Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk has recently added the Wisconsin AFL-CIO to her list of endorsees including: AFSCME Councils 24, 40 and 48, EMILY's List, SEIU Wisc. State Council, the Sierra Club, Voces de la Frontera and WEAC.

The race to replace Wisc. Gov. Scott Walker is gearing up as the Democratic candidates for governor officially filed for the recall election today. The two leading candidates, Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, have been attending town hall meetings and public forums to discuss their ideas for the top state office and how they plan to restore collective bargaining rights for the Badger State's public workers.

Barrett recently said that he would call a special legislative session this summer to reverse Walker's collective bargaining decision. Falk has gone one step further in her support for working families with her intent to include the restoration of public sector collective bargaining in the state budget - what she calls "a bill that has to pass." Falk's ardent support for public sector workers' rights has recently earned her the endorsement of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO, in addition to previous endorsements and recommendations from AFSCME Councils 24, 40 and 48, the Wisconsin Education Association Council, EMILY's List and others.

AFSCME, along with labor and progressive allies, are also fighting to recall four anti-worker lawmakers from the Wisconsin State Senate. Three current and former state lawmakers, all with a strong track record of fighting for working families - and against Walker’s agenda - are challenging unpopular, anti-worker senators. State Senate Co-Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald is facing a challenge from political newcomer Lori Compas whose fierce activism will force the senator to fight for his seat in what should be a safe district. A win in any of these recall elections will would mean the return of a pro-worker majority to the state senate.

In the statewide and state senate recall races, AFSCME members will continue to fight for candidates who will restore the collective bargaining rights that are vital to all working families.

AFSCME Wisconsin has endorsed former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk to face Gov. Scott Walker in this year's recall election. Three Democrats (Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk, and WI Secretary of State Doug La Follette and State Sen. Kathleen Vinehout) are running in the primary to beat Walker and end his right-wing war on working families. But unlike Falk, who has promised if elected governor to veto any budget bill that does not restore public worker collective bargaining, La Follette won’t promise to restore collective bargaining.

Biggest Recall in American History: More Than One Million Signatures Submitted to Recall Scott Walker: MADISON - United Wisconsin today announced that more than one million Wisconsinites have signed a petition to recall Scott Walker, representing the most-participated-in major recall effort in American history, and a number so significant that it is beyond any legal challenge. More then 845,000 signatures were collected for Rebecca Kleefisch. Signatures were submitted to the Government Accountability Board this afternoon.

The signatures represent the largest recall effort in the history of the United States and 185 percent of the signatures needed to trigger a recall of Walker.

“The collection of more than one million signatures represents a crystal clear indication of how strong the appetite is to stop the damage and turmoil that Scott Walker has caused Wisconsin,” said Ryan Lawler, board member for United Wisconsin. “Scott Walker and his supporters tried to demean and marginalize recall circulators, but in Wisconsin winter, an army of more than 30,000 Wisconsin born-and-bred recall volunteers took to street corners, malls, places of worship, dinner tables and sidewalks to take their state back.”

The total of a million signatures to recall Scott Walker represents nearly half, 46 percent, of the electorate - and is just shy of the TOTAL votes received by Walker in his 2010 election (Walker received 1.12 million votes).

In comparison, this figure surpasses the per capita participation in the effort to trigger a ballot initiative in Ohio last fall against a Republican union-busting effort, where 32 percent of the electorate signed the petition, and in America’s only other two gubernatorial recalls, in 2003 in California and in 1921 in North Dakota, the signature totals were 23.4 percent and 31.8 percent, of the electorate signed respectively. The attached charts outline these figures.

Fun facts about the recall petitions of Walker, Kleefisch and the Senate recalls include:

United Wisconsin is the non-partisan grassroots organization heading up the recall efforts of Scott Walker and Rebecca Kleefisch in Wisconsin. The group plans to continue its work as the recall campaign moves forward. For more information, visit www.unitedwisconsin.com.

A full breakdown of the biggest recall in American history is available to view here. Graphic illustrations of the recall numbers are available to view here and here.

Walker Recall Campaign Reaches Key Threshold! (1/8/2012) MILWAUKEE - With two weeks to go until the final deadline for gathering names, the labor-backed campaign to recall GOP Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin reached its needed minimum of 508,240 signatures. But organizers want to send at least 720,277 names to the state by the deadline, Jan. 17, both as a show of strength and to provide a cushion should officials disallow some of the signatures. Organizers garnered the minimum in just over a month.

“Wow!” the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO said on its blog. “If everyone pitches in we will have the grassroots people power to combat Walker’s big moneyed corporate backers like the Koch Brothers.

“A new report released by the Institute for Wisconsin’s Future shows the ripple affects of Walker’s policies will cost Wisconsin over 18,000 full-time, private sector jobs a year. This report is a stark reminder of why we must recall Walker. In Wisconsin, we need jobs, not a governor who puts corporate special interests above the 99%.”

The effort to recall Walker began after he pushed through legislation destroying collective bargaining rights for 200,000 state and local government employees. Two Republican state senators who backed the anti-worker measure already have been recalled.

Walker and his allies have spent at least $3 million so far to fight the recall, according to media reports.

Wisconsin AFL-CIO President Phil Neuenfeldt said, “Our challenge will be to get the message out” about the harm to workers and Wisconsin from Walker’s law “when he’s got millions of dollars to misrepresent it.”

Once the petition drive ends and the recall is certified, labor and its political allies face another task: Finding a credible foe to oppose Walker on the recall ballot. Names mentioned include former Democratic Sen. Russell Feingold, who narrowly lost his seat in the 2010 GOP sweep, and former House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey, who retired from Congress that year after 41 years.

Neuenfeldt said it’s too early for specific names, but labor has one criterion for Walker’s foe: “We’re going to look for the person who is strongest in restoring the workers rights that were taken away." ~ Workday Minnesota

Republican Governor Scott Walker Recall Effort! The first official recall petition against Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker was filed Friday by David Brandt, a supporter of Walker, in order to give the governor an extra week and a half to raise unlimited campaign contributions. Those leading the more serious recall effort against Walker will have 60 days starting November 15th to gather, on a separate petition, the more than 540,000 signatures required to bring on a recall election.

Investigative reporters are also shining a spotlight on the right-wing American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a membership organization of Republican state legislators bankrolled by the Koch brothers and powerful corporations. Their conservative philosophy is that government should be demonized, starved or privatized. To impose their view, ALEC produces model legislation that is heavily influenced by industry groups.

ALEC’s influence on Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s war was revealed in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

A Personal Battle on Main Street! Across the country, AFSCME members — outraged by right-wing attacks on collective bargaining and the American middle class, and tired of seeing jobs lost in their communities — are shouldering unprecedented roles as activists. They’re tired of watching politicians placate the same corporations that ship American jobs overseas and dodge taxes on their multi-billion-dollar profits. Aided and sustained by AFSCME’s resources, their efforts and personal sacrifices form the backbone of what we call the Main Street Movement. But the Main Street Movement cannot rely solely on the contributions of a dedicated few. You can play a vital role, by volunteering, attending rallies and staying informed. Read on for the stories of your fellow AFSCME members doing just that. Get inspired. Get involved. Full Story

Scott Walker Recall: Effort To Recall Wisconsin Governor To Start November 15th! Under Wisconsin law, a recall can't be started until a year after the officeholder was inaugurated. Walker was inaugurated on Jan. 3, which made Nov. 4 the soonest the recall effort could begin. A group called United Wisconsin is leading the Walker recall effort and has collected pledges from more than 200,000 people to sign recall petitions. In Wisconsin, once recall backers file the required paperwork to start collecting signatures, they have 60 days to return the 540,208 required to trigger the election. If the effort starts on Nov. 15, the deadline for supporters to turn in petitions would be Jan. 13. Once signatures are submitted to the Government Accountability Board, it has 31 days to review them. It will likely seek an extension to review the large number or signatures, similar to one it received for the recalls targeting state senators. Legal fights could also delay any election. If the board certifies the signatures, the recall election must be held six Tuesdays from that date. If more than two candidates run, that election would be the primary. A general election would be four weeks after that.

"Soon after he took office, he proposed a radical change to state law by trying to take away state workers' rights to collective bargaining which he never mentioned once during the campaign. We cannot sit back and allow Scott Walker to continue to dismantle our education system, run our government as an auxiliary of corporate special interests, put our clean air and water at risk, and ignore an unemployment crisis that his policies exacerbated." ~ Mike Tate

Probe Rattles Wisconsin Politics! A criminal investigation has shaken Wisconsin political circles and touched off speculation that Gov. Scott Walker may be in its sights, according to numerous reports. Wisconsin’s Republican governor rose to national prominence after his election in 2010 based on his public confrontations with unions over collective bargaining rights. The so-called “John Doe” investigation is a secret proceeding in which witnesses can be subpoenaed and required to testify under oath, but are forbidden from talking publicly about the probe or its target. Walker, whose campaign has hired a lawyer, has said in the past that he has not been personally contacted by investigators. He appeared Monday on MSNBC’s Morning Joe but was not asked about the probe. Full Story

Wisconsin Working Families Win 2 of 6 in Recall Elections! Wisconsin working families won two of six recall elections last week, ousting incumbent state senators who backed Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s attacks on the collective bargaining rights of public employees. Democrat Jessica King defeated Republican incumbent Randy Hopper in Senate District 18 and Democrat Jennifer Shilling (D) won over incumbent state Sen. Dan Kapanke (R) in Senate District 32. The victories narrow the Wisconsin Republican Senate majority to one.

The districts with recalls are in largely rural areas that have consistently elected Republicans - voters in one have not elected a Democrat since the late 1800s. Although Barack Obama carried Wisconsin by 14 points in 2008, no Democrat won in these disticts.

Seven for Seven! Wisconsin voters are seven for seven in fighting back against Gov. Scott Walker’s anti-working family agenda after state Sen. Dave Hansen (D) last night defeated Walker-backer candidate David VanderLeest in a recall election. Last week in a Democratic primary, all six anti-Walker Democrats easily won and now face six pro-Walker incumbents in an Aug. 9 recall election.

6 Fake Democrats Fall, Setting Stage for GOP Recalls! Six fake Democratic candidates put up by the Republican Party to buy time for Republican state senators subject to recalls accomplished that job, but none of them did the unexpected and knocked off a real Democrat. Candidates backed by the Democratic Party won all six Senate primary elections, all but one of them by substantial amounts. They'll all go on to face the Republican incumbents in an attempt by Democrats to regain control of the state Senate and put the brakes on Gov. Scott Walker's agenda. (7/13/2011)

Wisconsin Voters Head to Polls in Next Step to Recall the ‘Walker 6′!: Today, voters in six state senate districts will choose Democratic opponents for half a dozen Republican-held seats. But these primary elections have been marred by Walker supporters who recruited fake candidates to run in the elections in an attempt to sow confusion among voters. The winners of today’s elections will face the six Republicans in an Aug. 9 general election.

This past weekend, working family volunteers and community, civil rights and faith activists went door-to-door, staffed phone banks and set up information tables at popular locations in each district to get the word out about the real candidates vs. the ringers.

Republicans who earlier this year vowed to recall several Democrats were unable to gather enough signatures in all but three of their targeted districts to qualify for the ballot. Next Tuesday, primary elections will be held in two of those districts, along with a general election for the Green Bay seat of state Sen. Dave Hansen (D).

In the Green Bay election, the leading Republican candidate was disqualified from the ballot for lack of adequate signatures. So Hansen will face Republican David VanderLeest—who according to Wisconsin news media has a court record of two misdemeanor convictions, fines for multiple building code violations, an unpaid judgment, bankruptcy and a home foreclosure. (7/12/2011)

GAB Rules GOP Senate Candidate Ineligible! (6/28/2011) State Sen. Dave Hansen's upcoming recall election got some positive news yesterday when a challenge filed by a concerned citizen got State Rep. John Nygren (R) kicked off the July 19 primary ballot. The Government Accountability Board ruled invalid 26 of the 424 signatures Nyrgen submitted leaving him two signatures short of the requirement.

Wisconsin Republicans were so focused on qualifying fake Democratic challengers in GOP-held districts, that they failed to get their own candidates qualified. As a result, Sen. Hansen will face relative unknown David VanderLeest in a July 19 general election.

Although Governor Scott Walker's anti-worker law goes into effect tomorrow, the administration is delaying implementation until after the recall elections are over. "They don't want to come out with Neanderthal kinds of changes on the workplace issues prior to the recalls," said Marty Beil, executive director of AFSCME Council 24.

It all seems to be part of a pattern of bad behavior by anti-worker politicians in the face of opposition. Conservative Supreme Court Justice David Prosser has recently been accused of choking one of his female colleagues during debate over the challenge to the new law. The Dane County Sheriff's office has opened an investigation into claims made by Justice Ann Walsh Bradley that Prosser tried to choke her during a heated argument.

As our opponents continue to make their own efforts more difficult, AFSCME members and our allies are out working hard and talking to voters in the nine state Senate districts to ensure that the upcoming elections are successful.

Wisconsin State Supreme Court Reinstates Walker's Anti-Union Law! (6/15/2011) MADISON, Wis. - The fight resumed in the hottest front of the national war on workers late in the afternoon of June 14, as the Wisconsin State Supreme Court reinstated Right Wing GOP Gov. Scott Walker’s law destroying collective bargaining rights for 200,000 state and local workers.

The 4-3 party-line vote ruling brought a vow from the state AFL-CIO that it will continue the fight against the Right – but at the ballot box, starting with July 12 recall elections against six Republican state senators who helped ram Walker’s law through.

"The inability of the Wisconsin Supreme Court to separate partisan politics from the well-being of Wisconsinites is the latest indication that citizens do not have a voice in this state,” said state fed President Phil Neuenfeldt. “The only way for Wisconsinites to repair that voice is to take back the Senate this summer, stop Walker's unbridled assault on working people and take back the statehouse in 2012.”

Walker shoved the anti-union bill through the state senate, which is 19-14 Republican, after the Democrats initially halted it by decamping from the state, preventing a quorum on what Walker had called a budget bill. Amid massive uproar and tens of thousands of protesters on the Capitol grounds, Walker and the GOP then deleted the budget provisions and the remaining GOP senators approved it, 18-1.

Walker’s law made Wisconsin the leading front in the state-by-state war on workers and the middle class being waged by Republicans, big business and the Radical Right. Support for Wisconsin workers was galvanized worldwide – even among Egyptian revolutionaries – and up to 100,000 descended upon the state capitol building in Madison. Some are still there in a tent city, “Walkerville.”

But Dane County (Madison) Circuit Court Judge Maryanne Sumi, a GOP appointee, halted Walker’s law by ruling its passage violated the state Open Meetings Act. The state Supreme Court overturned her injunction, reinstating Walker’s law.

"Let's be clear: This ruling will not silence the voices of millions of Wisconsinites who are appalled by Walker's extreme choices, his addiction to corporate interests and his insistence on putting the wealthy ahead of the working. In their attempt to steamroll education, healthcare, and funding for seniors programs, Republicans have alienated countless Wisconsin families,” Neuenfeldt continued.

“Now, more than ever, Wisconsinites across the state are committed to holding Republicans accountable for their bad choices.

"This ruling is an affront to our democracy. Green-lighting the sort of shady, backroom tactics Walker used to ram his extreme budget through the legislature sets a dangerous precedent for the future of our state. Democracy is the system by which all people, not just corporations and the wealthy, have a seat at the table – but this ruling is just one more indication that Wisconsin Republicans do not believe in a functioning, sound democracy inclusive of checks and balances," Neuenfeldt ended.

The majority ruling in the case mentioned none of that.

“One of the courts that we are charged with supervising has usurped the legislative power which the Wisconsin Constitution grants exclusively to the legislature,” the majority wrote.

“It is important for all courts to remember that Article IV, Section 1 of the Wisconsin Constitution provides: ‘The legislative power shall be vested in a senate and assembly.’ Article IV, Section 17…provides in relevant part: ‘No law shall be in force until published. The legislature shall provide by law for the speedy publication of all laws,’” the majority’s opinion said.

In a 1943 case, the justices added, their court “addressed whether a court has the power to enjoin publication of a bill duly enacted by the legislature…The court then explained that the “judicial department has no jurisdiction or right to interfere with the legislative process. That is something committed by the constitution entirely to the legislature itself.”

The court held that “because under our system of constitutional government, no one of the co-ordinate departments can interfere with the discharge of the constitutional duties of one of the other departments, no court has jurisdiction to enjoin the legislative process at any point.”

Adding insult to the decision, Justice Scott Prosser – a Walker ally who is leading in a disputed election for the court’s swing 7th seat – told the unions and their allies not to bother challenging Walker’s law after its reinstatement. Prosser was one of the four-justice majority ruling for Walker.

“Attacking the constitutionality of an act after it has been published is quite different from attacking its validity before it becomes law. This must be acknowledged. Nonetheless, no useful purpose would be served by inviting a new series of challenges to 2011 Wisconsin Act 10 after publication of the act has been completed,” Prosser wrote in a separate concurring opinion.

The justices then tossed out Judge Sumi’s injunction, which had prevented publication of Walker’s law – and barred it from taking effect.

By Mark Gruenberg, PAI Staff Writer Press Associates, Inc.

Wisconsin Recall Elections Set, GOP Dirty Tricks Begin! This week, despite evidence of widespread fraud by Republican petitioners the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board (GAB) certified recall elections targeting three Democratic state senators. Although petition circulators hired by the Republicans told signers that they were gathering signatures to support American Indians, schools, and Democrats, the GAB did not find enough fraudulent signatures to prevent the recall elections. The GAB had previously certified recall elections against six Republican state senators.

The elections to recall the Republicans are scheduled for July 12 and the Democrats for July 19. In the case of a contested primary on either of those dates, the general elections would be held on August 9 or 16, respectively. Primaries in the six GOP-held seats to fundraise, strategize, and campaign and leave conservatives free to vote in the Democratic primary which could leave the general election effectively uncontested Right-wing attack groups also would have an extra month to throw punches, while the Democratic candidates would need to raise money for two separate elections. GOP strategists are taking this approach even though each contested primary will cost the taxpayers about $10,000 There are at least two districts in which this strategy is already playing out. Former Republican state representative Otto Junkermann plans to run as a Democrat against Nancy Nusbaum. When asked if he was running as a spoiler candidate, Junkermann said, "I don't know how I could avoid being considered that." In yet another race, a former La Crosse County Republican Party executive resigned his position to run in the Democratic primary against Jennifer Shilling.

In other Wisconsin news, the state Supreme Court this week heard arguments on Dane County Judge Maryann Sumi's order to stay the implementation of Governor Walker's anti-worker bill. Sumi based her ruling on the legislature's noncompliance with the state open meetings law as well as the "open doors" requirement in the state constitution.

Wisconsin Court Strikes Down Walker's Anti-Worker Power Grab! Good news! Dane County Circuit Court Judge Maryann Sumi struck down Gov. Walker's anti-worker 'Budget Repair Bill' on May 26. Judge Sumi found that the meetings, which led to the repeal of workers' collective bargaining rights, were in violation of Wisconsin's open meeting law. In her decision, Judge Sumi wrote: "The legislators were understandably frustrated by the stalemate existing on March 9, but that does not justify jettisoning compliance with the Open Meetings Law in an attempt to move the Budget Repair Bill to final action.”

Wisconsin Republicans Are Changing Election Laws to Protect Themselves! With six Republican State Senators facing recall, the right-wing Republican majority forced through a new voter ID law that would disenfranchise students, the poor, and the elderly - all groups who vote Democratic - ahead of this summer's elections. This is just another Republican attack in their war on working families. That's why we're building a people-powered campaign to beat them. We're putting staff on the ground to organize volunteers, knock on doors, make phone calls and run radio and TV ads featuring real Wisconsin families. Their campaign is fueled by big corporate money. But our campaign is fueled by grassroots volunteers and small contributions from thousands of DFA members. We can't afford to wait any longer to start building our campaign. We need to hit the ground running and we can't do it without you. Please contribute $10 right now to beat back the right-wing attacks on working families.

This Republican attack on their constituents' right to vote is shameful not just because it's wrong, but also because it's so blatant. They're not only requiring college students to bring a photo ID - they're requiring them to bring recent tuition receipts if they're using a college ID. They're not only imposing new residency requirements on voters - they're also not providing any time or money to local offices to educate voters on the new laws. Republicans are scared - that's why they're launching this attack on people's voting rights. They know that they crossed a line and that they're in for a tough fight this summer. Please contribute today and help send a clear message to right-wing Republicans in Wisconsin and across the country - attack the middle class and you lose.

Wisconsin Republicans Rush Agenda Before Recalls! Walker and GOP leaders have launched a push to ram several years‘ worth of conservative agenda items through the Legislature this spring before recall elections threaten to end the party‘s control of state government. Republicans, in a rapid sequence of votes over the next eight weeks, plan to legalize concealed weapons, deregulate the telephone industry, require voters to show photo identification at the polls, expand school vouchers and undo an early release for prisoners. Lawmakers may also act again on Walker‘s controversial plan stripping public employee unions of their collective bargaining rights. An earlier version, which led to massive protest demonstrations at the Capitol, has been left in lim-bo by legal challenges. Everything‘s been accelerated,‘ said Republican Rep. Gary Tauchen, who is working on the photo ID bill. We‘ve got a lot of big bills we‘re trying to get done.‘ ‖ All of them, like here, obsessively focused on creating new jobs.

Wisconsin Collective Bargaining Bill Might Be Put Into State Budget, GOP Leaders Say!If the courts have not ruled on the legality of Wisconsin's collective bargaining bill passed earlier this year by early June, it will be added into the state budget by the Joint Finance Committee, Republican legislative leaders said Wednesday. Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald both told The Associated Press that it would make the most sense for the committee to add the language into the budget before it comes up for debate before the full Legislature. However, both Fitzgeralds are hoping the courts rule that the bill passed in March is legal and can take effect so further legislative action isn't necessary. The state Supreme Court has been asked to take the case, but it has not said if it will. Two lawsuits are pending in circuit court. Full Story

In Wisconsin, A recall of Historic Proportions!Wisconsin voters are on the verge of making history, with a recall vote of epic proportions, never seen in this country before. Organizers targeted every one of the 16 eligible senators (meaning they’ve been in office for at least one year) — eight Democratic and eight Republican — for their votes and behavior pertaining to Act 10, also known as the budget repair bill.

Republicans are targeted for their votes in favor of Act 10, which would restrict collective bargaining rights among public employees, as well as a perceived subversion of the democratic process with a hasty committee vote on an altered form of the bill; Democrats are on the block for opposing Gov. Walker’s reforms or their 3-week flight to Illinois to stall the vote. Full Story

Sixth Republican Senator Faces Wisconsin Recall! Wisconsin activists today filed more than 26,000 signatures today to recall the sixth Republican state senator—Robert Cowles of Green Bay—who voted for Gov. Scott Walker’s (R) bill to eliminate collective bargaining rights of public employees.

All the petitions have carried far more signatures than the minimum needed to qualify, which must equal 25 percent of the total vote for governor in November’s election in each Senate district. The Cowles petition needed just 15,960 signatures and the 26,524 represents 166 percent of the requirement.

Along with Cowles, recall petitions have been filed for Alberta Darling of River Hills, Shelia Harsdof of River Falls, Luther Olsen of Ripon, Dan Kapanke of La Crosse and Randy Hopper of Fond du Lac. Democrats need to win three seats to take control of the Senate.

Republicans targeted eight Democratic senators for recall, but filed petitions for just three and those have yet to be verified. They fell short and missed the deadline for four others. They still have a few days to file against their last target.

More Recall Petitions Filed Against Wisconsin Senators! Volunteer signature gatherers in Wisconsin have now surpassed the achievements of all of the other recall petition circulators in state history. Until this year, there were only ever four successful efforts get recall elections on the ballot in Wisconsin. Activists just filed their fifth recall petition in three weeks against the eight GOP state senators who voted last month to strip public service workers of their rights. Here's a run down of the numbers behind this remarkable achievement:

On April 1, LaCrosse area volunteers filed a recall petition with 21,700 signatures against Senator Dan Kapanke *

On April 7, Fond du Lac area volunteers filed a recall petition with 22,500 signatures against Senator Randy Hopper*

On April 18, Ripon area volunteers filed a recall petition with 24,000 signatures against Senator Luther Olsen *

On April 19, River Falls area volunteers filed a recall petition with 23,000 signatures against Senator Sheila Harsdorf

On April 21, volunteers filed a recall petition with more than 30,000 signatures against Senator Alberta Darling

While anti-worker groups also claimed to be poised today to file recall petitions against three of the Democratic state senators who stood up for workers' rights, their signature gathering efforts have not been going as well. The clock runs out next week and some observers say that they may not have enough valid signatures in all three of the Democratic districts.

No matter how many recall elections end up taking place, AFSCME activists in Wisconsin will now turn their attention to winning the series elections that should be taking place over the next few months as part of an effort to take back the Wisconsin State Senate from the anti-worker politicians who control it now.

Scott Walker Admits He Didn’t Campaign on Rollback of Bargaining Rights! Under persistent questioning on the Hill today (4/14/2011), Governor Scott Walker finally admitted something he’s refused to acknowledge throughout the Wisconsin controversy: He never campaigned explicitly on any proposal to roll back the collective bargaining rights of public employees.

The debate over whether Walker campaigned on that plan has been central to the Wisconsin battle since it began, and it remains significant now that the drive to recall Wisconsin Repubicans is under way. Labor and Dems have argued that their reaction to Walker’s proposal — from the Dems’ fleeing of the state to the decision to initiate the recall drives — has been justified by the fact that Walker never leveled with voters about his truly radical intentions.

The claim that Walker campaigned on the proposal has also been central to Walker’s defense of himself throughout the whole fight, and has been widely repeated by many Republicans and conservatives defending the Governor.

But today, Dem Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia sharply questioned Walker on the matter, and finally got him to concede that he didn’t in fact campaign directly on the proposal.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker Heads to D.C. to Spread Attack on Workers! Not content with the full-scale attack on workers' rights he has launched in his home state, Governor Scott Walker is heading to Capitol Hill on April 14th to share some of his ideas with the members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Chairman Darryl Issa (R-CA) has titled the hearing "State and Municipal Debt: Tough Choices Ahead." This is the third in a series of hearings seeking to link public employee compensation and pensions to state and local budget problems.

As the Battleground Bulletin has reported previously, this has been a hard case for Issa to make nationally simply because it is not true. This makes Walker a strange choice as a witness, because facts in Wisconsin are even more stark. The only demonstrable link between Walker's attack on workers and the budget problems the state and municipalities may be facing is that the governor's tax cuts for businesses have only made the problem worse. In fact, Wisconsin has one of the best funded pension plans in the entire country. And, Walker refused to come to the table to negotiate with public service workers even when we agreed in principle to his financial terms.

Walker's mission in D.C. is clear. He wants to grab a little bit more of the national spotlight and get some kudos from the members of Congress who support his radical, anti-worker agenda. We are quite sure that the pro-worker members of the committee are prepared to force Gov. Walker to answer the tough questions about his true agenda and the driving forces behind his attack on workers.

Another Victory! The first election in Wisconsin since the state passed anti-union legislation is bad news for Governor Scott Walker: Democrat JoAnne Kloppenburg has a tiny edge over Republican Supreme Court Justice David Prosser - just 204 votes, which means the race is likely headed for a recount. If Kloppenburg pulls of a victory - which she already declared m- Democrats would hold a 4-3 advantage on the court if and when the anti-union law ends up before it. Prosser had seemed poised for easy reelection until Walker's battle against Senate Democrats over the legislation, which strips public workers of collective-bargaining rights.

One Down! Seven Scott Walker Republicans To Go! Local Wisconsin Democrats submitted 100% of the signatures needed to demand a recall election of Republican State Senator Dan Kapanke on Friday. The news is sending shockwaves through the state -- and revitalizing those who are working tirelessly on gathering the signatures needed to recall the remaining Republicans senators. After the signatures are certified by local officials, a Recall Election will be scheduled for Republican Dan Kapanke's seat. Our ads are blanketing the airwaves in his district, driving home everyday why Kapanke and Scott Walker must be stopped.

Wisconsin Judge Makes Her Order 'Crystal Clear'! (3/29/2011) A Wisconsin judge for the second time directed the state to put on hold an explosive law that strips most public workers of nearly all their union bargaining rights, ordering officials on Tuesday to follow her original instructions to stand down.

"Apparently that language was either misunderstood or ignored, but what I said was the further implementation of (the law) was enjoined," said a visibly annoyed Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi. "That is what I now want to make crystal clear."

Earlier this month, Sumi issued an emergency injunction prohibiting the Wisconsin secretary of state from formally publishing the law -- the final step before it could take effect.

Republican legislative leaders responded by directing the law be published by another state agency, and then declared it valid. State officials began implementing the law this weekend, stopping the collection of union dues for state workers and taking more from their pay for health care and retirement.

Sumi said Tuesday that action violated her original order, and she made it clear after a daylong hearing that the law was on hold while she considers a broader challenge to its legality.

The back and forth furthered the often angry debate between new Gov. Scott Walker, his Republican allies in the Legislature and the state's public sector unions.

Wisconsin Department of Administration Secretary Mike Huebsch, Walker's top aide, issued a statement saying the agency will evaluate the judge's order.

Wisconsin Judge Halts Anti-worker Law! A Wisconsin judge has issued a temporary restraining order blocking the implementation of the bill that strips many public employees of their voice on the job.The bill has elicited huge protests in the Badger State, including another massive rally over the weekend. Citing a violation of the state’s open meeting law, Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi Friday issued the order, which blocks implementation of the law signed by Governor Scott Walker March 11.Wisconsin judge halts anti-worker law (3/20/2011): A Wisconsin judge has issued a temporary restraining order blocking the implementation of the bill that strips many public employees of their voice on the job. Full Story

Day in the Life of a Wisconsin Public Employee

“Go grocery shopping, protest Scott Walker taking away union rights, pick up school uniforms, start dinner.”

Sixth Republican Senator Faces Wisconsin Recall! Wisconsin activists today filed more than 26,000 signatures today to recall the sixth Republican state senator—Robert Cowles of Green Bay—who voted for Gov. Scott Walker’s (R) bill to eliminate collective bargaining rights of public employees.