"We want to say loud and clear — it is not about those concessions," Bell said. "For my members, it's about retaining a voice in their professions."

The two insisted their positions have not changed and Friday's call was intended to clarify their opposition to Walker's proposal. Bell, who represents 98,000 educators, and Beil, whose council includes 60,000 members, repeated calls for Walker to sit down with them.

Senate Democrats also reached out to Walker, sending him a letter urging him to remove the bargaining provisions from his bill.

But Walker repeated that he would not back down.

Friday the Capitol was again flooded by thousands of protesters and the sounds of bagpipes, banging drums, singing and chanting. The crowd totalled about 35,000 surrounding the Capitol and 5,000 inside the building, according to Madison and Capitol police. The protests are expected to continue and possibly grow on Saturday, with a pro-Walker rally organized by Americans for Prosperity planned for noon.

Appearance by Jesse Jackson