Yesterday I posted a short diary criticizing the Democrats in the Wisconsin State Senate. In that diary I posted a link to their responses when they were asked to list their legislative priorities for 2013, and I pointed out that not one of them mentioned restoration of collective bargaining for public employees.
You may recall that collective bargaining was an issue in Wisconsin last year.
I wasn't the first or only one critical of the Senators. I learned about it from John Sylvester (Sly in the Morning) on Madison radio station WTDY. Sly has been the lead vocalist on this since the Senators' responses were released last week, but he went out of his way this morning to thank the blogosphere after the story was picked up by Blogging Blue, Uppitywis, and Daily Kos.
Apparently the word finally got through to Senator Miller, who issued a press release yesterday in which he called the criticisms "ridiculous."
Here is Senator Miller's press release:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Senator Mark Miller
August 7, 2012 608-266-9170
Statement by Senate Majority Leader Regarding Collective Bargaining
Madison – Senate Majority Leader Mark Miller (D-Monona) issued the following
statement regarding collective bargaining after numerous misleading statements about
Senate Democrats’ position on restoring collective bargaining.
“Senate Democrats remain strongly committed to restoring the collective bargaining
rights that were stripped away by Governor Walker and Republican legislators this
session. Any statement that we are not fully committed to this fight is simply ridiculous.
“We left our home and families for almost a month to try to stop the attack on the
working families of Wisconsin so it is beyond me that anyone could question the
commitment of the Senate Democrats to this important issue. Throughout the remainder of the session we worked repeatedly to restore collective bargaining rights.
“Restoring the rights of workers to collectively bargain is a key part of building back our
economy in Wisconsin. Because of Governor Walker and Legislative Republicans, tens
of thousands of workers can no longer negotiate over the hours they work, the safety
conditions they labor under, or the health insurance and retirement benefits they and their families depend on. Wisconsin now has fewer valuable experienced employees because they have retired or left our state for other jobs.
“The long-term damage to our work force may never be completely undone, but Senate
Democrats will continue to look for ways to restore the rights taken from them in a
radical plan pushed by Governor Walker, Republican Legislators and out-of-state special
interest groups.”
We published Mark Miller's own words, and those of his colleagues, and we stated the obvious fact that none of them mentioned collective bargaining for public employees, yet we are being ridiculous?
Here are a few things Senator Miller hasn't learned yet about the Wisconsin uprising:
1. It is not a movement to elect Democrats, it is a movement to support and fight for the rights of working class and middle class Wisconsinites. It is more often than not Democrats who fight with us, but the uprising is not part of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.
2. Silent, backroom deals with Labor leaders don't cut it any more. Communication and negotiation with Labor leaders is important, but political leaders also need to be more visible in the communities where union members live and work. They need to be on the picket line supporting striking workers. They need to be actively and openly investigating the deteriorating working conditions at many state agencies, especially at our correctional facilities, our schools, and the public institutions that care for our elderly veterans.
3. We're watching all of you, not just the Republicans, and we have the technology and the organization to let other people know what you're doing (or not doing.) We record (almost) everything and we will expose you when you play games.
4. It is no longer socially acceptable to hide your association with working people. We expect more than some glad-handing at the Labor Day parade and quiet whispers of "Don't worry, we're going to take care of things."
Mark Miller should apologize for his caucus's deliberate omission of collective bargaining rights as a legislative priority. He should also apologize for using the word "ridiculous" to belittle the valid criticisms of those who actually support workers' rights. Then he should get to work on restoring collective bargaining for public employees while repeatedly making sure his caucus and every mainstream media outlet in the state knows it's his top priority.