BTL:After Court Reinstates Wisconsin Anti-Union Law, Activists Organize for Summer State Senate Recall Elections

Interview with Matthew Rothschild, editor of The Progressive magazine, conducted by Scott Harris <!--break--> After Court Reinstates Wisconsin Anti-Union Law, Activists Organize for Summer State Senate Recall Elections Interview with Matthew Rothschild, editor of The Progressive magazine, conducted by Scott Harris Enormous pro-labor protests were organized over a succession of weeks earlier this year, challenging Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s legislative agenda to strip public sector unions of most of their collective bargaining rights. Even though Wisconsin unions had agreed to all of Gov. Walker’s proposed salary, health insurance and pension cuts to address the state’s $137 million budget gap, Walker refused to back down. When all 14 Wisconsin Senate Democrats left the state in order to deny the GOP majority a quorum, the Republicans voted and passed the anti-union bill, in what critics charged was a violation of the state’s open meeting law. In May, Judge Maryann Sumi agreed, and ruled that GOP lawmakers had violated the state statute on open meetings in their haste to pass the bill. Story continues http://www.btlonline.org/2011/seg/110701bf-btl-rothschild.html

<p>Interview with Matthew Rothschild, editor of The Progressive magazine, conducted by Scott Harris</p> <!--break--><p>After Court Reinstates Wisconsin Anti-Union Law, Activists Organize for Summer State Senate Recall Elections</p> <p>Interview with Matthew Rothschild, editor of The Progressive magazine, conducted by Scott Harris </p> <p>Enormous pro-labor protests were organized over a succession of weeks earlier this year, challenging Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s legislative agenda to strip public sector unions of most of their collective bargaining rights. Even though Wisconsin unions had agreed to all of Gov. Walker’s proposed salary, health insurance and pension cuts to address the state’s $137 million budget gap, Walker refused to back down. When all 14 Wisconsin Senate Democrats left the state in order to deny the GOP majority a quorum, the Republicans voted and passed the anti-union bill, in what critics charged was a violation of the state’s open meeting law. In May, Judge Maryann Sumi agreed, and ruled that GOP lawmakers had violated the state statute on open meetings in their haste to pass the bill. </p> <p>Story continues<br /> <a href="http://www.btlonline.org/2011/seg/110701bf-btl-rothschild.html">http://www.btlonline.org/2011/seg/110701bf-btl-rothschild.html</a></p>