Teachers vs. Tea Party, Governor in Wisconsin

STAR/TRIBUNE
By TODD RICHMOND and DINESH RAMDE , Associated Press
Last update: February 19, 2011 - 1:28 PM
MADISON, Wis. - A state Capitol thrown into chaos swelled for a fifth day with thousands of protesters, as supporters of Republican efforts to scrap the union rights of state workers added their voices to the debate for the first time and GOP leaders insisted again Saturday there was no room for compromise.

Supporters of Gov. Scott Walker and his effort to ease Wisconsin's budget woes by cutting many government workers' pay, benefits and bargaining rights gathered on the east side of the Capitol, surrounded by a much larger group of pro-labor demonstrators who since Tuesday have filled the Capitol with chanting, drum-beats and anti-Walker slogans.

Saturday's line-up in Madison included a rally organized by Tea Party Patriots, the movement's largest umbrella group, and Americans for Prosperity. Their supporters carried signs with a fresh set of messages: "Your Gravy Train Is Over . . . Welcome to the Recession" and "Sorry, we're late Scott. We work for a living." "We did have an election and Scott Walker won," said Deborah Arndt, 53, of Sheboygan Falls. "I think our governor will stand strong. I have faith in him."

Arndt and the other conservative backers of Walker had their faith rewarded shortly before the start of the noon rally, when Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald reaffirmed that Republicans — who took control of both the state Senate and Assembly in November — have the votes needed pass the measure. "The bill is not negotiable," Fitzgerald said inside a heavily guarded Senate parlor at the Capitol. "The bill will pass as is."

Fitzgerald said the Senate is ready to act on the so-called "budget repair" bill just as up as soon as 14 Senate Democrats who fled the state on Thursday and remain in hiding return to the Statehouse. The missing Democrats have threatened to stay away for weeks unless Walker agrees to negotiate.

Democrats offered again Saturday to agree to the parts of Walker's proposal that would double workers' health insurance contributions and require them to contribute 5.8 percent of their salary to their pensions, so long as workers retained their rights to negotiate with the state as a union.

Fitzgerald said he was unimpressed given that the offer was something the GOP has rejected for months. The restrictions on collective bargaining rights are needed so that local governments and the state will have the flexibility needed to balance budgets after cuts Walker plans to announce next month, he said. Walker insists the concessions he is seeking from public workers are needed to deal with the state's projected $3.6 billion budget shortfall and to avoid layoffs.

Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney predicted crowds could swell to as many as 70,000 people Saturday.

Pro-labor activists worried about a confrontation with tea party members trained overnight Saturday at the Capitol in non-violent protest techniques, said Madison resident and protester Chris Terrell said. Groups were taught to remain calm during confrontations and to pay attention to their posture and expression so their intent couldn't be misconstrued as violent, he said.

John Black, 46, of Madison, said Saturday he came out to the rallies in order to help bridge the gap between the pro-labor protester and tea party members. He carried signs that asked for a compromise on the budget bill while a friend's son handed out purple flowers. "We liked Scott Walker as a change agent, but he moved too quickly and because of that there's always room for compromise," Black said.