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Wisconsin governor tries to strip state employees of union rights, workers fight back

Huge protests in Madison
By Staff |
February 16, 2011
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Protest in Madison, February 15
Above:
Protest in Madison, February 15 (Fight Back! News/Staff)
Protest in Madison, February 15
Protest in Madison, February 15
Right:
Protest in Madison, February 15 (Fight Back! News/Staff)
Left:
Protest in Madison, February 15 (Fight Back! News/Staff)

Madison, WI - Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has proposed to take away union collective bargaining rights for more than 175,000 public employees. Walker has made his state the center of a vicious, far-reaching union busting move. But the people of Wisconsin are rising up. They are fighting back.

On Feb. 15 a rally of more than 12,000 people converged on the Capitol with chants of “Recall Walker.” This followed a rally of 2000 students on Feb. 14. The Madison School District has announced that they will not hold classes Feb. 16 because so many teachers have already called in sick in order to attend the protests.

Wisconsin workers are aware that the class struggle, the war on workers, is now focused on Wisconsin. “If this goes through, that is the end public sector unions in Wisconsin. The governor is determined to make workers poor. He serves only the rich,” said Christian Hainds, Chairman of the Midwest Council of the Office, Professional Employees International Union Local 2009.

Walker has excluded from the bill the only three unions that endorsed him in his recent run for governor - the police, state troopers and firefighters unions. Despite this, scores of firefighters from Racine, Janesville, Madison and other places showed up at the rally to show solidarity with their sisters and brothers in other unions. Private sector workers also showed support and turned out in big numbers from across the state. Walker has talked about making Wisconsin a “right to work for less state.” He wants to make it difficult or better yet impossible for any worker to belong to or enjoy the rights of union membership.

The many thousands that braved the cold weather were clearly inspired by recent events in Egypt. Comparison between Hosni Mubarak and Scott Walkers as dictators who take rights away from the people were often repeated. More importantly, Wisconsin workers saw the strength of a people united in Egypt. Now they want to defeat the dictator.

Workers and people of conscience have been making calls and visiting their state representatives. “We will not stop fighting this bill until it is defeated,” said Hainds, “we are ‘the people’ and we have the power. Now is the time to use it.”

3 comments

 
Anonymous wrote 49 weeks 6 days ago

Check the ballets

I live in california, alot of our polititions win with the same range of votes, time after time. You need to look at alot of
the ballets and see if they were all printed the same. If the names were changed to different positions they then put
them in up side down to be counted.

 
Anonymous wrote 2 years 13 weeks ago

Don't buy from businesses that support Walker's bill

Ghandi and the Indian people brought down the British Empire by refusing to buy British salt. Wisconsinites should be refusing to buy from businesses that support Walker's bill.

 
Anonymous wrote 2 years 13 weeks ago

Low Turnout Among Blacks

The black voting population in Wisconsin was extremely low during the last election. So low, that if the black population actually showed up to vote in a high percentage, Scott Walker would not have won. In order to fight back, make sure the black population votes. Do all you can in 2012 to have the black population show up in the voting booths.

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