Fourteen Wisconsin Senators “Elude”

The House of Representatives passed a controversial motion on the reduction of rights of unions; in order to prevent the motion from being passed by the senate, 14 Democratic senators “disappeared.”

After a long debate lasting 61 hours, the Wisconsin House of Representatives passed a motion to reduce the rights of unions proposed by Governor Scott Walker on Feb. 25. When the motion was submitted for the senate’s vote, it was discovered that the Democratic senators who objected to it disappeared entirely.

Republicans Won a City

In recent days, the Capitol building in Madison, WI has been crowded with tens of thousands of protesters, mostly union members and Democrats. Their purpose is to protest the bill proposed by Republican Governor of Wisconsin Scott Walker.

According to the budget, the state government would limit the collective bargaining rights of public employee unions and governmental officials. Meanwhile, the proportion of pensions paid to government employees would rise to an extent.

Mr. Walker explained that due to the $3.6 billion budget deficit that the state faces, he had to make this decision. Otherwise, the state of Wisconsin would go bankrupt. He asserted that if the votes are too few to pass this bill during the state council meeting, he might lay off government employees to compensate for the high deficit.

Wisconsin Democrats and Republicans experienced a long period of tug-of-war. On Feb. 22, both parties decided to sit down to discuss the details of the bill and vote on Feb. 24. On the same day, the result of the vote showed that the motion passed.

Government Called Out the National Guard to Trace “Fleeing Democrats”

U.S. media said that Democrats would come up with various stunts to oppose the proposal. In addition to boycotting the vote, some Democrats also played “hiding games.”

Because the motion passed in the House of Representatives, it can only be put into effect after the unanimous approval of the Senate. But the Democrats have disappeared.

Republicans hold 19 seats in the Senate, but at least 20 senators are required to participate in voting to pass the bill. To prevent the Senate from achieving the quorum, all 14 Democratic senators conducted a collective “escape” to Illinois by plane. No one knows when they will return or where they are hiding now.

In response, the Wisconsin government dispatched a large number of state police and National Guard to search for the missing senators in hopes that they would be brought back for the vote.

Jeff Fitzgerald, speaker of the House of Representatives, expressed his helplessness. He could only persuade the Democrats to come back soon. He said, “I applaud the Democrats in the Assembly for earnestly debating this bill and urge their counterparts in the state Senate to return to work and do the same.”