Wisconsin Spirit Sweeps Across the Midwest

by Jenny Brown and Dan La Botz
Labor Notes
February 23, 2011
http://labornotes.org/2011/02/wisconsin-spirit-sweeps-across-midwest

The spirit of Wisconsin is inspiring union members in
Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan to jam capitol buildings by
the thousands to fight a raft of union-busting bills in
their states.

By aiming their attack against such a broad range of
working people-teachers to state workers to building
trades- conservative legislators and their shadowy
billionaire funders unintentionally created the
conditions for unity.

By making their aggression so naked, the legislators
scotched the usual impulse from most labor leaders to
think they could negotiate a way out behind closed
doors. When the right took off the gloves, labor
finally put up its dukes.

Pro-union demonstrators in Indianapolis Tuesday saw
themselves as part of a national effort, as 5,000
crowded into the Capitol galleries and sat down in the
hallways with signs and chants.

"Once they're done with us they'll come for the
stronger union states," said Brian Babcock, an auto
worker who rebuilds Ford seats in Hammond, Indiana. He
gave up a day's pay to demonstrate. "If Indiana, Ohio,
and Wisconsin go right to work, how long before
Illinois does?"

Democrats in the Indiana House walked out before the
start of the Tuesday morning session, departing for
Illinois. As in Wisconsin, this move left the
Republican majority without a quorum to conduct
business.

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels declined to send state
police to round up the legislators. He restated that
now was not the right time to push the right-to-work
bill, although he supports the concept.

House Democrats said they wouldn't return until the
attacks on workers are withdrawn. "Nuts," responded
House Speaker Brian Bosma, to boos by the
demonstrators.

The building trades were excluded from the right-to-
work bill, but trades workers were still out in force
to denounce it, and to speak out against other bills
the legislature is considering that would harm
construction unions. (See sidebar for details of
pending proposals across the Midwest.)

More protests are expected Wednesday, said David
Williams of the Laborers. Williams met with other
unionists from around the Midwest on Tuesday. "The
overall feeling and strategy was shut this down any way
we can," he said. OHIO: LINING THE STAIRCASES

In Columbus, Ohio, around 7,000 opponents of the senate
bill which would end collective bargaining for state
employees demonstrated for hours Tuesday inside and
outside the Capitol.

AFSCME members, Teachers, Service Employees,
Steelworkers, Teamsters and others stood in the 30-
degree temperatures outside the building for hours,
lined the staircases, and crowded into the hearing
rooms and hallways.

"This affects our loved ones, our family, and our
community members," said Josh Kramer, a firefighter in
southwest Ohio. He arrived with 10 co-workers, among a
big contingent of firefighters who showed up in their
gear, helmets and all.

Signs in the crowd demanded "Merit Pay for Senators,"
identified private sector unionists supporting public
sector friends and family, and pleaded with
legislators: "Please don't make me regret becoming a
teacher."

Most teachers joined the protests after school. Dan
Smith, a 14-year teacher at a middle school in
Lakewood, Ohio, near Cleveland, said, "This is a step
that would destroy our collective bargaining rights,
lead to privatization, and make us all part of one big
corporation." MICHIGAN: `LET US SPEAK'

In Lansing, Michigan, the numbers were smaller Tuesday
- perhaps 1,000-and the action was billed as a "lobby
day." A second day of actions was planned today.

Ruby Newbold, president of a school office employees
local in Detroit, said, "I hope that we do multiply
until we get to the point where we look like
Wisconsin." She noted that Governor Rick Snyder's
package of bills and takeaways would "hurt everybody."
Her members in particular feared paying taxes on their
already small pensions.

AFSCME, the union of public employees, says its average
member earns less than $45,000 and receives a pension
of about $19,000 per year.

Members of the United Auto Workers came out in numbers
in Michigan. "We're beating up the wrong people for the
wrong reasons," said one, at a lobby meeting in the
office of Republican Deb Shaughnessy.

David Counter, a union plumber from Lansing, was
outraged by the proposal to eliminate the earned income
tax credit for low-income people when state leaders are
considering tax breaks worth $1.8 billion for
corporations.

"Poor people can finance giveaways to the corporations,
on just the hope that they'll create jobs?" Counter
asked. "There's no guarantee. On the backs of the
elderly and poor people? I don't think so."

The biggest fireworks in Michigan came when a committee
held hearings on a bill to repeal Project Labor
Agreements, which guarantee union standards and wages
on state-funded construction jobs. The committee
permitted only construction management and a right-wing
think tank to testify.

A hundred building trades workers gathered in a nearby
room and their call-"Let us speak!"-thundered through
the hallways.

But leaders of the building trades unions didn't
motivate members to join in the other actions under way
around the capital, leaving the impression that the
trades were focused on only the issues that affect them
directly.

When Labor Notes caught up with an official in the
state's building trades council, he said he "hadn't had
time to pay attention" to the assaults on everyone else
and defended Republican Governor Rick Snyder as someone
who "doesn't want to cut his way to prosperity."
WISCONSIN: MASS STRIKE CALLED

Rallies in Madison drew more than 10,000 on Tuesday,
with healthy participation from private sector unions.
Several International union presidents, including the
Steelworkers' Leo Gerard, IBEW's Ed Hill, and SEIU's
Mary Kay Henry, made a showing this week.

Teachers, who have been the backbone of the resistance
at the Capitol, returned to work Tuesday at their
union's urging. But observers noted parents marching
around the Capitol yesterday carrying signs that said
they were protesting in place of their children's
teacher.

The Madison-based South Central Federation of Labor
endorsed a call Monday night for a general strike. It
could take place the day Walker signs his "budget
repair" bill, if that happens.

Recognizing that more than a simple call would be
needed to pull off such a momentous action-which hasn't
been endorsed by other labor bodies as of yet-the
federation made educating affiliated unions and members
on the organization and function of a general strike
its focus. A committee began contacting European unions
to learn how they have come together to pull off a wave
of huge one-day strikes in recent months.

Unions pledged that essential services would continue
uninterrupted during any strike, and told Madison's
Capital Times they're evaluating which government
functions are crucial.

"If it was decided the governor's mansion really wasn't
that important and it wasn't that important to heat it
or give it electricity or to guard it, then those
things wouldn't happen," one member said.

While Democrats in Wisconsin's senate are still
blocking passage of the bill that would essentially end
collective bargaining-by refusing to grant Republicans
a quorum-the state assembly is considering the bill.
Democrats there have prepared about 100 amendments to
slow the legislation down.

Senate Republicans have threatened to take the anti-
workers' rights sections out of the bill and vote for
them separately. That would remove any need for the
Democrats' participation, because only fiscal
legislation requires a quorum. Republicans appear to be
hesitating to take such a step, since decoupling union
rights from the "budget repair" bill makes it clear
they're simply interested in an undisguised attack on
unions.

The AFL-CIO released polling of Wisconsin voters
showing 67 percent support public employees in the
showdown in the Capitol.

Howard Ryan contributed to this piece.

==========

Indianapolis, Day Four

by Jenny Brown
Labor Notes
February 24, 2011 - 5:30pm
http://labornotes.org/blogs/2011/02/indianapolis-day-four

Ten thousand demonstrated against anti-worker
legislation in Indianapolis today, the same number as
yesterday, packing the statehouse and cheering when the
Indiana House of Representatives was once again unable
to achieve a quorum.

Demonstrators were elated that the Democrats have
pledged to stay away, and dropped "Hall of Fame"
banners from a third floor balcony to honor them. On
the other side of the hall, they unfurled a "Hall of
Shame" banners listing anti-worker legislation under
consideration.

Listed were a bill to limit teacher bargaining rights
to pay and benefits only, and a bill to undermine
construction worker pay by exempting many projects from
prevailing wage laws, among others.

"I'm so happy the Democrats walked out and aren't
allowing this to go forward. Hopefully the Republicans
realize the damage they're trying to do," said
steelworker Herb Anderson, who traveled from Fort Wayne
for the demonstrations.

The halls were filled with music and chanting from 10
am to 4 pm on Wednesday, and again today. "It's been
exciting, thrilling to see so many different unions
come together," said Anderson, who works at B.F.
Goodrich in Woodburn.

Amy Sutcliff, a postal worker from northern Indiana,
said the cross-union interaction was great, and she was
learning a lot from talking to people in other unions.
"You see steelworkers talking to electricians, sharing
ideals, talking about what works for them," she said.

Anderson and Sutcliff were among 120 who signed up to
testify Monday against a right-to-work bill. But the
committee leadership cut off debate after three hours
and sent the bill to the full House, leaving 93 people
yet to speak.

"They said, 'we have to do this fast,'" Anderson said.
The workers from northern Indiana had braved bad
weather and icy road conditions to get to the
statehouse. They were incensed that their voices were
not heard.

The next day, Democratic legislators left for Urbana,
Illinois, leaving the House without a quorum. The
right-to- work bill hit a deadline and was declared
dead. But today HouseRepublicans tried to change the
rules to extend the time the bill could be considered.
It's unclear whether the rules change is valid without
a quorum. Legislators don't expect to take more action
until Monday.

Workers intend to protest through the weekend, with
union bus trips planned from northern Indiana tomorrow
despite an expected 6 to 10 inches of snow.

"At this point it's up to the Republicans to come to
their senses," Anderson said.

In a bizarre twist, on Wednesday Indiana's attorney
general fired Jeff Cox, a deputy attorney general, for
tweeting that police should "use live ammunition" to
clear protesters out of the Wisconsin statehouse. The
identity of the tweet's author was discovered by a
Mother Jones magazine reporter, Adam Weinstein, who
then engaged in a Twitter-based dialog with Cox in
which Cox told Weinstein, "You're damned right I
advocate deadly force."

As in Madison, the protests in Indianapolis have been
civil and friendly, if loud, with schoolchildren taking
field-trip tours of the Capitol in the middle of the
demonstrations.

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