February 16, 2011
Contact: Mike Uehlein
(608)318-3123 or muehlein@aflcio.org
Crowd Doubles in Support for Wisconsin Workers
An estimated 30,000 gather at the Capitol to protect Wisconsin's middle class In a continuing show of support for public workers, huge crowds arrived in Madison today to protest Governor Walker's attack on Wisconsin families.
A diverse collection of working men and women, students, community members and religious groups marched around the Capitol Building.
A public citizen testimony was offered for people denied the ability to speak at the Joint Committee on Finance yesterday.
Despite the practice of hearing testimony from any Wisconsinite who wishes to speak, the Joint Committee on Finance cut off public debate late last night. "It is up to us to fight for the right of workers to have a collective voice on the job," said Phil Neuenfeldt, President of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO. "We will not stand by and watch those rights be taken away. For every person here today, there are 100 more who could not make it and we stand with them.
This proposal is too extreme. No one should be taking away our rights as workers and our rights as Americans." "We have to stop this now," said Steve Heimsness, the Treasurer of the Madison Professional Police Officers Association. "Politicians are trying to take away workers' union rights in Wisconsin. We need representatives to listen to the thousands of workers here today and stop this bill."
Today's continuing protests signal strong disapproval of the provisions in the budget measure. As the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel said on Monday, this "bill is about rights, not benefits." The protests on the Capitol ground reflected this, with many carrying signs saying "Stop The Attack On Working Families."
"This bill is too extreme to push through in four days," said James Macon, a Milwaukee bus driver and union member. "We have worked with both Democratic and Republican governors before and we can do that again."
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