Winning Progressive

(By Joanne Boyer, cross-posted at Wisdom Voices)

So, did you think they had forgotten? Did you think those incredible Wisconsin citizens had disappeared once they delivered their more than one million signatures to recall Governor Scott Walker in January? Were you a tad fearful that maybe the enthusiasm had waned?

The rallies and vigils held in Madison held two weeks ago should help alleviate some of that for you.  There they were again, in the tens of thousands to rally on the anniversary of the day Scott Walker obliterated Wisconsin tradition and struck down collective bargaining for public employees. One who attended the Friday night vigil and the Saturday rally in glorious spring-like weather described the weekend activities as “hopeful, uplifting and concentrated on looking forward.”

The “forward” is June 5, the date selected for the recall election with primary elections scheduled for May 8.  Obstacles remain because of the voter suppression law passed in Wisconsin – while the voter ID portion of that law has been enjoined at least for now, other provisions of that law remain in effect. There is more out-of-state money flowing in to support Scott Walker than many can imagine. And yet, the people of Wisconsin will not be deterred.  They remain, as they were a year ago, an inspiration for all of us.

John Nichols has done his usual outstanding job of reporting on the weekend activities and Pat Nash writes a great piece in the Baraboo (Wisconsin) News Republic refuting any argument for those who still support Walker.  She concludes by saying:

… the governor continues to claim his policies are working. Anyone who does the research knows this isn’t true. Yet some still cling to the myths and distortions that Walker and his media advisors publish as facts.

There are millions of out-of-state dollars supporting Walker. Those dollars pay for, among other things, advertising that perpetuates these myths — myths that many people continue to believe.

What can we do? For a start, we can take responsibility and educate ourselves so we’re able to determine the difference between facts and press releases that are meant to deceive us. That’s not easy. But unless we make an effort, we’re destined to be governed by those who work for interests other than our own.

Forward: Wisconsin’s state motto. It’s the only way we can go. We, as a country, will remain forever indebted to those in Wisconsin for lighting the spark and starting our way out of the darkness that has prevailed for so long in this country.

A Comment From Winning Progressive:

John Nichols did a great job recently explaining what the organizing and recall elections have already achieved in helping to stop GOP Gov. Scott Walker’s reactionary agenda by ending the GOP’s control of the Wisconsin State Senate.  As Nichols summarizes:

What has happened is remarkable. What could happen is historic. And the people, using the recall power afforded them by progressive reformers of a century ago, are making it happen.

On April 4, 1968, our country lost one of the greatest Americans to have lived – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Dr. King spent his life fighting for social justice, non-violence, equality, and human rights.  He was assassinated in Memphis, where he had traveled to support sanitation workers who had been on strike for nearly two months demanding safer working conditions and the right to join AFSCME Union Local 1733.  Twelve days after Dr. King’s death, the city of Memphis gave in and agreed to a settlement with the sanitation workers that included recognition of the union and a wage increase of 15 cents per hour.

Forty-three years later, the right of workers to collectively bargain that those 1,300 Memphis sanitation workers, Dr. King, and millions of others fought so hard for is under attack.  Bankrolled by the Koch brothers and other billionaires and corporate interests, Republican politicians in Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, and other states throughout the country are attempting to push through a radical agenda that would deny workers the right to collectively bargain over their wages, benefits, and working conditions.

As we mark the forty third anniversary of the death of Dr. King, let’s all honor the legacy of Dr. King by getting involved in the growing movement of union members, human rights activists, environmentalists, and other progressives who are fighting back against the conservative attack on working people.   One way to do so is to attend one of the hundreds of We Are One rallies and events occurring throughout the country on or around April 4, which are designed to demonstrate the public’s support for the rights of working Americans to fair wages, good benefits, safe working conditions, and the right to collectively bargain.   To find a rally near you, go to this link and enter your zip code.  By attending one of these rallies, you can help show that while the conservatives may have the money and the media, we progressives have the people on our side.

If you cannot make a rally on April 4, please help make your voice heard in support of working Americans and the legacy of Dr. King by contacting your state legislators and Governors, and by writing a letter to your local newspaper editor.  Here are links for submitting letters to the editor for national papers, and to newspapers in Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware,  Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

While what little coverage the conservative media provides portrays the assault on working people as being focused primarily in Wisconsin and Ohio, the reality is that the battle is a national one.  Fortunately, this assault has triggered a movement by progressives throughout the nation to fight back.  With Defend the American Dream rallies happening throughout the country, Tuesday provides yet another opportunity for all of us to get involved in a fight we are winning.

The states colored in yellow on the map above from Maddow Blog are states in which legislation is pending that would undermine the rights of workers to collectively bargain over the wages, benefits, and working conditions.   Further details on these and other attacks on workers are provided in this AFL-CIO article, which notes that:

* So-called right to work bills have been introduced in more than a dozen states, including Indiana (temporarily off the table), Maine, Michigan and Pennsylvania with Republican legislatures and governors.

* Bills attacking immigrant workers’ rights and immigrant children’s education, including many patterned after Arizona’s anti-immigrant law passed last year, have been or will soon be introduced in some 30 states, half of which are Republican controlled.

* Paycheck deception bills that would silence workers’ voices in the election process have been or soon will be introduced in nearly two dozen states, including 15 where Republicans control the legislature and hold the governor’s office, including Florida where the bill was approved by a Senate committee this morning.

* Prevailing wage laws protect communities and workers from unscrupulous contractors low-balling bids on taxpayer-funded construction projects by setting wage rates to the local or prevailing standard. Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R), with the support of construction industry CEOs, vows to eliminate Ohio’s prevailing wage law, and legislation has been or will soon be introduced in 19 states, including  nine with dual Republican control.

* In 22 states—12 with Republican governors and legislatures—moves are under way to eliminate Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) that would hurt communities, workers and small businesses by lowering wages.

* Public school teachers and employees are fighting back against assaults in more than a dozen states, including some so-called “education reform” proposals that are thinly veiled attacks on teachers’ rights and privatization schemes.

The good news is that this conservative attack has mobilized a major progressive push back.   There have now been 27 straight days of protests in Madison with hundreds to tens of thousands of people rallying in support of working people.  The rally this past Saturday had at least 85,000 people at it (see pictures here), which is larger than any teabagger rally to date.  In the far northern Wisconsin town of Washburn, population 2,271, as many as 5,000 people showed up to protest Gov. Walker when he visited the town recently.  Meanwhile, in Iowa, state Republicans were so scared of public outcry that they shut off the switchboard for the state House on the day they were voting on anti-worker legislation.

The progressive movement in favor of working people continues on Tuesday, March 15 with Defend the American Dream rallies being held in at least 267 communities throughout the country.   Go here to find a rally near you so that we can continue to make our progressive voices heard and fight back against the Koch-funded conservative attack on working people.  So that more people can attend, many of the rallies are scheduled for late afternoon to early evening.

If you cannot attend a rally on Tuesday, two other ways to make your voice heard are to:

* Contact your state legislators and Governors

* Write a letter to your local newspaper.  Here are links for submitting letters to the editor for national papers, and to newspapers in Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware,  Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

If you attend a rally or send a letter to the editor, let us know at the Winning Progressive Facebook page so that we can inspire others to take action.

We here at Winning Progressive would like to add our thanks to the Wisconsin Fab 14 – the 14 Democratic state senators who left their families, friends, and homes for more than three weeks in an effort to stop Gov. Scott Walker’s attack on working people.  While the Fab 14 returned home today unsuccessful in the immediate battle, their actions have reinvigorated the labor movement, motivated Democrats, and inspired a strong progressive movement to fight for the interests of working people throughout the country.  As just one example, more than 85,000 people showed up in Madison on Saturday to rally in support of public employees and their unions.

The best way to thank the Fab 14 is to get involved in keeping this awakened progressive movement organized and growing.  Help out by:

* Contacting your state legislators and Governors

* Writing a letter to your local newspaper editor:

Here are links for submitting letters to the editor for national papers, and to newspapers in Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware,  Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin

* Support the effort to recall eight Republicans Senators who support Walker’s anti-labor legislation.  Democrats need to pick up only three seats to gain a majority in the state Senate.

As always, if you have any feedback on this post, let us know at Winning Progressive’s Facebook page.

For progressives, yesterday brought a victory to celebrate, a reason to fight back, and a potential Congressional candidate to mobilize in support of.  Let’s make our progressive voices heard on each of these developments.

CELEBRATE VICTORY

Progressives in Illinois achieved a major victory on Wednesday when Illinois’ Democratic Governor Pat Quinn signed legislation making Illinois the 16th state to abolish the death penalty.  As we’ve explained previously, the death penalty is an ineffective, biased, costly, and barbaric practice that does little to keep society safe.  Let’s thank Governor Quinn for standing up for a fair and effective criminal justice system by contacting him online or by phone at 217-782-0244 or 312-814-2121.

FIGHT BACK

Republicans in the Wisconsin Senate on Wednesday passed Gov. Walker’s attack on public employees and their unions, contradicting their previous claims that such legislation was budgetary in nature, which would require that the 14 Democratic state Senators be present to provide a quorum.  This legislation would end the right of public employees to collectively bargain over their wages, benefits, and working conditions, and is simply one part of a concerted, Koch-funded attack on working people throughout the country.

For the past three weeks, Gov. Walker’s actions have sparked a major outcry from progressives throughout the country.  Now is the time to ramp up these efforts even more.  Here are ways to get involved:

* Contact Wisconsin state legislators

* Write a letter to a Wisconsin newspaper - links available here

* Support the effort to recall eight Republicans Senators who support Walker’s anti-labor legislation.  Democrats need to pick up only three seats to gain a majority in the state Senate. 

* Attend a Rally:

Here is a list of rallies occurring in Madison, Milwaukee, and numerous state Senate districts over the next few days.

REASON FOR HOPE

One important way to increase progressive political strength is to support strong progressive candidates in Democratic primaries. Voters in Illinois’ 10th Congressional District (which is in the far North Shore suburbs of Chicago) may have a chance to do so next year, as a true progressive named Ilya Sheyman has formed an exploratory committee to decide whether he is going to run for Congress in 2012.  Mr. Sheyman is a first-generation immigrant and a community organizer who has worked for Democracy for America, MoveOn.org, and in Barack Obama’s U.S. Senate office.

In reviewing Mr. Sheyman’s website, we were especially impressed that the issues page starts off with this strong support of a Paul Wellstone type vision of progressive politics:

I believe in a simple idea at the heart of progressive politics—an idea best articulated by the late Senator Paul Wellstone:

“Politics is not just about power and money games, politics can be about the improvement of peoples lives, about lessening human suffering in our world and bringing about more peace and more justice.”

We encourage our readers to check our Mr. Sheyman’s website and express your support for this exciting progressive candidate.

As always, if you have any feedback on this post, let us know at Winning Progressive’s Facebook page.

The progressive outcry in Madison and elsewhere that was triggered more than three weeks ago by the Koch-funded conservative attack on public employees has turned into a sustained movement fighting for working people.  Hundreds to thousands of people have continued to rally in state capitols and other cities throughout America, and more rallies are planned for this week and beyond.  In Oregon, Gov. John Kitzhaber spoke to a rally attended by more than 700 people on Monday and vowed that collective bargaining rights would be protected in his state.  The folks at CNN, Fox “News,” and the rest of the networks might not want you to know it, but we are the majority and we are winning this battle.

Let’s keep up the pressure so that we win this battle, and The past few weeks have seen levels of sustained progressive organizing that have not been experienced in America for a number of years.  Now is the time for all of us should get involved to keep this critical fight for public employees, unions, the middle class, and the progressive movement in America going.   Below are ways for you to learn about the issues and take action – if you know of other rallies, etc. to add to the list, please let us know at our Facebook page.

LEARN ABOUT THE ISSUE

Here is an interesting article from McClatchy News about how public employee pensions are NOT bankrupting states. 

Here are some fact sheets and reports from the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association comparing private and public sector compensation and explaining why it is factually wrong to blame public employees and their unions for budgetary problems that states are facing.

Here is Paul Krugman’s great New York Times column explaining the political power play that is behind the GOP’s attack on public employees and their unions. 

FLORIDA

Legislation: Tea party Republican Governor, and Medicare fraudster, Rick Scott has proposed a budget that includes lowering corporate and property taxes while cutting $1.75 billion in education spending, reducing state employee pensions and teacher pay, and cutting Medicaid spending. 

Status: The Florida legislature starts a 60-day session on Tuesday, March 8 at which Gov. Scott’s budget proposal will be on the agenda.

Take Action:

* Contact Florida State Senators and House members

* Attend a Rally:

Rallies to oppose Gov. Scott’s budget cuts will occur in Miami, Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Gainesville, Tampa, and throughout Florida on Tuesday, March 8.  Find the rally closest to you at Awake the State.   

INDIANA

Legislation: A string of bills targeting public employees, including limits on teachers’ ability to collectively bargain and a permanent ban on the ability of future governors to allow for collective bargaining with state employees.

* Contact Indiana state legislators

* Contact Governor Mitch Daniels – 317-232-4567

* Attend a Rally:

Indianapolis – Thursday, March 10 – 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

State Capitol

OHIO

Legislation: Senate Bill 5 would eliminate collective bargaining rights for public employees in the state

Status: SB 5 passed the Senate, 17-16, after the GOP had to remove two of its own pro-labor Republican Senators from committees that voted on the legislation. 

On Tuesday at noon, Governor Kasich gives his State of the State speech where he is expected to continue his attack on public employees and their unions.   At 4p.m. that same day, the Ohio House starts its first hearing on SB 5.  

Take Action:

* Contact members of Ohio House of Representatives

* Write a letter to your local newspaper editor – links to newspapers available here

* Attend the State of the State Rally:

Tuesday, March 8 – 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Statehouse in Columbus

 Visit the Facebook page for the rally

WISCONSIN

Legislation: Gov. Walker’s “Budget Repair Bill” would, among other things, eviscerate collective bargaining rights for public employees

Status: Legislation pending in State Senate but cannot be voted on because 14 Democratic Senators have fled to Illinois, thereby preventing the Senate from having a quorum.  Democrats and unions have offered a number of compromises, but Gov. Walker refuses to budge.

Rallies are continuing throughout the state, and another large rally is planned for Saturday in Madison

Take Action:

* Contact your state legislator

* Write a letter to your local newspaper - links available here

* Support the effort to recall eight Republicans Senators who support Walker’s anti-labor legislation.  Democrats need to pick up only three seats to gain a majority in the state Senate.  Information on canvassing this weekend to collect signatures in support of the recall effort is available here.

* Attend a Rally:

Here is a list of rallies occurring in Milwaukee, Green Bay, Racine, La Crosse, and numerous other towns throughout Wisconsin this week. 

Madison – on Saturday, March 12 at 3 p.m., there will be another major rally organized at the State Capitol.  Schedules for buses from throughout the state are being put together and will be posted here.    

Waupun – on Thursday, March 10 at 4:45 p.m., there will be a workers’ rights rally and march starting at the Rock River Intermediate School, 451 E. Spring Street.  Thank to reader Fitz for sharing this rally with us.  

IDAHO

Legislation: The State legislature is consider a bill that would eliminate 770 teaching positions, increase class sizes, and try to move students to on-line classes by giving them a laptop.   Other legislation would weaken collective bargaining rights of teachers and begin to implement “performance-based” pay policies.

Status: The bill proposing to eliminate 770 teachers and replace them with on-line classes was sent back to committee in the state Senate, but is moving forward in the state House.

Take Action:

* Contact members of the Idaho state legislature

* Write a letter to your local newspaper editor – links to Idaho newspapers available here

* Support the students who are protesting these proposals, and join the students who are walking out of their classes

OTHER STATES

* Contact your state legislators and Governors

* Write a letter to your local newspaper editor -

Here are links for submitting letters to the editor for national papers, and to newspapers in Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware,  Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

* Attend a Rally:

Nashville, TN

Tuesday, March 15 – noon

State Capitol

Houston, TX

Tuesday, March 15 – 4:30 p.m.

Houston City Hall

Contact: texansdayofoutrage@yahoo.com