What You Can Do Now to Support Wisconsin Workers

THE BATTLE FOR UNIONS IN WISCONSIN

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Professor Will Jones, a labor historian at the University of Wisconsin:

Folks from outside Wisconsin are contacting me and asking how to help
with the battle to save collective bargaining for public employees in
Wisconsin.   (Additional information on the current status of things
here is at the end of this letter.)

YOU CAN PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT

People of generally modest means, including many college students, are
continuing the occupation of the Capitol and the daily picketing in
resistance to the Governor's plans. Most teachers have had to/have
chosen to return to their classrooms, but many other union members
remain, people from private sector unions and public unions including
police and firefighters.  There are many private citizens, often
seniors.  Those remaining in the capitol and on the picket lines need
food, water, transportation, housing. The Wisconsin AFL-CIO is
coordinating much of that support. No matter how small, financial
support is welcome:

ONLINE:  The AFL-CIO is accepting donations online through PayPal or
any major credit card. Please go to  http://wisaflcio.org  for the
link.

CHECKS can be made payable to the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Defense
Fund, 6333 W. Blue Mound Rd., Milwaukee, WI 53213 (Please indicate the
purpose, e.g. "Capitol protests" or "Madison rally", on your check.)

* * * *

SEND FOOD AND WATER DIRECTLY TO THE PROTESTERS

These two close-by shops will supply food and water to those in the
Capitol or on the picket line:

Ian's Pizza 608-442-3535   minimum order $20.00   These folks are now
taking orders only for delivery to the resistance, they've stopped all
delivery to the general public.   They tell me they deliver to
wherever the people are -- if they're inside the Capitol, they go in.
If people are marching and picketing, they take the food to the picket
line.

Subway on the Square 608-255-1636   NOTE: minimum order $100.00   They
have set up a fund there for your orders, and they are giving free
food from that fund to any union member or pro-union demonstrator who
requests food.  Thank Pat for arranging that, I'm sure this is the
first time they've done anything like this.

* * * *

CONVEY YOUR OPPOSITION IMMEDIATELY TO THE LEGISLATORS AND GOVERNOR

This legislation can be stopped in the Wisconsin Senate. The state has
shut down the Legislative Hotline (!) through which you could reach
the Wisconsin Senators.  So each needs to be contacted directly.

The Republicans

We need only 3 Republicans to vote "no" to stop this. I'm listing here
Republicans who may be willing to listen:

Eau Claire area -- Terry Moulton Sen.moulton@legis.wisconsin.gov (608)
266- 7511  District 23

Green Bay area -- Rob Cowles Sen.cowles@legis.wisconsin.gov (608)
266-0484 District 2

LaCrosse area -- Dan Kapanke Sen.kapanke@legis.wisconsin.gov (608)
266-5490  District 32

Ripon area -- Luther Olsen Sen.olsen@legis.wisconsin.gov (608)
266-0751  District 14

Richland County -- Dale Schultz Sen.schultz@legis.wisconsin.gov (608)
266-0703 District 17

Racine area -- Van Wanggaard Sen.Wanggaard@legis.wisconsin.gov (608)
266-1832  District 21

Sheboygan area -- Joe Leibham Sen.liebham@legis.wisconsin.gov (608)
266-2056  District 9

Menasha/Fox Valley -- Michael Ellis Sen.ellis@legis.wisconsin.gov
(608) 266-0718  District 19

Fond du Lac area -- Randy Hopper Sen.Hopper@legis.wisconsin.gov (608)
266-5300  District 18

Dodge County -- Scott Fitzgerald Sen.fitzgerald@legis.wisconsin.gov
(608) 266-5660   District 13

To contact other Republican Senators, or if a voice mailbox is full,
try sending an email. Email addresses are above, or at the senate home
pages. Try this link: http://legis.wisconsin.gov/senate

If you live here or if you vacation here, contact the Senator from
your District and urge a "no" vote on this legislation. If you know
someone who lives or vacations in Wisconsin, ask them to contact the
appropriate Senator. If you don't live here, contact as many of the
Republicans on the list as you can with your opposition to the
legislation. ("The Whole World is Watching")

The Governor:  Gov. Walker is not listening to us, and is in fact
bragging about having received 19,000 emails in favor of the
legislation to get rid of unions.  So we need him to hear us.  Try his
phone 608-266-1212     That mailbox will probably be full.  There are
several email routes, I've used them both.   Email him directly at
govgeneral@wisconsin.gov      Or go to
http://walker.wi.gov and scroll down to the "Citizen Suggestion" box
and give him your suggestion.

* * * *

KEEP THE RESISTANCE ALIVE, WIDESPREAD, HIGHLY VISIBLE AND VIBRANT

* Participate in a protest rally

Come to Wisconsin or urge those you know who live here to get
involved.  The Capitol in Madison is occupied 24 hours a day, with
pickets outside at all hours.  Come on down!

Daily rallies and protest activities are happening throughout
Wisconsin.  Join in the activities near you.  Two sources for detailed
and timely information are   http://wisaflcio.org    [scroll down to
Capitol and to In District Events]  and   http://www.wiafscme.org/
[scroll down to the Activities List]

* Organize a rally, a protest, an act of solidarity or civil
disobedience wherever you are in support of Wisconsin workers and our
cause.  Alert the local media that you are acting in support of public
employees' right to keep their unions in Wisconsin.

* Spread the word in whatever way you can: postal mail,  email,
Facebook, twitter.

* Send a letter to the editor of your local newspaper and to the
editorial directors of your local TV and radio stations.

* Send this email on to anyone who might help with this fight, via
email or postal mail.

* * * *

SUPPORT THE "WISCONSIN 14"

In a remarkable act of civil disobedience and courage, the 14
Democratic Senators have left the state to deny the Senate a quorum.
Without at least one of them, the Senate cannot pass this particular
legislation.  Their leaving had to be done quickly and some left,
literally, with just the clothes on their backs.

Contact information for the "Wisconsin 14" is listed below.  I suggest:

    ** Send them messages of solidarity and support, and urge them on.

    ** Most of these folks are not wealthy.  Consider writing a check
to their campaign committee to help with these extraordinary expenses.
 Send it to their home addresses and be sure to write it to "The
Campaign Committee of Senator  xxxx"   -- home addresses are on their
senate web pages ("voting address") which you reach via
http://legis.wisconsin.gov/senate    (The Government Accountability
Board here has ruled that campaign contribution funds can be used for
these expenses.  No personal gifts are allowed, and they will be
returned.)

Tim Carpenter  Dist 3   Sen.carpenter@legis.wisconsin.gov   608-266-8535

Spencer Coggs   Dist 6  Sen.coggs@legis.wisconsin.gov  608-266-2500

Tim Cullen  Dist 15  Sen.cullen@legis.wisconsin.gov

  608-266-2253

Jon Erpenbach  Dist 27  Sen.erpenbach@legis.wisconsin.gov  608-266-6670

Dave Hansen  Dist 30  Sen.hansen@legis.wisconsin.gov  608-266-5670

Jim Holperin  Dist 12  Sen.holperin@legis.wisconsin.gov  608-266-2509

Bob Jauch  Dist 25  Sen.jauch@legis.wisconsin.gov  608-266-3510

Chris Larson  Dist 7  Sen.larson@legis.wisconsin.gov  608-266-7505

Julie Lassa  Dist 24  Sen.lassa@legis.wisconsin.gov  608-266-3123

Mark Miller  Dist 16  Sen.miller@legis.wisconsin.gov  608-266-9170

Fred Risser  Dist 26  Sen.risser@legis.wisconsin.gov  608-266-1627

Lena Taylor  Dist 4  Sen.taylor@legis.wisconsin.gov  608-266-5810

Kathleen Vinehout  Dist 31  Sen.vinehout@legis.wisconsin.gov  608-266-8546

Bob Wirch  Dist 22  Sen.wirch@legis.wisconsin.gov  608-266-8979

Thank you.

****

Update as of Tuesday February 22:

The battle lines here have been definitively clarified: Last week, the
public employee unions all agreed to the Governor's economic demands
contained in this contested "Budget" Bill. But the Governor continues
to insist that the abolition of collective bargaining, as included in
the Bill, is non-negotiable. So as we've known all along, this Bill is
not really about budget issues . . .

Also, FYI, the Legislature's reach with this Bill is far beyond
collective bargaining.  Other major components of the Bill are an
assault on any decent notion of the civil society to which we aspire.

For example, access to health care assistance for the poor and elderly
will be curtailed.  And supervision of the privatized workers who care
for the most vulnerable among us would be effectively abandoned.
Important civil service positions, now filled by merit selection, are
converted to political appointment  -- including such civil arbiters
as agency lawyers.

Legislators are meeting today (remember, the Republicans have
majorities in both houses of the legislature) to continue this
juggernaut as best they can without a quorum in the Senate.  They are
limited to non-fiscal actions in the Senate without the quorum denied
them by the Democrats.

The situation in the Capitol is tense.  Police are now everywhere, and
reporters tell me that the call has gone out for more police to be
sent to the Capitol.  Access to the Capitol is limited, with one door
open and slow security searches of all entering.

People are concerned that they are attempting to slowly strangle the
occupation -- hallways of the Capitol have been emptied and then
closed off.  Last night, those sleeping on the 3rd floor of the
rotunda were told to move "to clean that area", and they've secured
that area.  Internet access has been cut off.  It appears the tactic
is to limit access to the building and confine protesters to smaller
and smaller spaces.  This process, which may elude high-profile and
organized resistance from the protesters, can lead to minimum media
interest  -- as we are all slowly just pushed out the door and out of
any semblance of a democratic process.