This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.
这里是美国之音慢速英语经济报道。
Americans have been watching the protests in the Middle East and North Africa -- and closer to home. Workers in Wisconsin, and now some other states, have been protesting efforts to limit the negotiating power of government employees.
美国人一直在密切关注着中东和北非的抗议活动--而现在抗议活动烧到了家门口。威斯康星州和其他几个州的工人正在抗议限制政府职员谈判力的措施。
Wisconsin's newly elected governor, Scott Walker, says limits are needed on labor unions to help cut a deficit in the state budget. The Republican governor proposes to end collective bargaining rights for most public employees except on the issue of wages.
威斯康星州新任州长斯科特·沃克（Scott Walker）表示，必须限制工会权力以帮助削减州政府预算赤字。这位来自共和党的州长提议，终止大部分公职人员工资问题以外的集体谈判权。
The bill has led to big, noisy demonstrations that began earlier this month in Madison, the state capital.
这项议案导致了本月初在州首府麦迪逊开始的大规模抗议活动。
PROTESTERS: "This is what democracy looks like!"
抗议人群：“这就是民主的真实嘴脸！”
The bill would not affect police or firefighters. They are barred from striking. But firefighter Mahlon Mitchell came to protest anyway.
该议案将不会影响警察或消防队员。他们被禁止参加罢工。但消防队员马伦·米切尔（Mahlon Mitchell）最终还是前来参加了抗议。
MAHLON MITCHELL: "This is ground zero for the nation."
马伦米切尔：“这是美联邦的归零地。”
Democrats in the state Senate fled to the neighboring Midwestern state of Illinois. They want to prevent the Republican majority in the Wisconsin Legislature from passing the bill which they consider anti-union. Labor unions are a traditional base of support for the Democratic Party.
该州民主党参议员躲到了邻近的伊利诺伊州。他们试图阻止威斯康星州议会多数派共和党人通过这一被他们认为是反工会的议案。工会是民主党的传统支持阵营。
Governor Walker says the state could have to start dismissing workers unless the Democrats return to debate what he calls a budget repair bill.
州长沃克表示，如果民主党人不回来讨论他所谓的修复财政议案，该州可能不得不开始裁员。
Dennis Dresang is professor emeritus of political science at the University of Wisconsin. He says the modern history of the state helps explain the strong reaction.
Dennis Dresang威斯康星大学政治学名誉教授。他表示，该州的现代史有助于解释这种强烈反应。
DENNIS DRESANG: "Wisconsin was the first in the nation to establish the right of public employees to bargain collectively, and it's a real shock to a lot of people that these rights would be taken away."
Dennis Dresang：“威斯康星州是全国第一个建立政府职员集体谈判权的州。对许多人来说，这项权力可能被剥夺是一个巨大打击。”
Collective bargaining rights differ from state to state. Lawmakers in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio have also proposed limits on unions representing public employees. Critics say politicians are using state budget problems as an excuse for union-busting -- an effort to take away rights to organize.
各州的集体谈判权各自不同。印第安纳州、密歇根州和俄亥俄州议会也提议限制代表公共职员的工会。批评人士说，政治家们以州政府预算为借口打击工会，试图剥夺工会权力。
Unions have been shrinking in private industry. The Labor Department says only seven percent of workers in the private sector now belong to one. But more than one-third of government workers hold union cards. Local governments are the most unionized. Over forty-two percent of workers like teachers, health care workers and public safety employees are union members.
私营行业的工会规模持续萎缩。劳工部表示，目前只有7%的私营行业工人参加了工会。但超过1/3的政府职员持有工会卡。地方政府是工会组织最严密的地方，超过42%的类似教师、医务工作者和公共安全职员一类的工作人员都是工会成员。
But labor protests are not the only political dispute capturing attention right now. A budget battle in Washington could force the federal government to suspend many operations at midnight next Friday. The last government shutdown happened fifteen years ago. It lasted a record twenty-one days.
但劳工抗议不是当前唯一吸引眼球的政治争端。华盛顿的预算之争可能迫使联邦政府下周五午夜暂停办公。上一次政府停摆发生在15年前，并持续了创纪录的21天。