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By JASON SMATHERS, Associated Press
      


MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Day by day, the rallies of thousands of
teachers, firefighters and other public workers that propelled
Wisconsin's fight over union rights to national prominence have
been giving way to smaller protests of mostly students.


      When the protests erupted, the Capitol and streets around it
were packed with government employees demanding that their rights
not be taken away. Two weekend demonstrations after that attracted
roughly 70,000 people each time. So many teachers came from the
Madison district that was forced to close for four days.

      But by the time Capitol police cleared the rotunda late
Thursday, the crowd was down to about 50 hardcore demonstrators.

      The face of the protesters changed in large part when police
began allowing people to enter the building only as an equal number
departed. That left mainly student activists, many of whom had
slept on the granite floors for more than two weeks. 


The long wait
for access has discouraged some people from attending protests, and
teachers and other union members are now often present only in the
afternoon.

      "Clearly, having people continue to protest is essential to our
efforts," said Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca, D-Kenosha.
The protesters have gotten Republicans' attention, he said.
     


 But they have not yet swayed Gov. Scott Walker from his attempt
to eliminate most collective bargaining rights for public workers,
and 14 Senate Democrats who fled the state to prevent a vote on the
measure entered a third week on the run in Illinois.
     


 Walker informed state employee unions on Friday that he intends
to issue layoff notices to 1,500 workers that would be effective on
April 4 to realize cost savings that otherwise would come from a
part of the stymied bill forcing those employees to pay more for
their benefits.

      State agencies have 15 days to develop layoff plans before
individual employees are notified. Walker said in a statement from
his office that the layoff notices could be rescinded if the Senate
passes the bill before then.
     


 The governor is negotiating with the Democratic senators on
possible changes that would get them to return, even as Senate
Republicans passed a resolution finding them in contempt and
authorizing police to detain them and force them back.

      While Democrats say the protesters have been an important part
of their attempts to get concessions from Walker, some Republicans
say the demonstrators aren't doing the Democrats any favors.

      Republican Sen. Glenn Grothman of West Bend, who has repeatedly
criticized the protesters, was confronted by a group of protesters
earlier in the week before Democratic state Rep. Brett Hulsey
intervened and allowed him to escape without incident.

      "Protesters hurt the Dems because their uncivil behavior
reflects badly on every schoolteacher and public employee in the
state," Grothman said. "And quite frankly I'm surprised the
Democrat legislators haven't asked them to leave."
     


 The number of protesters swelled again to hundreds on Friday
over the noon hour, with another large rally planned for Saturday.
     


 Erika Wolf, 25, said that while the number of protesters
dwindled in recent days, they remain committed to keeping up the
pressure.

      "I think this can be sustained as long as it has to and I think
it will be sustained, at least until July," Wolf said.


      So far the protests have been larger and more sustained than
anything seen in Madison, even during the Vietnam era when the city
was a focal point of sometimes violent confrontation, said Stuart
Levitan, a Madison-based radio host and community historian.

      Levitan, who was in the Capitol on Thursday night urging
protesters to leave peacefully, said the demonstrations reflect a
change in attitude by the protesters and support from police for
their cause - protecting collective bargaining.
     


 "The protesters knew that the police were not their enemy,"
Levitan said. "You had this tremendous reservoir of trust that was
built up over the last two weeks. To see the protesters chanting,
'Thank you' to the police, that's pretty astonishing. The
protesters also knew that the external perception of the protest
could be seriously damaged if they acted out."
      


One incident that got a lot of attention was when a Democratic
lawmaker was tackled by police Thursday night as he tried to enter
the Capitol, even though he showed his identification. But Rep.
Nick Milroy of South Range said Friday that both he and the officer
who took him to the ground were acting too aggressively.
    

  "There was no harm, no foul in this incident," said Milroy.
"It may have looked violent on the video but I had a puffy jacket
on."

      Inside the building Thursday night, Capitol Police Chief Charles
Tubbs stood in the center of the rotunda with the last remaining
demonstrators around him. A hush fell over the crowd as he
explained the court's order to vacate and pleaded with them to
leave peacefully.

      For more than three hours the protesters asked questions - even
raising their hands to be recognized - and expressed their
reservations about leaving. Tubbs said he didn't want to arrest
anyone, but they had to leave.

      Finally, they did - singing "Solidarity Forever," they filed
out the door with Tubbs there shaking their hands and thanking them
for their decision.

      Some of those who left Thursday night returned the next day and
were joined by hundreds of union members and teachers.

      "We don't want people to feel that this is going to go away,
that it's going to get old and that people are going to stop coming
here," Dawn Orfield, 44, a middle school psychologist from Green
Bay who took a personal day to be in Madison. "It's too
important."

      Associated Press writer Scott Bauer contributed to this report.
      
      

Gallery

Politics and Government News

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Wis. governor tells unions he will lay off workers

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