Wisconsin Workers Fight Back Against Union-Busting Bill

Wisconsin public employees have been fighting back against Republican attempts to smash one of their most basic labor rights -- and they're winning.

Last week, Gov. Walker announced he would "fix" an $137 million budget shortfall by eliminating collective bargaining rights for public workers. Rather than going after the two-thirds of Wisconsin corporations who pay no tax in the state, Walker wants to destroy the most basic labor rights for his own employees.

Tell Wisconsin: Don’t Sacrifice Employee Rights!

Other Republican-governed states like Ohio, New Jersey and New York are probably following the situation closely. If Walker destroys Wisconsin's strongest advocates for public spending and education, it could pave the way for a national effort.

But they probably don't like what they see.

A few days ago, Wisconsin Republicans claimed they would pass the union-busting bill by the end of the week. But in the last two days, tens of thousands of workers, students, teachers and other state employees filled the Capital Rotunda chanting "Kill The Bill!" for hours.

At least 15 school districts across the state were closed when teachers didn't report to work, cancelling classes for a second day. Students walked out of class and joined protestors.

The Wisconsin AFL-CIO launched a television ad explaining the bill. Facebook pages are popping up like a virtual union solidarity vigil: "See Scott Walker Out of Wisconsin", and "Boycott Scott Walker Contributors" gained thousands of members in a matter of hours. In Ohio, around 5,000 people showed up to protest a similar bill.

Former US Senator and legendary Wisconsin progressive Russ Feingold said, “What Gov. Walker is doing is a direct assault on Wisconsin history and Wisconsin traditions and Wisconsin rules of fair play. It is one of the least Wisconsin-like things I’ve ever seen anyone do.”

And then, the Democrats disappeared.

On Thursday, reports surfaced that Wisconsin Senate Democrats had boycotted the impending vote on the bill, leaving Republicans without the necessary quorum to bust public unions. Where are they? No one knows. Senator Lena Taylor posted "brb" on her Facebook page; she and fellow Democrats may have left the state. Freshman Senator Chris Larson, speaking to the Washington Post, set an ultimatum: Democrats won't come back until collective bargaining rights are off the table.

"We're going to be staying away until we hear that they are taking the right to organize seriously," Larson told the Washington Post. "They're going after 50 years of history in one week. Until they take that off the table, it's a non-starter."

Suddenly, Walker is wavering. He said Thursday he would be willing to "talk with Democrats"  while at least two critical Republican voters, Sen. Dale Schultz and Rep. Dean Kaufert, have refused to say which way they'll vote on the bill. Republicans were forced to adjourn Thursday's senate session, postponing the vote.

In less than 24 hours, this Change.org petition by a local UW-Madison student has sent over 2,000 signatures to Wisconsin Republicans that may still be on the fence.

Join Change.org and the thousands of folks across Wisconsin to Tell Wisconsin: Don’t Sacrifice Employee Rights!

Winning this and similar campaigns depends on our ability to quickly call on thousands of supportive folks like you. After signing the petition below, please click here to follow us on Facebook - just click ‘Like’ at the top of the page.

Photo Credit: RockNetRoots