tatement by WEAC President Mary Bell
The following can be attributed to Mary Bell, a teacher and president of the Wisconsin Education Association Council, in response to remarks issued tonight by the Wisconsin governor:
“Taking away the rights of workers does nothing to balance our budget. Wisconsin’s teachers, support professionals, nurses and other public employees have agreed to the governor’s pension and health care requests, but they’re holding strong on the ability to retain a voice in their profession. Educators in Wisconsin care about what happens to our students and what happens in our schools.
“For the tens of thousands of Wisconsin educators – their families and friends – who rallied alongside other working families in Madison and around the state this week – this is, and always has been, about retaining a voice in their profession.
“My members know that a teacher’s working conditions are a child’s learning conditions. Silencing the voices of front-line workers will hurt our schools since decisions will be dictated by politicians like Governor Walker – without any input from the educators who work in classrooms everyday with our students.
“We cannot allow this to happen. The severity of the governor’s extreme proposal – and the devastating impact it will have on our schools and students – is something on which educators won’t be silent.
“This piece of the governor’s budget puzzle is dangerous and extreme. Silencing the voices of educators on the eve of devastating cuts will leave our schools and students without a voice –and the severe consequences will last long into the future.
“Governor Walker has been clear about one thing: he puts the interests of out-of-state corporations ahead of Wisconsin’s working families.
“We can’t bring Wisconsin together if the governor is unwilling to talk across party lines. If the governor says ‘no’ to discussions, then it’s time for legislators to step up and show leadership to represent the voices of Wisconsin. We need solutions that move Wisconsin forward.”