What Happened In Wisconsin Touched Newtown Protestors

Wisconsin may seem like a long way off, but the plight of that state’s public workers inspired more than two dozen protestors to gather at Newtown Middle School last Tuesday to call for changes in Washington, and here in Connecticut.

Organizer Dr Curt Riebeling, a supporter of the pro-labor organization MoveOn.org, also viewed recent developments in Wisconsin as giving fuel to government forces waging a “fight against public employees, and taking that fight to other states along with tax breaks for major corporations and the rich, versus making more cuts against the working class.”

The Wisconsin State Assembly voted to approve a bill eliminating public employees’ collective bargaining rights March 9.

The Senate passed the bill the day before, and with the Assembly’s action, the measure pushed by Republican Governor Scott Walker would become law with his signature. Gov Walker argued that the sweeping step against collective bargaining is necessary to balance his state’s budget not only over the next two years, but into the future.

He said he would not compromise on the issue or on anything that saves the state money.

The Wisconsin maneuver has rallied the labor movement in opposition. And even though President Barack Obama argued that public employees should not be exempt from financial sacrifice in light of state budget shortfalls, he has generally criticized efforts to weaken labor bargaining rights.

Union leaders see it more as a fight for middle class rights. Wisconsin unions already agreed to cuts in pension and health benefits as long as they could keep collective bargaining rights. But Gov Walker’s refusal to compromise, labor officials say, shows he wants to leave unions toothless and cripple their political clout.

The final version of the Wisconsin bill would remove collective bargaining rights for most public workers, including teachers, starting in July. Workers could no longer bargain over benefits, vacations, and workplace safety. Police officers and firefighters would be exempt.

It would also require unions to hold a vote every year to stay in existence; make the payment of union dues voluntary; require state workers to contribute 5.8 percent of their salary toward their pensions and pay 12.6 percent of their health insurance costs.

Those changes would amount to an eight percent pay cut on average, starting in April.

The Wisconsin bill would also give broad authority to Gov Walker’s administration to make cuts and other changes to Medicaid programs benefiting the poor, disabled, and elderly without legislative approval and regardless of current law.

While unions are on the verge of losing power in Wisconsin, Ohio, and other states, union leaders believe they are winning the war of public opinion and pulling in broader support

Labor leaders already pledged to pour more than $30 million into a push to stop legislation in dozens of states that seeks to limit bargaining rights of public worker unions or otherwise curb union power. Union officials are also helping mobilize demonstrations in state capitols and spending money on recall campaigns against GOP officials who support efforts to curb union rights.

Labor unions at the heart of a burning national disagreement over the cost of public employees are beginning to frame the debate as a civil rights issue, an effort that may draw more sympathy to public workers being blamed for busting state budgets with generous pensions.

Reinforcing that point, the Reverend Al Sharpton was in New Haven Monday leading a rally and march in support of the city’s public service workers, the American Federation of State, Count and Municipal Employees after city announced the layoffs of 16 police officers in mid-February.

As part of that strategy, unions are planning more rallies across the country on April 4 — the anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr’s, assassination. Union officials want the observances in dozens of cities to remind Americans that Dr King was supporting striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tenn., the evening he was shot.

By portraying collective bargaining as a human rights issue, union officials hope the April 4 rallies can help fuel a backlash against Republicans in Wisconsin and other states trying to curb collective bargaining rights for public employees. The Newtown event was among 277 such gatherings scheduled across the country on the MoveOn.org website.

Associated Press content was used in this report.