Wisconsin Protests

50 Rallies in 50 State Capitols to Support Wisconsin

by Page Metcalf — February 25, 2011 - 2:48pm
  • Topics: Wisconsin Protests

    • Visit MoveOn.org to find information about a rally in your state.

    Wear red!

    In Wisconsin and around our country, the American Dream is under fierce attack. Instead of creating jobs, Republicans are giving tax breaks to corporations and the very rich—and then cutting funding for education, police, emergency response, and vital human services.

    The Politics of Wisconsin Labor Struggle Event

    by Page Metcalf — February 25, 2011 - 2:40pm
  • Topics: Wisconsin Protests

    • Saturday, February 26 · 12:00pm - 3:00pm

    Location: First United Methodist Church, 203 Wisconsin Ave.

    The Labor & Working Class Studies Project Presents a Public Teach-in on...

    "THE POLITICS OF THE WISCONSIN LABOR STRUGGLE"

    With:
    * Christine Neumann-Ortiz, Executive Director, Voces de la Frontera
    * Will Jones, Associate Professor, UW-Madison Department of History
    * David Newby, Past President of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO
    * Don Taylor, Assistant Professor, School for Workers

    The event will feature a discussion of the political motivations behind the attack on public sector

    Full Transcript of Walker-"Koch" Call

    by Page Metcalf — February 25, 2011 - 12:34pm
  • Topics: Journalism, Corporations, Ethics, Lobbying, Wisconsin Protests

    • From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

    Here's a complete transcript of the Buffalo Beast prank conversation with Governor Scott Walker Tuesday, from recordings by the Beast. Ian Murphy of the Beast poses in the call as David Koch, a billionaire contributor of Walker's.

    News

    Wisconsin Protests, Friday, February 25, 2011

    by PR Watch Admin — February 25, 2011 - 12:00am
  • Topics: Activism, Democracy, Labor, Wisconsin Protests

    • 50 RALLIES IN 50 STATES

    Visit MoveOn.org to find information about a rally in your state.

    In Wisconsin and around our country, the American Dream is under fierce attack. Instead of creating jobs, Republicans are giving tax breaks to corporations and the very rich—and then cutting funding for education, police, emergency response, and vital human services.

    On Saturday, February 26, at noon local time, we are organizing rallies in front of every statehouse and in every major city to stand in solidarity with the people of Wisconsin. We demand an end to the attacks on worker's rights and public services across the country. We demand investment, to create decent jobs for the millions of people who desperately want to work. And we demand that the rich and powerful pay their fair share.

    We are all Wisconsin.

    We are all Americans.

    This Saturday, we will stand together to Save the American Dream. Be sure to wear Wisconsin Badger colors—red and white—to show your solidarity. Sign up today to join in!

    News

    Koch Lobbying Office Draws Protest; Building Employees Gawk From Windows

    by Erica Pelzek — February 24, 2011 - 6:01pm
  • Topics: Activism, Wisconsin Protests

    • 5:15 p.m. - Cars, SUVs and buses whoosh down Madison's King Street Thursday afternoon, honking, windows rolled down, thumbs up in solidarity as neon-vested police officers direct traffic.

    "Stay strong!" shouted a man out the driver's-side window of a State Employee Vanpool van. A Madison Metro bus driver drives by, honking and cheering.

    Hundreds of protesters marched from the Capitol Square at 4 p.m. to 10 E. Doty St.'s glass-windowed office building, on the seventh floor of which The Capital Times revealed that Koch Industries opened a lobbying office in late October. Koch's PAC was one of the largest donors to Walker's political campaign, and multi-billionaire, David Koch, has bankrolled groups that ran expensive ad campaigns last year that helped him win the governorship.

    CMD Director Lisa Graves on Democracy Now

    by Anne Landman — February 24, 2011 - 2:47pm

    The Center for Media and Democracy's Executive Director Lisa Graves appeared on Democracy Now to discuss the financial and political links between embattled Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and the industrial billionaire brothers David and Charles Koch. "This is a situation in which a billionaire is exerting extraordinary influence, far more influence than tens of thousands of Wisconsin residents who have come out to protest his outrageous effort to destroy the unions here," Lisa said. She reminded viewers of the history of the Koch family and their political activities in the U.S.: "David Koch's father was a co-founder of the radical 1950s group the John Birch Society which opposed civil rights laws," Lisa stated. David Koch ran for president once back in 1982 on the Libertarian ticket, on a campaign platform much farther to the right than Ronald Reagan, in which he opposed Social Security, the minimum wage and other safety-net programs. After he lost that race, he spent the next 30 years forming a series of groups to advance his agenda of far right-wing positions. You can watch the entire video of the interview here.

    Main Source: 
    Democracy Now, February 24, 2011
    News

    The Mighty Mighty Teamsters Lend Support

    by Mary Bottari — February 24, 2011 - 2:00pm
  • Topics: Activism, Labor, Wisconsin Protests

    • On the first day protesters occupied the Wisconsin Capitol building a young man held a sign, "Where is Jimmy Hoffa when you need him?" Well, International Brotherhood of the Teamsters President James Hoffa rolled into town today with a group of Wisconsin Teamster members to lend support to the Capitol protesters. Three members I spoke to were UPS drivers, private sector workers lending support to public sector nurses and teachers. I asked Hoffa about the news this morning that Governor Scott Walker had been caught on tape with a blogger who he thought was David Koch, of Koch Industries, specifically about Walker's comments that he would "crank up" pressure on the workers with layoff notices. "We'll announce Thursday, they'll go out early next week and we'll probably get five to six thousand state workers will get at-risk notices for layoffs. We might ratchet that up a little bit too," says Walker on the call.

    News

    CMD Submits Open Records Requests to Governor's Office

    by Brendan Fischer — February 24, 2011 - 7:11am
  • Topics: Activism, Ethics, Politics, Wisconsin Protests

    • Before news broke of the prank call from a David Koch impersonator to Governor Walker's office, CMD had submitted the below open records request to the Wisconsin Department of Administration for all phone calls to-and-from the governor's office since January 1. CMD confirmed receipt of the request via telephone on February 18 and expects a reply promptly. We have also submitted open records requests directly to the governor's office for copies of all email and visitor log records.

    News

    Wisconsin Protests, Thursday, February 24, 2011

    by PR Watch Admin — February 24, 2011 - 12:00am
  • Topics: Activism, Democracy, Labor, Wisconsin Protests

    • 5:16 p.m. - Brendan Fischer reports that the rally has a bigger showing than past days with international representation.

    5:15 p.m. - KOCH LOBBYING OFFICE DRAWS PROTEST; BUILDING EMPLOYEES GAWK FROM WINDOWS

    Erica Pelzek reports:

    Cars, SUVs and buses whoosh down Madison's King Street Thursday afternoon, honking, windows rolled down, thumbs up in solidarity as neon-vested police officers direct traffic.

    "Stay strong!" shouted a man out the driver's-side window of a State Employee Vanpool van. A Madison Metro bus driver drives by, honking and cheering.

    Bargaining Rights and State Deficit Size are Unrelated

    by Anne Landman — February 23, 2011 - 2:09pm

    Data gathered by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities shows no direct correlation between the size of a state's budget deficit and whether a state has collective bargaining or not. Wisconsin is projected to have a 2012 fiscal year budget deficit of 12.8 percent, but North Carolina, which is non-unionized and prohibits government employees from bargaining, has a significantly higher deficit of 20 percent. The state of Ohio, whose Republican governor, like Scott Walker of Wisconsin, is also pushing to curtail collective bargaining rights, faces a deficit half the size of North Carolina's. This shows that collective bargaining is unrelated to the size of a state's budget deficit. Rather, the size of a state's deficit is the result of the relative impact of the recession within that given state. What these Republican governors have failed to explain is how curtailing collective bargaining rights will create good jobs in the private sector or improve the lot of the struggling middle class -- the main concerns of citizens at the moment.

    Main Source: 
    The New Republic, February 19, 2011
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