Democratic senators, returned to Capitol, get boisterous welcome

[Casino67]

JSOnline:

Madison - Unbowed and unrepentant, the 14 Democratic state senators returned to the state Capitol on Saturday and received a tumultuous welcome from tens of thousands of pro-labor demonstrators.

Despite passage of Gov. Scott Walker's budget-repair bill, the senators said they did the right thing by fleeing to Illinois in a bid to block the legislation.

And they vowed to fight the law in the courts and at the ballot box in a bid to restore collective bargaining rights to most public employees.

As they made their way to the steps of the state Capitol that they had fled a month ago, they heard the roars of a crowd that clogged Capitol Square and chants of "thank you, thank you."

One by one, the senators took the stage and addressed the audience that fanned out on muddy ground and spilled out into State St.

State Sen. Spencer Coggs (D-Milwaukee) told the demonstrators, "Thank you for being our voice while we were gone. Thank you for being Wisconsin's voice while we were gone. Thank you for being America's voice."

Coggs said it was time for the "Fabulous 14" to "come back and unite with you."

"We want to unite, we want to fight, we want to get back workers rights," he said. "The people united will never be defeated."

"This is not the end. This is the beginning of phase two," said state Sen. Fred Risser (D-Madison).