Walker Releases E-Mails Showing Talks Over Bill
MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Gov. Scott Walker's office has released e-mails showing discussions top members of his staff had with Senate Democrats in Illinois about possible changes to a bill taking away collective bargaining rights from public workers.
The bill as Walker proposed it would take away all collective bargaining rights, except over salary increases no greater than inflation, for nearly all public workers. The Democrats fled the state to prevent a vote on passage.
Since then at least a couple of the Democratic senators have been in discussions with Walker's office about possible changes.
The e-mails show that as recently as Sunday night Walker's office put together a list of possible changes that included no limit on bargaining over salary and expanding what other economic issues could be subject to bargaining.
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The showdown over collective bargaining rights for public employees is only the first step in a contentious debate over how to solve Wisconsin's budget woes.
Newly elected governor Walker also is seeking to dismantle an array of social policies enacted under his Democratic predecessor. On the chopping block in Walker's two-year budget proposal is early release programs for prisoners, in-state college tuition for the children of illegal immigrants and mandatory insurance coverage for contraceptives.
Those and several other programs Walker wants to cut were enacted under former Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle.
The director of an independent watchdog group says it seems as if Walker wants to erase everything that happened in the last two years. Walker contends the cuts are needed to solve the state's budget crisis.
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