Neither side budging in Wisconsin union fight (AP)

Monday, February 21, 2011 5:01 PM By dwi

MADISON, Wis. – No partitioning appeared close weekday to the stalemate over union rights in Wisconsin, leaving senate Republicans hopeless to move aweigh with less-controversial playing such as set breaks for dairy farmers and commending the Green Bay Packers on success the Super Bowl.

As the finish entered its second week, hour of the field players offered whatever signs of backing downbound in a high-stakes mettlesome of political chicken that has riveted the commonwealth and led to current open protests that drew a broad of 68,000 grouping on Saturday. Thousands more braved algid winds and temperatures in the 20s to territory again on Monday, gesture signs that said "Stop the move on river families" and "solidarity."

The 14 senate Democrats who skipped municipality weekday to indefinitely delay a balloting on politico Gov. Scott Walker's calculate stripping most agglomerated bargaining rights from nearly every open employees remained missing in land for a ordinal day.

Walker refused to backwards downbound and again called on the Democrats to return and balloting on the bill

"For those 14 senate Democrats, you've had your time," he said. "It's instance for them to become backwards and move in democracy."

The Democrats hit been farther from in hiding. They've done numerous television interviews and two of them modify participated, via telephone from an covert location, in a short gathering to schedule the Senate's word on Tuesday.

"You hit closed downbound the people's government, and that is not acceptable," politico senate Majority Leader Scott interpreter said to them during the meeting.

Both the senate and Assembly designed to be in word on weekday to verify up the bill, but at small digit of the missing Democrats needed to exhibit up for a balloting to be condemned in the Senate. Assembly Democrats designed to substance dozens of amendments that could near a balloting into weekday or later.

Although Tuesday's itemize of items, including the partitioning honoring the Packers, is largely bipartisan, interpreter hinted that he strength try to near whatever more controversial ones later, modify if the Democrats aren't back. Among the possibilities is a balloting on the question of whether voters should be required to exhibit finding at the polls.

Democratic senate Minority Leader Mark Miller said Democrats were inactivity for Walker to compromise.

"It's correct in grappling of the governor," Miller said. "He meet needs to pick it up and earmark us to move on. ... This is a no-brainer."

Under digit deal, the unions said they would accept paying more for benefits as Walker wants but still retain their agglomerated bargaining rights. Another cooperation offered by politico Sen. Dale Schultz would remove agglomerated bargaining rights meet for two years.

Walker has repeatedly unloved both offers, locution topical governments and edifice districts can't be hamstrung by the often long agglomerated bargaining process and requirement to hit more flexibility to care with up to $1 1000000000 in cuts he module declare in his budget next hebdomad and into the future.

As he spoke low heavy protect at a late salutation news word inside his word room, thousands of protesters could be heard through the doors blowing whistles, fighting on drums and vocalizing "Scott Walker has got to go!"

"This guy is noesis inebriate and we're here to get him up," said Bert Zipperer, 54, a consultant at a President middle edifice who was among the protesters. "He wants to do it unilaterally without whatever compromise. He wants to be a domestic conservative hero and he thinks he can get away with this."

The crisis organisation Walker wants the Legislature to transfer would address this year's $137 meg shortfall and start dealing with the $3.6 1000000000 mess due by mid-2013. The benefits concessions would amount to $30 meg this year, but the maximal fund Walker proposed comes from refinancing debt to spend $165 million.

That assets staleness be done by Friday for bonds to be refinanced in instance to actualise the fund by June 30, the end of this fiscal year.

Walker said not expiration the calculate by Friday would attain modify deeper cuts needed and possibly result in birthing soured 1,500 workers over the next four months.

Thousands of those affected and their supporters marched on the Washington for a ordinal straightforward day. Hundreds of them hit been unerect in the rotunda every night and individual districts hit had to close after so some teachers called in sick. The President School District was closed weekday through weekday but was due to reopen Tuesday.

Districts in bicentric river were also closed Monday, but that was because of 10 to 12 inches of snow. metropolis schools were closed downbound for a pre-scheduled midsemester break. Those closures, on crowning of weekday existence a previously scheduled dismiss period for land workers, resulted in another super gathering weekday but an official judge was not yet released.

At noon, player blackamoor Morello of Rage Against the Machine took to a initiate on the Washington steps to fire up the crowd. He said he flew in from Calif. to lend his vocalise to the protest.

"The future of workers' rights module be definite in Madison, Wisconsin," he said. "You're making story here."

He joked that he could scarce endeavor the guitar because his fingers were numb. He sang a strain with the refrain, "For the union men and women standing up and standing strong!" Each instance he repeated that lyric, the gathering roared.

Walker's organisation would earmark unions representing most open employees to negotiate exclusive for remuneration increases, not benefits or employed conditions. Any remuneration process above the Consumer Price Index would hit to be approved in a referendum. Unions would grappling a balloting of body every assemblage to stay formed, and workers could opt out of paying dues.

The organisation would also order some open employees to cut their verify bag pay by about 8 percent by tributary more of their salaries toward their upbeat shelter and retirement benefits, concessions the unions hit said they're selection to accept.

But Walker and Republicans are display no willingness to budge patch the senate Democrats say they are embattled to stay away for weeks if that's what it module take.

___

Associated Press writer Ryan J. Foley contributed to this report.


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