Wisconsin Democrats Lose Collective Bargaining Battle

Efforts by Senate Democrats to stop Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker from limiting collective bargaining rights have failed. A modified version of the Governor's budget repair bill passed the State Senate, and is now on its way to the Assembly.

After passing in the State Assembly, the modified bill will move on to Gov. Walker for his signature.

The month-long budget battle heated up after 14 Democratic lawmakers fled to Illinois to avoid discussing or voting on the controversial budget repair bill. The bill, designed to cover a $137 million budget deficit, places limits on collective bargaining rights for all state workers, excluding police and firefighters.

The Senate requirement that a quorum of 20 is necessary to vote on legislation that spends money was cleverly bypassed when a special committee from the Wisconsin Senate and Assembly voted to strip all spending measures out of the legislation. All non-fiscal language was removed, leaving only collective bargaining limits.

Democratic Senate Minority Leader Mark Miller told The Associated Press, "It's a done deal." Apparently there is nothing Democrats can do to stop the bill at this point, which must have some asking if their extended leave-of-absence was a waste of time and money.

While Democratic lawmakers obviously had good intentions, it never seemed clear what they hoped to accomplish by leaving the state -- and they still don't know when they will return. Sen. Spencer Coggs told the AP, "We are going to watch and see how the Assembly unfolds. There will be fireworks. There will be a lot of people at the Capitol and so it will be hard to get in and out of the Capitol."

While protests continue at the Capitol, Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald claims he cleared the Senate's action with the legislature's attorneys, the nonpartisan Fiscal Bureau and bill drafters.

Senate Democrats, union leaders and others opposed to Gov. Walker's budget bill will probably have a lot more to say about procedural rules and how the vote went down.

States like Indiana are facing similar budget, union rights battles. Will Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's hard stand, and ultimate victory, cause Democratic lawmakers in other states to be more involved in the negotiating process?

Only time will tell.