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Bill Tomberlin
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Several hundred Wisconsin workers, joined by supporters from Minnesota, held up signs on the Carmichael Road bridge over Interstate 94 and marched to the government center. A smattering of people supporting Walker also held up signs.
About 50 people also demonstrated in Superior, Wis.
In Madison, protests continued Saturday for the fifth straight day, with a crowd estimated at 70,000 filling the Capitol rotunda and surrounding streets.
When asked why he was demonstrating, Tomberlin replied, “I’m doing it for her,” and pointed to his seven-year-old granddaughter, Madison, who held a sign that read, “Walker makes George W. Bush look like a genius.” Cars honked as they passed the group.
“It’s not about budgets or money,” Tomberlin explained. “It’s about rights. When they take that away, corporations are going to rule the United States. That’s not what we want. I believe that’s called fascism.”
‘It’s about the future for students’
Public school teachers have been in the forefront of efforts to stop Walker’s proposal, which he was seeking to ram through the Legislature in less than one week.
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| Lisa Plackner |
“The energy was amazing,” she said. “We were holding hands and Jesse Jackson was leading us in singing. It was the most moving experience I’ve ever had.”
The Hudson school district, like many across the state, shut down Friday because so many employees left to participate in the protests. Plackner said the decision was not made lightly.
“People need to know: It is not about the money,” she said. “It is about the future for my students.”
Teachers, acting through their union, have been part of building a tradition of strong public education in Wisconsin, she said. “We need to have a voice.”
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In addition to events like the Hudson rally and the massive gathering in Madison, unions in Wisconsin were planning events in each legislative district over the weekend. “Ask your State Senator to vote NO on any bill that attacks workers and the middle class instead of creating jobs, and NO on any bill that forces cuts that will sink our economy even lower,” the Wisconsin AFL-CIO said.
The Minnesota AFL-CIO will hold a solidarity rally Tuesday at 4 p.m. in the state Capitol rotunda in St. Paul.
“This extremist measure isn\'t just about denying the rights of nurses, EMTs and teachers; it\'s about undermining workplace rights for all workers,” said Minnesota AFL-CIO President Shar Knutson.
“This is clearly a national attack on the rights of all working people. Measures attacking basic workers’ rights have been introduced in several states, including Minnesota. Working people will not sit idle while our rights are taken away.
“Minnesota’s working families stand united against this legislation with our brothers and sisters across the border in Wisconsin and across the country.”
Related articles
See the Workday special section, "Taking a Stand in Wisconsin"
View more photos
Photos from Superior, Wisconsin
Courtesy of Michael Kuchta, AFSCME Council 5
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| Jayme McKenna, of AFSCME Local 66 in Duluth (above), was among those demonstrating Saturday in Superior near the campus of the University of Wisconsin. Joel Sipress (below), president of the newly organized faculty union at UW-Superior, addresses the crowd. |
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| Becky Price, AFSCME Local 3887, at the Minnesota Department of Corrections, shows her support. |
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Bill Tomberlin
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“It affects me as an American worker,” said Tomberlin, who works for a roofing company. “If they pass a bill that takes rights away from union members, who’s next?”
Several hundred Wisconsin workers, joined by supporters from Minnesota, held up signs on the Carmichael Road bridge over Interstate 94 and marched to the government center. A smattering of people supporting Walker also held up signs.
About 50 people also demonstrated in Superior, Wis.
In Madison, protests continued Saturday for the fifth straight day, with a crowd estimated at 70,000 filling the Capitol rotunda and surrounding streets.
When asked why he was demonstrating, Tomberlin replied, “I’m doing it for her,” and pointed to his seven-year-old granddaughter, Madison, who held a sign that read, “Walker makes George W. Bush look like a genius.” Cars honked as they passed the group.
“It’s not about budgets or money,” Tomberlin explained. “It’s about rights. When they take that away, corporations are going to rule the United States. That’s not what we want. I believe that’s called fascism.”
‘It’s about the future for students’
Public school teachers have been in the forefront of efforts to stop Walker’s proposal, which he was seeking to ram through the Legislature in less than one week.
|
| Lisa Plackner |
Lisa Plackner, who teaches first grade in Hudson, stood on the Carmichael Road bridge with her two children. She talked excitedly about having gone to Madison the day before to participate in the protests at the state Capitol.
“The energy was amazing,” she said. “We were holding hands and Jesse Jackson was leading us in singing. It was the most moving experience I’ve ever had.”
The Hudson school district, like many across the state, shut down Friday because so many employees left to participate in the protests. Plackner said the decision was not made lightly.
“People need to know: It is not about the money,” she said. “It is about the future for my students.”
Teachers, acting through their union, have been part of building a tradition of strong public education in Wisconsin, she said. “We need to have a voice.”
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Keeping up the pressure
In addition to events like the Hudson rally and the massive gathering in Madison, unions in Wisconsin were planning events in each legislative district over the weekend. “Ask your State Senator to vote NO on any bill that attacks workers and the middle class instead of creating jobs, and NO on any bill that forces cuts that will sink our economy even lower,” the Wisconsin AFL-CIO said.
The Minnesota AFL-CIO will hold a solidarity rally Tuesday at 4 p.m. in the state Capitol rotunda in St. Paul.
“This extremist measure isn\’t just about denying the rights of nurses, EMTs and teachers; it\’s about undermining workplace rights for all workers,” said Minnesota AFL-CIO President Shar Knutson.
“This is clearly a national attack on the rights of all working people. Measures attacking basic workers’ rights have been introduced in several states, including Minnesota. Working people will not sit idle while our rights are taken away.
“Minnesota’s working families stand united against this legislation with our brothers and sisters across the border in Wisconsin and across the country.”
Related articles
See the Workday special section, "Taking a Stand in Wisconsin"
Photos from Superior, Wisconsin
Courtesy of Michael Kuchta, AFSCME Council 5
|
| Jayme McKenna, of AFSCME Local 66 in Duluth (above), was among those demonstrating Saturday in Superior near the campus of the University of Wisconsin. Joel Sipress (below), president of the newly organized faculty union at UW-Superior, addresses the crowd. |
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| Becky Price, AFSCME Local 3887, at the Minnesota Department of Corrections, shows her support. |