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Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Wisconsin: ‘As Long As It Takes’ | Labor Notes #wisolidarity #wiunion #weac

Wisconsin: ‘As Long As It Takes’ | Labor Notes

Wisconsin: ‘As Long As It Takes’

Howard Ryan
| February 21, 2011
Tens of thousands marched in Madison this weekend as cracks appeared in the Republican caucus. Meanwhile, some union leaders have announced they will accept the governor’s economic takeaways. Rank and filers say they've already given too much. Photo: Sue Ruggles.

updated February 22

The spirit in Wisconsin is best captured by two teachers from Janesville sitting on the stairs inside the Capitol. They’re holding the sign that’s everywhere at these protests—“Care about Educators Like They Care for Your Child.”

The two answered their union’s call and headed to Madison. They arrived with 120 other educators from Janesville, where schools were closed Thursday and Friday due to the teachers’ sick-out. The protests that have jammed the state Capitol are the first political rallies they have joined—ever.

But the two teachers wouldn’t reveal their names. Janesville administrators had implied there “may be some consequence” for truant teachers.

Governor Scott Walker has proposed legislation that would crush teachers’ and other public workers’ unions. It would stop their ability to collect member dues through payroll deductions and end any requirement that employees pay union dues at all. It would require union bargaining units to hold an annual certification vote in order to maintain

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United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights on Unions « Larry Miller's Blog #wisolidarity #wiunion #weac

United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights on Unions « Larry Miller's Blog

United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights on Unions

Filed under: Scott Walker — millerlf @ 10:25 am

On December 10, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights the full text of which at the UN website. Following this historic act the Assembly called upon all Member countries to publicize the text of the Declaration and “to cause it to be disseminated, displayed, read and expounded principally in schools and other educational institutions, without distinction based on the political status of countries or territories.

Here is article #23 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

  • (1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
  • (2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
  • (3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
  • (4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.

[NOTE: Walkers' law explicitly prohibits workers from organizing unions at UW campuses and the UW Hospital and in essence prohibits the main role of trade unions (of collective bargaining) for most public employee worker unions.]
Educators Network for Social Justice (ENSJ is an independent group of educators working to promote social justice teaching and policy in Milwaukee-area schools. If you wish to join the e-list of ENSJ, send an email to EducatorsNSJ@gmail.com, with “Subscribe to e-list” in the subject line. If you wish to unsubscribe, put “unsubscribe” in the subject line. Also visit us at www.ensj.org and the site of one of our projects, www.socialstudiesresources.org

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Ben Velderman. You’ve seen mine. Can I see yours? « Fred Klonsky's blog

Ben Velderman. You’ve seen mine. Can I see yours? « Fred Klonsky's blog

Ben Velderman. You’ve seen mine. Can I see yours?

by Fred Klonsky

A couple of weeks ago, Ben Velderman of the Michigan-based union hating Education Action Group, filed aIlinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for all my work emails.

Today, they get the emails that they requested.

Fascinating reading. Paint supply orders. Department meeting schedules. Cold weather procedures. Field trip reminders. Meeting schedules. Meeting schedules. Did I say meeting schedules?

Pretty radical stuff.

But here’s my deal. Now that Ben Velderman has my emails, do I get to see his? I mean, what does he have to

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Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Watch 17-year old student demolish Tom Luna's bill

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Watch 17-year old student demolish Tom Luna's bill

Watch 17-year old student demolish Tom Luna's bill

by Mike Klonsky
Groups rally in Idaho to "Save our teachers! Save our schools!"

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Joanne Barkan on How Billionaires Rule Our Schools #wisolidarity #wiunion #weac


Joanne Barkan, writing in Dissent, has argued that not only do philanthropists usurp democratic power, but they are in the thrall of an educational ideology impervious to critical evaluation. Read her article here:http://dissentmagazine.org/article/?a...
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Check Out Great Video and Audio Clips from Wis. Events | AFL-CIO NOW BLOG #wisolidarity #wiunion #weac

Check Out Great Video and Audio Clips from Wis. Events | AFL-CIO NOW BLOG

Check Out Great Video and Audio Clips from Wis. Events

by Tula Connell, Feb 22, 2011

Bookmark and Share
12Share

TONS of great video clips from Wisconsin.

Here is a list of links. Check them out and get inspired.

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The Monkey Cage: The Relationship between Union Membership and State Budget Deficits #wisolidarity #wiunion #weac

The Monkey Cage: The Relationship between Union Membership and State Budget Deficits

The Relationship between Union Membership and State Budget Deficits

Contrary to Walker's assertion, there is no direct correlation between public-sector collective bargaining and yawning state budget deficits. According to data gathered by the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, while Wisconsin projects a state budget deficit of 12.8 percent for FY 2012, North Carolina, which does not allow government workers to bargain, faces a significantly higher deficit: 20 percent.

That is from Joseph McCartin's piece in The New Republic on the current battle in Wisconsin. I wanted to look at the relationship between unions and deficits more systematically. Like McCartin I used the CBPP data on budget deficits, although I focused not on the projected 2012 deficits but on the 2011 deficits (see Table 4 of the report). I do not know of readily available data on public-sector collective bargaining or on public-sector union strength, so I used the percent of employed people who are members of unions (from this BLS report).

Here is the graph, with a non-linear fit line estimated via lowess.

unionsanddeficits.png

There is not much of a systematic relationship. The fit line bumps and wiggles but is essentially flat. The bivariate correlation is 0.19, with a p-value of 0.21. Based on

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ThinkProgress » The Last Time Scott Walker Went Union Busting, He Was Overruled #wisolidarity #wiunion #weac

ThinkProgress » The Last Time Scott Walker Went Union Busting, He Was Overruled And Wasted Taxpayer Dollars

The Last Time Scott Walker Went Union Busting, He Was Overruled And Wasted Taxpayer Dollars

The last time Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) went after public sector unions it had “disastrous results” for him and for taxpayers. As Milwaukee County Executive in 2009, Walker tried to get rid of the unionized security guards at the county courthouse and replace them with contractors, which he promised would save the county money. The County Board rejected the idea, but in March of 2010 Walker “unilaterally ordered it,” claiming there was a budget emergency. Walker hired the British security contractor Wackenhut — of Kabul Embassy sex scandal fame — to replace the guards. Unfortunately for Walker and Milwaukee taxpayers, an arbiter later ruled that Walker had overstepped his authority, and ordered the county to reinstate the unionized workers, pay backwages, and pay tens-of-thousands of dollars in arbiter fees. As MSNBC’s Racheal Maddow pointed out last night, Walker’s “dress rehersal” for his current union busting effort may end up costing Milwaukee taxpayers an extra half a million dollars. Watch it:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

While his anti-union crusade proved to be a boondagle for Milwaukee County, Walker

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Busting Myths Instead of Unions in Wisconsin | The Forum for Education and Democracy #wisolidarity #wiunion #weac

Busting Myths Instead of Unions in Wisconsin | The Forum for Education and Democracy

Busting Myths Instead of Unions in Wisconsin

February 22, 2011 - The Forum

There’s an old saying that the first casualty of war is the truth.

Welcome to Wisconsin.

As teachers and other public employees battle to hold off legislation that would gut their collective bargaining rights, the conversation around the country tends to reinforce myths and ignore facts.

In the interest of an honest discussion, here are a few myths we encourage you to rethink:

  • Myth #1: Public employees in Wisconsin and elsewhere are overpaid. The truth is they’re probably underpaid when you factor in things like level of education. In Wisconsin, nearly 60 percent of public employees hold at least a four-year college degree – double the private sector workforce. That’s because many are teachers and other professionals. When you compare apples to apples, they earn 4.8 percent less than comparable private sector workers, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
  • Myth #2: Public employees aren’t sacrificing their fair share. In the last round of bargaining in Wisconsin, the American Federation of Teachers alone offered more than $100 million in concessions in the form of higher health insurance premiums, furlough days and increased pension contributions. In Ohio, unions representing public employees gave back more than $200 million in concessions, essentially
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Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Charter schools: Public or private?

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Charter schools: Public or private?

Charter schools: Public or private?

by Mike Klonsky
Another Chicago charter claims it's a "private" school in order to stop its teachers from unionizing. The school has received $23 million in public funds since it opened in 2004. But eight months ago, a solid majority of the school's teachers voted to organize. The school's board, with backing from the charter school association and the Civic Committee decided to spend tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees in hopes of stalling off union certification.
In papers filed with the National Labor Relations Board, attorneys for the Chicago Math and Science Academy on the city's North Side say the school should be exempt from an Illinois law that grants employees of all public schools the right to form unions for contract negotiations. --Tribune
Teachers report threats by principal principal, Ali Yilmaz as well as the firing of a popular and well-respected
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Wisconsin goes viral. « Fred Klonsky's blog #wisolidarity #wiunion #weac

Wisconsin goes viral. « Fred Klonsky's blog

Wisconsin goes viral.

by Fred Klonsky

Olympia, Washington.

Wisconsin public school teachers will go back to class today.

Wisconsin parents have signed up to take their place in the Madison Capitol, joining UW students and non-teaching public service workers who are in the second week of protest.

The fourteen Wisconsin senate Democrats are still here in Illinois and Scott Walker is seeming more anxious than a few days ago.

Around the horn.

Wisconsin comes to Ohio today as thousands of union members rally at the Statehouse.

Firefighter Mark Pelfrey said a proposed bill that would alter collective

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Worker Solidarity Rallies Planned | Jobs with Justice Blog #wisolidarity #wiunion #weac

Worker Solidarity Rallies Planned | Jobs with Justice Blog

Worker Solidarity Rallies Planned

By jwjnational, on February 19th, 2011

Albany rallies for WI workers on Feb 18. Photo by John Flanders.

The week of February 21st, workers, community, faith, and students will come together to rally in support of workers under attack in Wisconsin and across the country. Below is a list of actions we know are planned so far. More details ar e coming in all the time, so check back for updates. Please post in the comments if you’re planning something or email us & we’ll add it to the list.

(Last updated February 21, 2011 at 9:30am)

(And if there are no rallies in your area, send the workers a pizza.)

Juneau, AK
Tuesday, February 22 . 12:00pm, State Capitol

Little Rock, AR
Tueesday, February 22 . 11:30am, State Capitol

Phoenix, AZ
Tuesday, February 22 . 12:00pm. State Capitol

Los Angeles, CA
Tuesday, February 22 . 4:00pm. Pershing Square

Oakland, CA
Tuesday, February 22 . 5:30pm at the State Building (15th and Clay — one block west of City Hall)

Palmdale, CA
Tuesday, February 22 . 5:30pm. Vigil at Poncitian Square

Sacramento, CA
Tuesday, February 22 . 5:30pm. State Capitol, West steps

San Diego, CA
Tuesday, February 22 . 4:30pm. 3737 Camino del Rio South (Rep. Davis’ office)

Denver, CO
Tuesday, February 22 . 12:00pm, Colorado State House

Washington, DC
Wednesday, February 23 . 12:30pm. 444 North Capitol St NW (offices of WI Gov and OH Gov); Feeder march from Dupont Circle starting at 11:30am also in the works.

Hartford, CT
Wednesday, February 23 . 12:00pm, State Capitol West Steps

Palm Bay, FL
Monday, February 28. 1:00pm and 6:00pm. Town Hall meetings with Reps Tobia and Workman at City Hall.

Town Hall Meeting

Atlanta, GA
Wednesday, February 23. 4:00pm. State Capitol

Chicago, IL
Monday, February 21 . 6:00am, Plumber’s Hall. Buses to Madison, WI returning at 9pm. Contact Chicago JwJ to reserve a seat.

Urbana, IL
Tuesday, February 22 . 12:00pm. Alma Mater statue, Green and Wright Streets, Urbana, U of I campus.

Indianapolis, IN
Monday, February 21 · 9:00am – 5:00pm, Indiana State House, Room 156A in the basement. This is a hearing on IN’s Right to Work Bill.
Tuesday, February 22 . 9am – 5:00pm, Indiana State House. Faith Service at 10:30, RALLY – 12:30, Grassroots Lobbying – Afternoon, Closing rally: 5:00

South Bend, IN
Monday, February 21 . 10:00am. Teamsters Local 364 2405 East Edison Rd. Workers’ Rights Board Hearing on Right to Work

Des Moines, IA
Tuesday, February 22 . 1:00pm, State Capitol west steps (a counter-rally will be held at 12pm)

Annapolis, MD
Tuesday, February 22 . 12:00pm, Lawyer’s Mall. MD AFL-CIO for more info

Boston, MA
Tuesday, February 22 · 4:00pm – 6:00pm, Massachusetts State House

Springfield, MA
Tuesday, February 22 · 4:00pm, City Hall, W. Mass JwJ for more info

Lansing, MI
Tuesday, February 22 . 9:00am . 215 N. Capitol (corner of Ottawa) Central United Methodist Church
Tuesday, February 22 . 10:00am. MI AFL-CIO Press Conference.

Duluth, MN
Thursday, February 24 . 12:00pm. City Hall.

Saint Paul, MN
Tuesday, February 22 · 4:00pm – 5:00pm. Minnesota State Capitol Rotunda

Helena, MT
Monday, February 21 . 2:00pm . 1301 East 6th Avenue

Santa Fe, NM
Tuesday, February 22 . 12:15pm. State House East side

Trenton, NJ
Friday, February 25 . 12:00pm. State House.

New York, NY
Tuesday, February 22 . 5:00pm. Wisconsin Solidarity Rally at FOX News at 6th Ave. and 48th St.
Thursday, February 24 . www.civilservicetechnicalguild.org for details

Raliegh, NC
Monday, February 21 . 11:00am AFL-CIO press conference; 12:00pm rally at North Carolina State Capitol, UE Local 150 for more info

Carson City, NV
Monday, February 21 . 12:00pm. State Capitol

Las Vegas, NV
Monday, February 21 . 12:00pm. State Building

Canton, OH
Tuesday, February 22 . 4:00pm. Rally against SB5 at the Civic Center, 1101 Market Ave. N.

Cleveland, OH
Tuesday, February 22 . various. Buses to Columbus for Ohio’s SB5 hearing. Contact Cleveland JwJ for details.

Columbus, OH
Tuesday, February 22 . 1:00pm, Ohio State House. This rally is in before a hearing on Ohio’s Senate Bill 5 at 4pm, which would ban collective bargaining for public workers.

Portland, OR
Saturday, February 26 . 4:00pm. Pioneer Square

Salem, OR
Monday, February 21 . 12:00pm. Oregon State House, Rally for Education & Solidarity with Wisconsin Workers, contact Portland JwJ for details

Philadelphia, PA
Thursday, February 24. 11:30am-2:30pm. Tom Paine Plaza, in front of the MSB, across from City Hall

Pittsburgh, PA
Thursday, February 24. 12:00pm. USW Headquarters

Scranton, PA
Wednesday, February 23 . 12:00pm, Lackawanna Court House

Statewide, PA
Tuesday, February 22. WEAR RED to show solidarity

San Juan, PR
Monday, February 21 . State Capitol, contact PR AFL-CIO for details

Providence, RI
Tuesday, February 22 · 4:30pm – 7:30pm, Rhode Island State House

Nashville, TN
Wednesday, February 23 . 11:30am. State Capitol, Legislative Plaza in front of the escalators to the tunnel. Rally & Press conference “Stop the Attack on Hardworking Tennesseans”

Austin, TX
Monday, February 21. 6:45pm. Candlelight march & vigil starting at AFL-CIO 1106 Lavaca Street.

Dallas, TX
Saturday, February 26 . 10:00am. Hearing at 410 S Beckley (Judge Medrano’s Room)

Salt Lake City, UT
Tuesday, February 22. State Capitol, contact UT AFL-CIO for details

Montpelier, VT
Tuesday, February 22 . 12:00pm. State Capitol

Olympia, WA
Monday, February 21 . 12:00pm. State Capitol Rotunda

Spokane, WA
Friday, February 25 . 4:30pm-5:30pm. Corner of Ruby, Division and North River Drive in front of Wendy’s Restaurant

Charleston, WV
Monday, February 21 . Lobby Day. Contact AFSCME for details

Madison, WI
Rallies at the Statehouse continue.

VARIOUS
February 26. See www.usuncut.org for details.

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News & Publications | Wisconsin Education Association Council > Statement by WEAC President Mary Bell #wisolidarity #wiunion #weac

News & Publications | Wisconsin Education Association Council Statement by WEAC President Mary Bell

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.”

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What's Happening in Wisconsin Explained | Mother Jones #wisolidarity #wiunion #weac

What's Happening in Wisconsin Explained | Mother Jones

What's Happening in Wisconsin Explained

— By Andy Kroll

| Tue Feb. 22, 2011 6:23 AM PST
Activists protesting new GOP Gov. Scott Walker's anti-union proposals have filled the streets of Madison and occupied the Capitol building for the past week, but Walker is pressing ahead anyway. Flickr/Vince_Lamb.

If you need to know the basics of what's going on in Wisconsin, read on. If you're already up to speed, you can follow the action on Twitter or jump straight to today's updates from our reporter on the ground in Madison.

—With additional reporting by Nick Baumannand Siddhartha Mahanta

The basics:

For days, demonstrators have been pouring into the streets of Madison, Wisconsin—and the halls of the state's Capitol building—to protest rookie Republican Governor Scott Walker's anti-union proposals. Big national unions, both major political parties, the Tea Party, and Andrew Breitbart are already involved. Democratic state senators have fled the state to prevent the legislature from voting on Walker's proposals. And the protests could soon spread

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Crisis in Dairyland - Revenge of the Curds - The Daily Show with Jon Stewart - 02/21/11 - #wisolidarity #wiunion #weac

Crisis in Dairyland - Revenge of the Curds - The Daily Show with Jon Stewart - 02/21/11 - Video Clip | Comedy Central
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I Stand With the Teachers of Wisconsin - Bridging Differences - Education Week#wisolidarity #wiunion #weac

I Stand With the Teachers of Wisconsin - Bridging Differences - Education Week

I Stand With the Teachers of Wisconsin

by Diane Ravitch

Dear Deborah,

As I write, thousands of teachers are staging a protest in the state capitol in Wisconsin. Others stand with them, including the Green Bay Packers, other public-sector workers, and even public-sector workers who are not affected by the proposed legislation, namely, firefighters and police. The teachers and other public-sector employees are speaking out against Gov. Scott Walker's effort to destroy their collective-bargaining rights. Gov. Walker demanded that the teachers pay more for their health benefits and their pension benefits, and they have agreed to do so. But that's not all he wants. He wants to destroy the union.

I wrote an article about this contretemps for CNN.com, not realizing that the teachers had already conceded the governor's demands on money issues. The confrontation now is solely about whether public employees have the right to bargain collectively and to have a collective voice. Monday's New York Times made clear, both in a column by Paul Krugman and in its news coverage, that the union is fighting for its survival, not benefits.

It's time to ask: Why should teachers have unions? I am not a member of a union, and I have never belonged to a union, but here is what I see. From the individual teacher's point of view, it is valuable to have an organization to turn to when you feel you have been treated unfairly, one that will supply you with assistance, even a lawyer, one that advocates for improvement in your standard of living. From society's point of view, it is valuable to have

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