called in a handful of DNR wardens for extra security in the rotunda.

Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney was at the Capitol and NBC 15 News has learned the Special Events Team is on standby with four squads available to respond if requested for crowd control.

Finally, some of the rooms where the actual votes will be taken are already on lockdown. The Assembly Chamber was closed to the public today and all media have been told to show ID to cover the hearings.

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UPDATED Monday, February 14, 2011 --- 12:20 p.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Public and private sector union leaders in Wisconsin are coming together to oppose Gov. Walker's proposal to take away collective bargaining rights for nearly all public employees in the state.

Unions leaders at a news conference Monday say ending collective bargaining will weaken the middle class in Wisconsin. They are urging Walker to instead resume negotiations with the unions.

Walker says he has nothing to negotiate with the unions over because the state is broke. Wisconsin faces a two-year $3.6 billion budget shortfall.

Unions represented at the news conference represent machinists, electricians, construction industries, teachers, University of Wisconsin employees, nurses and others.

Teamster representative Danny McGowan says war has been declared on unions.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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UPDATED Monday, February 14, 2011 --- 11:20 a.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- The public will get a chance at 10 a.m. Tuesday to tell lawmakers how they feel about Gov. Scott Walker's plan to end collective bargaining for nearly all public employees in Wisconsin.

The Legislature's Joint Finance Committee announced the hearing on Monday. It will take place in the state Capitol, but seating is limited.

The committee that hears the bill is made up of 12 Republicans and four Democrats. It is chaired by Rep. Robin Vos of Rochester and Sen. Alberta Darling of River Hills.

They have both spoken in support of Walker's plan, which union members call an unfair assault on middle class workers. Walker says the changes are necessary to deal with the state budget shortfall.

The full Legislature is expected to take it up on Thursday.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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UPDATED Monday, February 14, 2011 --- 10:40 a.m.

From the Governor's Office:

The Cost of Public Sector Benefits

Madison-In an effort to raise awareness about the cost of public sector employee benefits today Governor Walker's office released the following fact sheet.

* In 2001 taxpayers contributed $423 million dollars to state employee health insurance premiums, while in 2011 taxpayers contributed more than $1 billion dollars. In 2011, state employees paid $64 million toward their health insurance, or about 5.6% of the total cost. (ETF Health Care Analysis)

* From 2001 to 2010 taxpayers spent more than $8 billion dollars on state employee health care coverage-over the same period of time state employees contributed about $398 million. (ETF Health Care Analysis)

* Public employers contributed almost $1.37 billion to the state's pension fund in 2009, while employees contributed about $8 million, or about 0.6%. (LFB paper 84 Wisconsin Retirement System, Table 28)

* From 2000 to 2009 taxpayers spent about $12.6 billion on public employee pensions, during the same period public employees contributed $55.4 million. (LFB paper 84 Wisconsin Retirement System, Table 28)

* When looking at state operations, state employees account for about 60% of taxpayer cost-77% of state operations for the UW are employees, 70% for corrections, 63% for health services. (State Budget Office Memo 2-9-11)

* Wisconsin taxpayers currently make nearly a 100% payment for the employee portion of the public sector pension contribution. Illinois and Indiana taxpayers contribute the entire employee portion as well, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Ohio pay 0% of the employee contribution. (State Budget Office Memo 2-9-11)

* Public employees in Wisconsin are vested in the retirement system immediately, while in Illinois it takes 8 years, 10 years in Indiana, 4 years in Iowa, 10 years in Michigan, 3 years in Minnesota, and 5 years in Ohio. (State Budget Office Memo 2-9-11)

* Survey data finds that private employer HMO plans in Wisconsin typically require a co-pay of $18 per office visit, $45 per specialist visit, $75 per emergency room visit, or $175 in-patient treatment. The average health insurance premium for these plans averaged $108 per month for single coverage and $261 for family. (State Budget Office Memo 2-9-11)

* Taxpayers spent $733 million of general purpose revenue on fringe benefits for state employees in fiscal year 2010. (State Budget Office Memo 2-9-11)

* Fringe benefits made up 25.6% of school district expenditures in 2008-09. (State Budget Office Memo 2-9-11)

Along with the release of this information Governor Walker's spokesman, Cullen Werwie, released the following statement:

Wisconsin is in a fiscal crisis because past budgets, which were supported by members of both political parties, used one time sources of revenue for ongoing operating expenditures and did little to address the long-term financial challenges facing our state.

Both democrats and republicans know that state workers do great work. But unfortunately many private sector workers who are also hard working, good people either lost their job, took a pay cut, or saw their benefit package reduced as a result of the recent economic downturn. Governor Walker's budget repair bill strikes a fair balance-asking public employees to make a modest 5.8% pension contribution, which is about the national average, and 12.6% health insurance contribution, which is about half the national average.

Governor Walker is going to engage in an honest discussion about the cost of our government. He will continue to offer long-term budget reforms that fix Wisconsin's current fiscal disaster, which will ensure sustainable delivery of the core services taxpayers demand.

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UPDATED Monday, February 14, 2011 --- 8:30 a.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Wisconsin unions are mobilizing to fight Gov. Scott Walker's proposal to remove nearly all collective bargaining rights for public employees.

They don't have much time.

The Legislature is moving quickly to pass the proposal, perhaps as soon as Thursday. Unions hit the airwaves over the weekend, staged protests and organized bigger rallies at the Capitol to try to stop the proposal.

Walker wants to end collective bargaining rights for all public employees except local police and fire departments and the state patrol. Wages could be bargained for only if they don't exceed the consumer price index.

The Legislature's budget committee was expected to hold a public hearing on the bill Tuesday, with the Assembly and Senate taking it up as soon as Thursday.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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UPDATED Sunday, February 13, 2011 --- 6:40 p.m.

HORICON, Wis. (AP) -- At least 100 union workers marched in front of the home of Republican Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald to protest the governor's plan to strip most public employees of their right to collective bargaining on many issues.

As the group marched through downtown Horicon on Sunday, organizer Colin Millard said over a bullhorn he had a message for Gov. Scott Walker, who announced the proposal Friday.

According to WTMJ-TV, Millard said, "This is my union card and you can pry it from my cold dead hand."

Fitzgerald was not home. The station reports he declined an interview. But he said in a statement Wisconsin is out of money. He says Walker is just asking state employees to tighten their belts and share some of the burden, as other families are doing.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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UPDATED Sunday, February 13, 2011 --- 6:30 p.m.

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- The Wisconsin State AFL-CIO has launched an advertising campaign against Republican Gov. Scott Walker's proposal to take away almost all collective bargaining rights for most public workers.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports the television and radio ads announced Sunday say Walker and other politicians plan to "take away rights of thousands of nurses, teachers and other trusted public employees." And it says they're doing so with almost no public debate.

The Wisconsin AFL-CIO represents more than 250,000 members in more than 1,000 unions. Its ads follow one by the Club for Growth, which supports Walker's proposal, and says public workers haven't had to make sacrifices while private sector workers have faced layoffs and pay cuts.

The changes would apply to all public employees except police, firefighters and state troopers.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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UPDATE Sunday, February 13, 2011 -- 4:10 pm
by Tim Elliott
Twitter @thetimreport

Another day, another protest. People are once again voicing their opposition to Governor Scott Walker's budget repair bill. But this time, taking their complaints to Walker's front door.

Get used to it because over the next several days, these protests are just going to keep on coming. Sunday, almost a hundred people took their grievances to the streets by picketing outside the governor's mansion.

“We are peacefully demonstrating in the hopes that the repair bill will not be passed,” said teacher Hallie Xistris.

Armed with signs and a song, these protesters marched back and forth outside Governor Scott Walker's home.

“Hey, hey, ho, ho, the repair bill has got to go,” the crowd chanted.

“I just couldn't sit home this afternoon and not do anything. He's trying to take money out of our wallets as he sits very comfortable in a 37 room mansion,” said rally organizer Robert Koenig.

Governor Walker wants to increase pension and health care costs for state employees. It's a move he says will save the state a lot of money.

But many believe the plan is a direct attack on public employees statewide.

“I have a wife and two young daughters and his proposals, as they stand, will take approximately take $4,000 out of my pocket, each year,” commented Koenig.

“I've been in Madison schools for 10 years and there's an impact every time there's a budget cut. I don't think there's a teacher at all that thinks this is a good thing,” said Xistris.

“What he's doing is just going to destroy the entire education system in the state,” said Mark Hausmann who drove two hours from Waupaca to be at the rally.

Sunday's protest in front of the governor's mansion is just one of many expected in the upcoming week these protesters say they have to act fast because Governor Walker is trying to get his proposal passed on Thursday.

“The stuff he's trying to slam through without talking to these groups is ridiculous,” added Hausmann.

“You don't produce a 144 page bill, unveil it on a Friday, and expect the politicians to vote for it on Thursday,” said Koenig.

The protest then moved downtown to the steps of the state capitol. they say their request is simple: let's try to find some middle ground.

“This is really about the quality of life for my family and the quality of life for thousands of families in Wisconsin,” said Koenig.
More rallies are planned this week, including at Stoughton High School.

To show their displeasure with the bill, some students are planning on walking out of class at 10 o'clock Monday morning.

_________________________________________________

UPDATE Saturday, February 12, 2011 -- 4:37 pm
by Tim Elliott
Twitter @thetimreport

Dozens of concerned citizens gathered Saturday protesting Governor Scott Walker's plan to save the state money.

Walker's proposed cuts will force state workers to pay more for their pensions and health insurance coverage and takes away most collective bargaining rights.

Many public employees across the state are upset with Governor Walker. They're not happy with his plan and they're speaking up to make sure their voices are heard.

“This isn't about public employees, this is about the people of Wisconsin and we are not going to stand here and take, are we?” speaker Peter Rickman asked the crowd of about 50 people.

People gathered at the Memorial Union on the UW campus Saturday afternoon.

“We are here today to rally students and workers together to fight to protect quality public services in Wisconsin,” said Rickman.

The rally is in response to governor Walker's plan that he says would save the state $30 million through June and $300 million over the next two years. He believes by making workers' pay more for their pension and health insurance, he'll avoid any layoffs.

“Scott Walker's proposed legislation is a direct attack on the entire UW community and so the UW community is standing together,” said Rickman.

For Rickman, the proposal hits close to home.

”I grew up in a union family, a public service family. Public service is a noble thing and that we should respect the people who provide quality public services in Wisconsin,”

Governor Walker says the Wisconsin national guard is prepared to respond if there is any unrest among state employees. it's a move that doesn't sit well with these protesters.

“Don't make the Wisconsin National Guard have to come out and fight Wisconsin citizens, nobody signed up for that,” said David Boetcher.

Walker is urging the republican controlled legislature to pass his proposal this week. These protesters say he's trying to do too much, too fast.

“He's trying to do this so fast so Wisconsin can't react. If he was really honest about this and thought this was a great idea, give it two or three months let people express their opinion,” added Boetcher.

Governor Walker said yesterday at a press conference that this move shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. It was actually one of his campaign promises.

_________________________________________________

UPDATED Friday, February 11, 2011 -- 5:16pm
By Zac Schultz
Twitter @zschultz15

Madison: Governor Walker says he is fulfilling a campaign promise to make public employees pay more for their pensions and healthcare.

But many think he has gone too far by trying to remove most of the collective bargaining rights of public employees.

"We have to reform the wage and benefit process here in the State of Wisconsin," says Walker.

Governor Scott Walker has angered public employees all across the state with his budget repair bill. Part of the bill will end the right for public employees to collectively bargain for their benefits.

Instead, Walker will require everyone participating in the Wisconsin Retirement System to pay 5.8% of their salary towards their pension and pay 12.6% of their health insurance premiums.

Walker says the move will save the state $30 million through June and $300 million over the next two years.

Walker says it was this or layoffs. "It would be the equivalent of 5,500 to 6,000 state employees that would have to be laid off and a similar number of local government employees in both municipalities, counties as well as teachers and others in school districts."

Walker says in exchange for making workers pay more, he will make Wisconsin a Right-To-Work state. "In this bill will be a change in terms of state employees not being required to be a part of their union and not being required to have payroll deductions."

Walker also promised there will be no furlough days in his next budget.

The only negotiating a union can perform will be for wages, which will be capped at inflation (CPI) unless approved through a referendum.

Rick Badger is the Executive Director of AFSCME Council 40, which represents 33,000 county and municipal employees. "It really weakens the ability of employees to have a say in the workplace and defeats the purpose of having a real union."

Walker says the reason local employees and teachers are included is it will save on wages and he expects to significantly reduce the amount of state aid for local governments and schools. "We want to give our local governments the tools to be able to offset what may potentially be reductions in state aid in each of the various local government categories."

"This is a significant change," says Walker. "This is obviously a very bold and aggressive change, but I believe the people of this state elected me and members of the legislature to be bold and aggressive in the actions we take to help the private sector put people to work."

Badger is angry there were no negotiations. "There was never any attempt, that I'm aware of, of the Governor inviting the major unions affected by this to sit down and come up with solutions that would work for both the employees and the taxpayers."

"If you're going to negotiate and you're going to do it in good faith you have to have something to offer," says Walker. "The state's broke. Local governments are broke. They don't have anything to offer."

Typically when a proposal this big is introduced on a Friday it means the Governor is trying to hide the news since most people are already focused on the weekend.

This bill could be law by next Friday. That's because Republicans in control of the legislature expect to move very quickly on this.

A public hearing before the Joint Finance Committee could happen by next Tuesday and once approved there it could be on the floor of the Assembly and the Senate by Thursday.

Republicans have solid majorities in both chambers and Democrats say the only chance they may be able to convince Republicans to vote against the bill or amend it is in the Senate.

Assembly Majority Leader Rep. Scott Suder says his chamber is solid. "There's not a member in our caucus that doesn't understand how serious this is. We were briefed last night. We have been talking with the governor. We will act both quickly and responsibly."

"If it's going to change at all it will change in in the state senate," says Sen. Jon Erpenbach (D-Waunakee). "It won't change in the assembly. So there's only a chance to moderate this kind of extreme legislation, there will be a chance to do it in the senate."

Governor Walker says this whole process needs to move quickly because it will save the state money

But most observers in the Capitol understand the longer it takes to pass this bill the more time there is for statewide opposition to build, putting more pressure on moderate Republicans to vote no.

NBC 15 News has already heard about the possibility of massive union rallies next week at the Capitol to protest the bill, and there is always the possibility public employees could perform work slowdowns or stoppages.

Governor Walker says he is not expecting any problems, but he does expect some of the people in union leadership to incite the workers.

Walker says he has a contingency plan in place and part of that is having the national guard ready to cover vital state services, like prisons and mental health facilities. "They're not called up at this point. We'll obviously have a whole series of circumstances that would lead to that. I'm not anticipating that. I'm not expecting that. But I want to make everyone certain in this state that I'm fully prepared for whatever may happen."

The only public employees who are exempt from today's proposal are firefighters, police officers and the state patrol. Walker says the national guard can cover state services, but he needs police and firefighters to cover local services in the case of unrest.

_________________________________________________

UPDATED: Friday, February 11, 2011 --- 9:45 p.m.
REPORTER: Chris Woodard

The plans aren't sitting well with public employees who would be affected.

Their arguments go a lot further than their own benefits and wages. They say Walker's proposal would hurt children and families across the state.

Carey Wegener says, "When I heard the news I basically just got sick."

It is a dark day at state office buildings

Wegener says, "We're just disgusted with him."

As expected state employees aren't taking kindly to Governor Walker's proposal to take away most of their collective bargaining rights.

Wegener says, "It's not fair. We work really, really hard to do a good job for the people of Wisconsin and this just basically throws that right in the trash can."

But what has some raising an eyebrow is the fact that Walker's proposal not only effects state workers but almost all public employees including teachers.

WEAC president Mary Bell says, "Governor Walker is taking aim at teachers and the teachers union but in fact his direct hit is on children and schools."

Today an emotional Bell, with the Wisconsin Education Association Council, said the governor's proposal will impact every child and every parent of a student in schools.

Bell said, "The people of Wisconsin did not elect Governor Walker to undermine public education but that is exactly what this attack on worker rights does. He's about to hurt really good people, the kids and their families."

Their argument is that gutting the union will take away teachers voices on issues like curriculum, school quality, or class size and that will harm the quality of education.

The union says if the proposal passes they won't rule out a teacher strike.

Bell says, "They can't continue to be abused. They're going to have to find out where their legislature stands."

It's a proposal setting up what's likely to be an interesting week of protests at the capitol.

Wegener says, "If we could find a way to get him out of office I would."

Obviously not everyone agrees or sympathizes with the public employees but Bell says she's asking the legislature to take a good hard look at the proposal and hoping it won't pass.

Madison's Mayor is also speaking out about Governor Walker's plan.

Mayor Dave Cieslewicz says the system that's been used for nearly 4 decades has worked well.

He says it has served Madison tax payers and employees well.

Cieslewicz doesn't see the need for change. In fact, he thinks it will be detrimental to both the city and state.

He says, "In the long run we'll go back to the battle days of municipal employee strikes. i can see us in a situation where garbage doesn't get picked up for weeks when bus services canceled. Nobody wants that."

If the plan passes, Cieslewicz anticipates significant cuts in state aid programs.

_________________________________________________

UPDATED Friday, February 11, 2011 --- 2:30 p.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Gov. Scott Walker says the Wisconsin National Guard is prepared to respond wherever is necessary in the wake of his announcement that he wants to take away nearly all collective bargaining rights from state employees.

Walker said Friday that he hasn't called the Guard into action, but he has briefed them and other state agencies in preparation of any problems that could result in a disruption of state services, like staffing at prisons.

Walker says he has every confidence that state employees will continue to show up for work and do their jobs and he's not anticipating any problems.

His plan would require higher pension and health insurance contributions and remove bargaining rights except in a limited way over wages.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

_________________________________________________

UPDATED Friday, February 11, 2011 --- 11:30 a.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Gov. Scott Walker's administration has sent a letter to the largest state employee union canceling five contract extensions effective March 13.

State employees have been working under an extension of their contract that ended in mid-2009 while negotiators worked on a new deal. The Legislature in December rejected a deal that would have run only through the end of June.

The letter sent Friday from the Office of State Employment Relations to Wisconsin State Employees Union director Marty Beil says the extension for five bargaining units will be canceled on March 13.

Beil did not immediately return a call.

Walker is proposing doing away with collective bargaining rights, except over wages, for most state and local workers.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

_________________________________________________

UPDATED Friday, February 11, 2011 --- 10:50 a.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Gov. Scott Walker says the Wisconsin National Guard is prepared to respond if there is any unrest among state employees in the wake of his announcement that he wants to take away nearly all collective bargaining rights.

Walker said Friday that he hasn't called the Guard into action, but he has briefed them and other state agencies in preparation of any problems.

Walker says he has every confidence that state employees will continue to show up for work and do their jobs. But he says he's been working on contingency plans for months just in case they don't.

Walker says he's not anticipating any problems.

His plan would require higher pension and health insurance contributions and remove bargaining rights except in a limited way over wages.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

_________________________________________________

UPDATED Friday, February 11, 2011 --- 10:50 a.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Gov. Scott Walker says he has no doubt the Republican-controlled Legislature will pass his emergency budget bill that forces state workers to pay more for their pensions and health insurance coverage and takes away most collective bargaining rights.

Walker said Friday that he had no doubt both the Senate and Assembly would pass it given the alternatives. He says not passing the plan will force the layoffs of 1,500 state workers over the next four months and up to 6,000 over the next two years.

Wisconsin faces a two-year $3.6 billion budget shortfall.

Walker is calling on the Legislature to pass the bill next week. He first unveiled details of the plan to Republican lawmakers on Thursday.

Democrats, union leaders and others say it's irresponsible to move so fast.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

_________________________________________________

UPDATED Friday, February 11, 2011 --- 10:45 a.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Gov. Scott Walker says he won't negotiate with unionized state workers because Wisconsin is broke and he has nothing to offer them.

Walker on Friday spoke about his plan calling for the removal of almost all collective bargaining rights for most state and local workers. Only wages would be left as a negotiable item, but any raises higher than the consumer price index would have to be approved by voters.

Walker says he won't negotiate new contracts with the unions because the state faces a $3.6 billion budget shortfall and has nothing to offer.

He says his plan calling for increased pension and health care contributions from state workers is a modest one that workers should support to avoid massive layoffs.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

_________________________________________________

UPDATED Friday, February 11, 2011 --- 9:40 a.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Gov. Scott Walker is praising state workers in an e-mail that describes how he wants to take away collective bargaining rights and force them to pay more for pension and health care benefits.

The e-mail he sent Friday thanks them for their service and then makes the case for the cuts. Walker is proposing doing away with the ability to bargain over anything except wages for all state and local public employees, including teachers. Local police and fire fighters and the state patrol would be exempt.

Walker asks state workers to work with him to rethink how government works.

Wisconsin faces a two-year $3.6 billion budget shortfall. Walker is calling on the Republican-controlled Legislature to approve the changes next week.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

_________________________________________________

UPDATED Friday, February 11, 2011 --- 8:45 a.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Public employees are reeling trying to figure out what to do after Gov. Scott Walker asked the Legislature to remove nearly all collective bargaining rights for teachers, prison guards and other government workers across Wisconsin.

They don't have much time to mobilize.

The Republican Walker is asking the Republican-controlled Legislature to ram the bill through next week, maybe without any public hearing.

Walker briefed Republicans in closed-door meetings on Thursday. In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Walker says no one should be shocked by what he proposed since he's talked about curtailing union bargaining rights for months.

But Democrats and union representatives say it's a job-killing power grab that will hurt the state's economy.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

_________________________________________________

UPDATED Thursday, February 10, 2011 --- 5:55 p.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Gov. Scott Walker says in an exclusive interview that he will propose removing nearly all public employee collective bargaining rights to help plug a $3.6 billion budget hole.

Walker told The Associated Press on Thursday that no one should be surprised by the move that he is asking the Republican-controlled Legislature to approve next week given that he's talked about doing it for two months.

He says the cuts are necessary to avoid up to 6,000 state employee layoffs.

The state faces a $137 million budget shortfall in the fiscal year that ends June 30.

Walker says he will call a special session of the Legislature on Friday and ask them to pass his plan next week.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

_________________________________________________

UPDATED Thursday, February 10, 2011 --- 4:45 p.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- A Republican briefed on Gov. Scott Walker's budget tells The Associated Press that Walker will propose removing nearly all public employee collective bargaining rights to help plug a $3.6 billion hole.

The person was in Walker's closed-door briefing with state Senate members Thursday but spoke on condition of anonymity because the person wasn't authorized to release the information.

The person says Walker will propose changing state law to remove the ability for public employees to negotiate on any issue except salary.

The person says Walker also will refinance state debt to save $165 million in the current fiscal year which ends June 30.

Walker has been very public in his desire to seek deep concessions from state workers.

Walker plans to release his budget plan to the public Friday morning.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

_________________________________________________

UPDATED Thursday, February 10, 2011 --- 4:00 p.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Source briefed on Wis. governor's budget says he'll cut most collective bargaining rights

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

__________________________________________________

Posted Thursday, February 10, 2011 --- 11:00 a.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Gov. Scott Walker is briefing Republican lawmakers about how he will solve the state's $136 million budget problem for this fiscal year.

The closed-door meetings are planned for Thursday afternoon.

Walker has said he wants to force concessions from state workers and is open to refinancing the state debt. He's said that benefit cuts under SeniorCare is off the table, but he hasn't said whether he would look for other ways to save money from the popular prescription drug program.

State workers fear that Walker will attempt to change state law to remove their collective bargaining rights. Walker has said he wants to force union members to pay more for health care and pensions and he has not attempted to restart negotiations.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

Schools are closing all over the place here... teachers are all at the Capital to protest. Parents are pissed and some support them.

via: http://www.fox6now.com/news/witi-20110217-protester-hand-cuffed,0,6752675.story

More than 20,000 people attending protests at Capitol building

MADISON (AP) —

Nine people have been arrested in the third day of widespread protests at the Wisconsin Capitol.

The state Department of Administration estimated 20,000 people attended protests outside the state Capitol, while 5,000 protesters filled the rotunda and hallways.

Labor supporters and activists have been protesting Republican Gov. Scott Walker's proposal to strip most public employees of all collective bargaining rights, except for limited negotiations on salary. Walker has said the bill is necessary to close a budget shortfall of $137 million and a looming $3.6 billion deficit in the next two-year budget.

The arrests come after two days of incident-free rallies and demonstrations, as protesters have remained mostly peaceful. State officials did not immediately return calls asking for details on the nine arrests.

Copyright © 2011, WITI-TV

So??
You got nuttin' to say about the fact that govt. unions are redundant? Or the fact that 12% cont to health ins is better than most of us. Or the fact that it is dam near impossible to loose a govt position, and that govt workers enjoy a much better retirement program than the rest of us. Or my opinion that the govt unions are unfair to private workers and taxpayers.

Larry... This is no different than the tactics Reagan did years ago...
Unions were stripped of their power then.. Its just gotten worse since..
Started when the Railroads, Air Traffic controllers, and even the Phone Companies...
Since that time people could not depend on that Kush job for life.. It no longer existed along with many other jobs.. Has not changed since..
The Unions today are few and far between.. Very few have any influence on elections except the most powerful..MAYBE...
This crap today is no different at all...
Did you forget the Richest of Americans got their big tax break..
The Public is going to take this again in the ass..
We will be slaves regulated by our Government and it self serving Politics...
Going right back to the pre industrial age of America..
Next it will be to lower the age for Kids to work full time Jobs.....

It's amazing that people applaud others rights being violated.

It's just great then that some of us lucky enough to land a "good govt job"(ALL service sector jobs, mind you. Not a single productive job in any of it. You know, one that actually creates wealth) will have a better job, guaranteed future retirement, & health care. The rest of us will just have to pay for 'em.