Labor & Employment Law

Wis. Dem?s Votes Won?t Count?Another Blow to Democracy

By Tula Connell

Proving once again that state Senate Republicans don’t believe in democracy, Wisconsin Sen. Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald yesterday said the votes of state Senate Democrats won’t count.

Won’t count?

Here’s Fitzgerald to state Senate Republicans:

…when taking roll call votes on amendments and bills during executive sessions, Senate Democrats? votes will not be reflected in the Records of Committee Proceedings or the Senate Journal. They are free to attend hearings, listen to testimony, debate legislation, introduce amendments, and cast votes to signal their support/opposition, but those votes will not count, and will not be recorded.

The retaliatory move is directed at the 14 state Senate Democrats who left Wisconsin so Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and the majority Republican legislature would not ram through a vote taking away the right of public employees to collectively bargain for good middle-class jobs.

The Republicans in the Senate passed the bill in a dirty tricks move last week and their latest move again slashes the democratic process.

Full post as published by AFL-CIO NOW BLOG on March 15, 2011 (boomark / email).