Posted on 12/15/2010 5:02:38 PM PST by milwguy
| Madison - Democrats in the Assembly approved contracts for tens of thousands of state workers Wednesday in a rare lame-duck session before they relinquish power to Republicans.
The Assembly approved the first two contracts 48-47. They are now voting on other contracts.
The deciding vote was cast by Rep. Jeff Wood, a Chippewa Falls independent who was released from jail earlier Wednesday so he could attend the legislative session. Wood, who did not run for re-election, is serving a 60-day jail sentence for a fourth offense of driving under the influence of an intoxicant.
Action next goes to the Senate, which is expected to vote yet tonight. As in the Assembly, Senate Democrats will turn power over to Republicans Jan. 3 after they won power in the Nov. 2 elections.
Democrats said they needed to approve the deals because they are already 18 months old and include no wage increases and 16 unpaid furloughs over two years, which amount to 3.3% pay cuts. Republicans said they should be left for them to deal with so they can extract concessions from the unions on pensions and health-care benefits
When Rep Wood was arressted for the FOURTH time and tossed in jail, Republicans naturally tried to get him REMOVED from office. The Democrats in the Assembly refused to boot Wood out of the Assembly because he promised to vote their way.
Now when the Assembly should not even be meeting, they call a SPECIAL session to approve the labor contracts, and have the State Patrol go pick up Wood from jail and bring him to Madison to cast the DECIDING vote. The Rats are low, but this sets the bar lower than I thought was possible. Disgusted does not begin to describe my feelings right now.
If the Rats thought the election in November was brutal, wait till 3023. This is war!!
They have a total of 15 contracts to consider. Each approval should I hope result in a 2% reduction by layoff. Thirty % reduction sounds like a good goal.
Quorum Call: Assembly approves first contract
12/15/2010
The state Assembly has passed the first of a series of state union worker contracts on the agenda for tonight’s extraordinary session.
The first contract taken up, for Wisconsin State Building Trades, passed on a 48-47 vote. There were 15 other contracts before lawmakers tonight.
The Senate was set to come to the floor at 7:30 p.m. to vote on the contracts.
See more in Quorum Call.
http://wispolitics.com/index.iml?Article=220753
3023 is a very long time to wait.
I bet 2012 will be brutal also.
sorry, I was a little fired up! 2012 is what I meant:)
I’m looking at all the threads that seem to indicate that
on every level sanity had left the building. The noose
is tightening and half the country doesn’t even see it.
what do these sleazeballs do when they are not in government? they must have private businesses or jobs...see to it that they do not stay in those businesses...
I can’t wait until 3023. I can’t even wait til 2012.
The Leinenkugels vote is in.
Walker is going to cut entire departments worth of people - so the contacts are moot.
Commerce department is set to be cut.
I’d favor tourism to go too - why is the state spending millions of dollars on ads in Milwaukee and Madison and Green Bay to tell Wisconsin residents they can vacation here?
Best Sign I have Seen San Diego Tea Party Express October 24
It should be no more than a misdemeanor to shoot a Democrat.
Reports are the state senate has voted the contracts down. WoO h
Hoo if correct !
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