Kos brothers and sisters, union workers of Wisconsin need your help.
Governor Walker is fast tracking the Budget Repair bill which will include the Right to Work law- newspeak for Right to Work (for less). Voting in the state legislature may take place as early as Thursday.
Walker states that he needs to put this law through to help balance the state's budget. This law has nothing to do with state budgeting. Rather, it breaks the backs of unions, rendering them ineffective.
Union workers are being labeled today in TV ads all across the state. These ads state that union employees will not sacrifice in hard times. This is false and untrue.
The fact is, our union- my union- voted to go without a pay raise to assist our school in making ends meet when the recession began. We initiated this on our own. Walker is acting unilaterally, without approaching union management to open talks on sacrifice.
We are ready to give again, and give what we can. But we are not ready to give up our union, and turn Wisconsin into a profile of other Right to Work states----states with lower wages and fewer benefits for workers.
Scott Walker wants to finish what Ronald Reagan began, the demise of the middle class through union busting.
Kos brothers and sisters, if you are from Wisconsin, contact your legislator and tell them you support the workers of Wisconsin. Call your hometown state legislators and ask him or her to reject the attacks on public service workers. Tell them that you value public service workers and what they do for our state. Encourage them to reject the so-called "budget repair" bill.
If you are not from Wisconsin, but have family or friends in Wisconsin, call them, ask them to contact their legislators and support this effort.
Union workers have blazed the trail for workers rights, the 8 hour workday, job safety and much, much more. Everyone benefits by the advances that unions have given us.
What has taken years of sacrifice by those who came before us can be taken away in a vote this week, here in Wisconsin.