Capitol Chaos: Erpenbach, Barrett Warned of Collective Bargaining Vote

By Jay Sorgi and the Associated Press

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MADISON - A Democratic Senator said weeks ago that a vote solely on collective bargaining aspects of the budget repair bill could come, as did Milwaukee's Democratic mayor earlier this week.

Democratic state Sen. Jon Erpenbach told The Associated Press on February 21st that Republicans could attempt to attach the part of the proposal taking away collective bargaining rights to an unrelated bill and pass it.

At "Insight 2011 with Charlie Sykes," Mayor Tom Barrett said that such a move could also happen.

"The collective bargining aspects are not fiscal," Barrett said.

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• Click here to read a Legislative Fiscal Bureau document about the union collective bargaining bill that the Senate passed Wednesday night

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Stories:
• Protesters Take Over Capitol Building
• Senate Republicans Pass Collective  Bargaining Changes
• Erpenbach, Barrett Warned of Collective Bargaining Vote
• Union Asks MPS Teachers To Teach Thursday
• Ag Official Calls Protests 'Holocaust'
• Senate Democrats Stay in Illinois
• Teachers Furious

Reaction: 
• Governor Scott Walker
• Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald
• Senate Minority Leader Mark Miller
• Senate Democrats, Others 
"You could vote on those without those missing senators. You could vote on those tomorrow morning. You don't need 20 senators to vote on changes to the collective bargaining law...so the obvious question is why isn't that happening?"

He warned that if someone wanted to end the standoff, they could have a separate vote.

This was the rest of that part of the conversation.

Sykes: "Would you favor that?"

Barrett: "I would certainly favor that."

Sykes: "Would you vote for that?"

Barrett: "I would vote for the changes to the pension.  I would vote no on the changes in collective bargaining, but there's the rub."