UW-Milwaukee for National Day of Action to Defend Public Education and to Fight Walker's Budget Repair Bill

Wednesday, March 2nd, 12:30pm, UWM Spaight’s Plaza, 2200 E. Kenwood Ave. (Union Entrance)

Students and workers in universities across the nation have declared a walk-out for the third National Day of Action to Defend Public Education. UWM will also be protesting tomorrow in opposition to Governor Scott Walker's Budget Repair Bill. This will be a continuation of the walk-out which happened on February 17th, when over 3,000 people gathered in Spaight’s Plaza.

The Education Rights Campaign (ERC) and Students For a Democratic Society (SDS) have organized to protect public institutions from budget cuts, tuition hikes and privatization. The Budget Repair Bill (SB 11) would eliminate collective bargaining for nearly 175,000 public-sector union members to fill a $136.7 million budget deficit. In addition the bill requires that all public employees pay half the cost of their pensions, about 5.8% of their pay, and 12.6% of their health insurance premiums. In order to stay afloat, unions must spend all their time and energy trying to meet a 51% majority re-certification vote every year. In further detriment of public employees, UW Faculty and Staff are prohibited from organizing a union to bargain collectively.

This bill would affect students as well as professors, TAs, and other university employees. Members of Students for a Democratic Society have gathered in solidarity with tens of thousands of people from across the nation in opposition of the bill and with the hundreds of thousands of people who continue to occupy the capitol in Madison. "The budget repair bill is another attack on our public education," said SDS member and senior undergraduate student Rachel Matteson, "If the TAs, professors, and workers do not have quality jobs, we will not have quality education."

Contacts:

Rachel Matteson
Students for a Democratic Society
262-354-2886
matteson@uwm.edu