Page 164 - Quorum News Today

State and went over the illinois line, but senate democrats, all 14 of them, who have done that. so the assembly will, the agreement was, to limit the amount of discussion on each of the additional 35 or 38 amendments that will be discussed. so some time this afternoon, some time afternoon, there ought to be a vote in the assembly. that doesnt get the job done. as you pointed out, the senate itself has to vote and there has to be a quorum in order to have that vote. now, you mentioned before abo...

Have stormed the capitol in madison. state senators were supposed to vote on the bill yesterday, but no democrats showed up. governor scott walker. >> ill talk to senators, but im going to tell them first and foremost if i get a chance to talk to them, they get paid to come to work. >> across the country budget battles seem to offer an opportunity for union busting. >> state after state, ohio, indiana. >> yeah. >> states like massachusetts, maryland, i mean, they are all teetering towards bankru...

Who had fled the state to deprive the republicans of the quorum they need to hold a vote. >> hes not open to any changes from obviously democrats or republicans who have floated a couple of changes to this proposal this past week. so again the balls in his court. he has the money he needs from the public employees to balance his budget. if he takes this and agrees do it thats great. we can form consensus and move along together. if he doesnt agree do this, then im wondering what the intentions w...

And inside the capitol is a more amazing scene. the rotunda is filled with thousands of people cheering and chanting as the state asbly, the lower chamber of the state legislature, is actually trying to be in session. they are unlikely to take up the budget bill today, even though they dont -- they have a much larger majority in the assembly than they do in the senate. of course, in the senate the democrats have left, left not only the capitol but left the state because they are denying the repu...

>> reporter: bill, its all about the senate and dealing with the bitter emotions in wisconsin, after 60 hours of debate on the floor of the assembly the vote was rapidly called it, was open for a short time, so short that only 13 of the democrats ultimately got their votes in, they chanted shame and cowards as the republicans streamed out of the assembly chambers there. now it all is about those 14 at-large democrats who remain across the border in illinois. theyve got the votes to pass this bil...

They are giving out fake notes to public service workers, so they can excuse their absences last week or their absences next week? you are not concerned about that? that doesnt bother you? >> im always concerned when i hear anything like that. your report was the first ive heard of it. all weve heard is from the frustration about the lack of transparency, a governor not answering questions about repealing 60 years of wisconsin law. no one condones notes like that. thats still compared to what we...

We just got a news report late this afternoon which is friday on the east coast that theres an idea out there being proposed by the head of the public employees union that if the governor would go along with keeping the employee unions recognized, still organize the state, still able to negotiate work rules and other issues that the union will continue seed on these meant care issues. what do you think of that proposal? >> well, i think thats a good olive branch and i hope the governor listens. ...

>> let me ask you about a thing we just got a news report late this afternoon which is friday on the east coast that theres an idea out there being proposed by the head of the public employees union that if the governor would go along with keeping the employee unions recognized, still organize the state, still able to negotiate work rules and other issues that the union will continue seed on these meant care issues. what do you think of that proposal? >> well, i think thats a good olive branch a...

And demonstrations in madison enter a second week, state democrats are still in hiding. nbcs jay gray has our report. >> reporter: for more than a week now, its been demonstrations not legislation inside the wisconsin state capitol. thousands of public employee union workers continue to protest republican governor scott walkers plan to balance the budget by calling on unions to pay more toward their pensions, their health care and give up their collective bargaining power for everything but wage...

What collective bargaining really is and does it look like the governor has the votes to pass this initiative? >> reporter: the collective bargaining really is the core issue, its the essence of strength for any union, its their ability to bargain together. in terms of the votes the governor has had those all along he has the majority he can pass the bill. what he doesnt have is a quorum to make that vote legal thats why wraoefee heard republicans all along talk about wooing one democrat just to...