Republican says won't back down in union battle

Walker urged the 14 Senate Democrats who fled Wisconsin to block a vote on his plan to curb public union collective bargaining rights to return, and said he hoped to avoid layoffs.

"If we do not get these changes and the Senate Democrats do not come back, we're going to be forced to make up the savings in layoffs and that to me is unacceptable," Walker said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Tens of thousands of protesters marched against Walker's plan in Wisconsin on Saturday and solidarity rallies for labor rights were held around the country. More protesters were expected at the state capital on Sunday.

Opponents see Walker's proposal as an attempt to break the union movement and the Wisconsin fight has become a flashpoint in a growing national struggle over labor union power.

Wisconsin's state Assembly approved the plan on Friday but Senate Democrats have fled to prevent a vote in that chamber, which also must pass the bill. Walker says the plan is vital to close a budget deficit of $137 million for this fiscal year.

The Democrats left the state because they feared they could be compelled to attend the Senate if they remained. Asked when they would return from various locations in Illinois, Mike Browne, spokesman for Democratic state senate minority leader Mark Miller, said on Sunday, "Not today."

Other states have drawn inspiration from Walker's effort, with similar measures pending in Ohio, Tennessee, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa and Kansas.

In Indiana, Democratic lawmakers also have left the state to deny Republicans a vote on Republican-backed bills that restrict worker rights. Indiana's Republican governor, Mitch Daniels, said he would not consider Democratic concerns about the bill until the lawmakers return.

"While they are subverting the democratic process, there is nothing to talk about," he said on "Fox News Sunday." "When they come back to work, we will talk about their concerns."

HIGH STAKES

The stakes are high for labor groups. More than a third of U.S. public employees, including teachers, police and civil service workers, belong to unions, while only about 6 percent of private sector workers are unionized.

Daniels said the pendulum had swung too far in support of unionized public workers.

"There may have been a time, a century ago, where public employees were mistreated and vulnerable and underpaid. If that was ever a problem, we have over-fixed it," he said.

"Public employees in America -- most decidedly federal employees, but everywhere -- are better paid than the taxpayers that pay their salaries," he said.