Labor & Employment Law

Wisconsin Says ?No Way? to Walker?s Budget, Bargaining Assault

By Donna Jablonski

UPDATE:  Veterans are strongly objecting to Walker’s “inappropriate threat to activate the National Guard to intimidate state workers, as his administration moves forward with plans to break up workers’ unions,” according Vote Vets.org.

“Maybe the new governor doesn’t understand yet – but the National Guard is not his own personal intimidation force to be mobilized to quash political dissent,” said Robin Eckstein, a former Wisconsin National Guard member, Iraq War Veteran from Appleton, Wis., and member of VoteVets.org.  “The Guard is to be used in case of true emergencies and disasters, to help the people of Wisconsin, not to bully political opponents.  Considering many veterans and Guard members are union members, it’s even more inappropriate to use the Guard in this way.  This is a very dangerous line the Governor is about to cross.”

Wisconsin activists are answering Gov. Scott Walker?s outrageous assault on middle-class jobs and collective bargaining with neighborhood canvasses, a two-day lobbying and rally blitz at the state capital, television ads and social media campaigns.

Backers of Walker?s proposal to strip away almost all collective bargaining rights from public employees in the state are trying to push the legislation through this week ?with almost no public input or discussion,? according to the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO. Last week Walker announced he had alerted the National Guard to be ready in case public employees strike or rise in protest.

But union activists and allied organizations are joining together to stop the assault they say would undermine middle-class jobs by lowering wages, shrinking benefits, weakening unions and destroying collective bargaining.

This assault on middle-class jobs in Wisconsin is one of many efforts in states where Republican governors and legislators won majorities in the 2010 elections. They are widely considered political payback to CEOs that poured millions into state election campaigns.

The Wisconsin working families push-back includes:

• Television and radio ads.
• Lobby days and rallies at the state capital Tuesday and Wednesday (get information and sign up for free buses here.
• A Facebook campaign you can join here.
• A Twitter petition to share here.
• A new Not My Wisconsin website with broad information.

This is an emergency not just for Wisconsin but for working families throughout the country. Please take action today.

Full post as published by AFL-CIO NOW BLOG on February 14, 2011 (boomark / email).