The 14 Wisconsin state senators hiding in Illinois are defending the rights of workers to participate meaningfully in state politics. Their controversial tactic of leaving the state is justified because Governor Walker’s plan would drastically alter Wisconsin’s political playing field. It is also not an unprecedented move; Texas Democrats in 2003 used the same tactic to delay a redistricting plan that heavily favored Republicans.
Non-participation is a dangerous tactic for representatives, one which should be used only when absolutely necessary. Even opponents of Governor Walker’s proposal to limit the right of unions to bargain collectively are justified to be concerned by the precedent set by representatives leaving the state. What if this strategy gains popularity and representatives nationwide start shutting down legislatures when they disagree with the majority?
Fleeing the state to avoid quorum should not be a standard political tactic. Losing is a necessary part of politics and representatives normally have an obligation to participate in decisions they disagree with even if they know they will lose.
The case of the Wisconsin senators is different because of the stakes. This is not a budget fight, it is a fight over the future political power and viability of unions. Governor Walker’s proposal would rewrite the rules of political engagement in Wisconsin under the cover of balancing the budget.
The problem is that the Governor’s proposal does nothing to directly fix Wisconsin’s budget crisis. The Governor has gone on record saying that even if unions accept his proposal to cut salary and benefits, he will still push to end collective bargaining.
The Governor wants to limit the power of unions in order to balance the budget, even if unions support rather than oppose his budget cuts. This is absurd. If unions are not blocking a fix to the budget crisis then how will drastically limiting their power help the situation?
The “Wisconsin Fourteen” are fighting for the political participation of unions and their members by refusing to participate in congressional politics. Outlawing collective bargaining would limit the ability of government employees to influence state politics; Democrats should not stand by and watch while Republicans rewrite the rules of political engagement in their favor.
These senators are following the example set by two groups of Texas Democrats in 2003. The “Killer Ds” and the “Texas Eleven” successively fled the state to block a redistricting plan led by Tom DeLay that would have strongly favored Republicans in future elections.
The redistricting plan was as unprecedented as tactics of the Democratic resistance. Redistricting in Texas usually happened once every 10 years, unless ordered by a court; this plan was spearheaded by House Republicans during the middle of the decade.
Like the current conflict in Wisconsin, this plan was initially based on a legitimate concern; Democrats in Texas consistently won the House despite a slight majority of Republican voters in the state. But as in Wisconsin, the Republican plan went too far, going beyond correcting this discrepancy and giving Texas Republicans a large structural advantage in future elections.
While the Texas Democrats blocked the plan for some time, a similar plan eventually passed through different channels, though courts eventually blocked some of the changes for violating the Voting Rights Act. While Democrats were probably motivated mostly by a desire to defend their own political power, they were also defending the legal rights of voters.
Unions traditionally support Democratic candidates, which is likely a strong motivation for the senators who have fled the state. But like their predecessors in Texas, they are also defending the rights of workers more generally.
Like the Wisconsin Democrats today, the Texas Democrats faced calls for their arrest and coerced return. Thankfully, these threats were never put into practice; whatever one thinks about boycotting as a tactic, it should not be up to police to force representatives to attend the legislature. Rather, it is up to the voters to decide whether the senators can best represent the needs of the people by boycotting the Senate.
If this conflict was just about a budget deficit, then the Wisconsin Fourteen’s tactics would be irresponsible. But as the political rights of workers are at stake, drastic measures are necessary. Wisconsin Democratic should “do their job,” but that does not mean they have to watch Republicans gut the power of unions and the workers they represent.
