We are part of a broad KILL THE WHOLE BILL initiative with other union members and students. This is a whole range of plans aimed at humanizing what will happen if the bill goes through and challenging the way Walker has framed the issue.
These plans range from press events featuring full-time public sector workers on food stamps (clearly overprivileged!); to "theme days" with various planned events in the capitol -- starting with "Tax the Rich" day this Thursday and continuing on to others such as "Public and Private-Sector Workers Stand Together" day and "I Wish I Hadn't Done That" day (oops they voted for Walker!); to outreach to communities who will be badly affected by the bill in under-publicized ways, like transit, immigrants, lgbt; and other things too.
You can help!
1) If you paypal MONEY to ewrigleyfield at gmail dot com, it will go to supplies for banners and other flashy things we need and don't have any money for.
2) If you have CONNECTIONS with a group who should be offering us solidarity and isn't, get on it, please. From statements (paper or video) to rallies to money, we want it. Think broad: the bill kicks undocumented children off BadgerCare (health care); it threatens domestic partnerships, won through non-wages collective bargaining; it will destroy public transit in Madison (which is an environmental issue as well as a class issue).
3) If you have TIME to offer, we have ways to use it. For example: we would **love** to make a "Best of" video from all our public testimony against the bill. It's all online somewhere here: http://www.wiseye.org/ Want to spend lots of time watching riveting, moving, incredible testimony and tell us which are the best parts? We'll all love you.
4) Your ideas go here! Post in comments below.
In Solidarity With Wisconsin Workers and Students
ReplyDeleteby Adjunct Project
To Our Fellow Graduate Students, Students,
Professors, Teachers, Workers
and Protestors in Wisconsin,
Education workers and students of Wisconsin, you are not alone. The Adjunct Project, the organization that works on behalf of contingent workers of the City University of New York, stands with you in your protests.
Wisconsin has historically been a home of leaders of the labor movement. This week, your protests prove that you are still more than worthy of that legacy. When faced with a bill that would destroy the ability of working people to protect themselves — for that is what Governor Scott Walker’s so-called ‘budget-repair bill’ would do — you have stood up and said ‘no.’ We in New York say ‘no’ with you!
This attack on the power of educators and students in Wisconsin is, unfortunately, one of many attacks on working people around the country. Here in New York we face Governor Andrew Cuomo’s openly-stated antagonism to unions in addition to bearing the injuries of past attacks, such as the New York state Taylor Law, which prohibits the use of strikes by public sector unions.
But the Wisconsin education strike, founded on the unity between educators and students and between educators and other workers, shows that education cannot go forward when educators and public workers are threatened.
Our struggles for a decent workplace and schools, in which students can get the best education and which encourages teachers and professors to teach to the best of their abilities, are deeply interconnected despite the miles between us. While this vision may now seem far off, it is not beyond our grasp; to get there we will need to support and learn from each other.
Educators, workers and students of Wisconsin: keep on fighting and you will win!
In Solidarity,
The Adjunct Project of the City University of New York
February 23, 2011
ReplyDeleteTo: The thousands of Union Members of Wisconsin Fighting to Stop the Attack on their Unions;
From: The Graduate Employees Organization, (GEO) Illinois Federation of Teachers/American Federation of Teachers, Local 6300, at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign;
Sisters and Brothers:
Just as you stood in solidarity with us during our historic strike against the University of Illinois, on November 16 & 17, 2009, we, the 2,500 graduate employees at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, stand in solidarity with you in your history changing struggle for collective bargaining rights against Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker.
For too long now, state and federal officials, both Republicans and Democrats, have been blaming public sector workers and public sector unions for so-called budget crises. These budget crises are being manipulated to cover the obscene transfer of wealth from taxpayers and workers into the pockets of private corporations, or into ceaseless wars that are bankrupting our nation.
Your struggle, Sisters and Brothers, much like the courageous revolts in Tunisia and Egypt, inspires us in the United States, fills us with new energy, and gives us renewed knowledge of the power of working people when they stand together.
Sisters and Brothers, you have the momentum, you have our support, and you have the support of hundreds of thousands of workers across the country and around the world. Do not settle for half the victory. In the coming days, we encourage you to stand strong against all measures in Gov. Scott Walker’s bill: the forced give backs of wages and benefits, as well as the elimination of collective bargaining rights.
No Compromise! Kill the Bill!
In Solidarity,
The members of the GEO