* It turns out that walkouts have been a relatively common occurrence in the Indiana House for the past 16 years by both parties..
– In 1995, Democrats staged a two-week walkout during the 1995 session until Republican leaders withdrew a surprise proposal to redraw legislative districts for the 1996 elections and reduce the 100-member House by one Democratic seat. Democrats won back the House majority in the 1996 election as Democrat Frank O’Bannon was elected governor.
– In 2001, outnumbered Republicans holed up for two days, refusing to take the floor in protest of new legislative districts drawn by Democrats. But Bosma and Democratic leaders agreed to some minor changes that were just enough to break the impasse. Democrats kept their slim majority in the 2002 election.
– In 2004, Republicans blocked action for a week by staying off the floor because then-Speaker Bauer refused to let a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage even be debated. Republicans won a 52-48 majority in the 2004 election that also saw Daniels win the governor’s office.
– In 2005, Democrats staged a one-day walkout that temporarily derailed a voter ID bill and other Daniels initiatives that later became law, leading to the governor lashing out at Bauer. Democrats regained House control in the 2006 election. [Emphasis added.]
Union workers and supporters ignored wintry weather Saturday as they rallied downtown to protest efforts by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker to strip most public employees in that state of their collective bargaining rights.
The rally came as one of the 14 runaway Wisconsin senators said in an appearance at Operation PUSH Headquarters on the South Side that she and the other Democratic legislators won’t return home until the GOP governor agrees to negotiate on his plan to end collective bargaining for public workers.
“His agenda is wrong for Wisconsin, and we’re standing our ground,” Wisconsin State Sen. Lena Taylor said.
Organizers estimated about 2,000 people braved snow and cold winds to attend the rally outside the James R. Thompson Center. There were no arrests, police said.
Chicago police estimated the crowd at less than half that.
* US Sen. Dick Durbin spoke at Saturday’s Chicago rally. Watch…
* There was a Springfield demonstration as well, but I didn’t see any SJ-R coverage on its website. The Quad City Times and the St. Louis Beacon did post stories, however…
Several hundred demonstrators representing Illinois unions and political action groups gathered in front of the Capitol in Springfield, Ill., Saturday to show support for public workers in Wisconsin.
For a second straight day, a Papa John’s pizza delivery man showed up with 20 pies that pranksters — not the Democrats — had ordered.
On Thursday, the Democrats each chipped in enough cash to buy the pizza anyway.
On Friday, Rep. Mara Candelaria Reardon, D-Munster, sent the delivery man away.
* Related…
* Quinn hits GOP union ‘crusade’: “I think some of the animus against the unions, the public employee unions, is motivated by their political activities in the past, and I don’t think that is right,” Quinn told me. “I have had strong disagreements on policy with AFSCME. They did not support our public pension reform at all, nor did the teachers unions, both IEA and IFT, but we were able to get that done and signed into law and we worked with them on a variety of other issues. But clearly some of the other Republican governors are on an ideological crusade.”
* Largest crowds since Vietnam War march in Wisconsin: A crowd estimated at more than 70,000 people on Saturday waved American flags, sang the national anthem and called for the defeat of a Wisconsin plan to curb public sector unions that has galvanized opposition from the American labor movement.
* Union battle in the Midwest a pull for political power: “It’s very simple. Wealthy individuals and corporations can still give six-, seven-, eight-figure checks to all the candidates, state parties and causes they want to,” said Michael Fraioli, a Democratic strategist who works closely with organized labor. “If you take away unions and their ability to organize … you cut at the heart of our financial support.”
