|
MEMBER MAC SANTIAGO JOINS THE PROTEST IN MADISON, WI
After finding a parking spot about a mile and a half away we were fortunately blessed with sun and temps in the 30's to join us on our long walk to the state capitol grounds (save 15-20 mph winds). The first sounds of the rally were heard in the incessant rhythmic honking, mimicking the chant 'This- is- what- democracy -looks- like'. What it" looked like" was 80-90 thousand people invading downtown Madison, Wisconsin complete with drummers playing a 'samba-esque' groove and people randomly starting chants like "Re-call" (referring to the 18 legislators who decided that taking away the collective bargaining rights of thousands of the states employees, including teachers, was somehow going to fix the states' budget woes) and "Welcome Home" to the "Fab Fourteen", referring to the brave legislators who did everything in their power to stop the pending 'erroneous' legislation. Clearly the consensus amounted to the fact that it was pure, unbridled and very old-fashioned "Union Busting". We also sang a killin' rendition of "Solidarity Forever". While waiting for the speakers to speak we had thoroughly enjoyed the creative yet to-the-point signage and were approached repeatedly by petitioners working for the re-call effort in the confident hope that the people of Wisconsin and it's courts will find what the Republican legislators had done was extremely reprehensible if not in fact illegal. The speakers had included members of the 'Fab 14' who were greeted by the massive crowd as heroes for the hard-working middle-class folks of Wisconsin. Then, the Rev. Jesse Jackson took the podium, said a prayer to the tragic situation in Japan and eloquently brought an integrity to the rally as only he can. This was evident in the 'hush' of the massive audience while he spoke of the commonality of this event to his experiences with Dr. King in the sixties and just about every other major struggle of people in history. Most of which involved the Labor Movement. Unfortunately we had missed an earlier speech by Susan Serandon but to our surprise, Tony Shalhoub spoke. He's the actor who plays "Monk" on T.V. Turns out he is a Wisconsin native with a sister in Green Bay who works as a speech therapist for the public schools. He loosened things up a bit with some 'pointed' humor and actually got the crowd going pretty good with a very serious take on what was happening in his home state. All-inall as we headed home hoarse and wind beaten my brethren and I had agreed (in so many words) that what we had just witnessed was bigger than the people of Wisconsin and their right to collectively bargain. This was about (and for) every working person in this great country of ours. This was about the hope that the future of the Labor Movement could be and should be revitalized and made truly meaningful in a corporate-controlled world. Submitted by Member Mac Santiago
|
On Friday March 11 myself, my brother-in law I.B.E.W. member Barry Trach and good friend and laid-off Andersen Windows employee/Wisconsin native Andrew Krause decided to take a little trip to "the Mad City" and get involved in the protest by the teachers and state employees of Wisconsin. Saturday was billed as the official AFL-CIO rally.
And In Minnesota…
Also…