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Demonstrations
outside and inside the Wisconsin State Capitol Building are now in
their fourth day. Tens of thousands of workers and students have taken
dramatic actions to protest the bill promoted by Gov. Scott Walker that
would strip public-sector workers of the right to bargain collectively.
The
following is an interview conducted at 10am CT today, Feb. 17, with
Austin Thompson, who is at the scene of the protest on the third level
of the Rotunda.
Liberation News: What’s it like there?
Austin Thompson: The
bill apparently has enough votes to pass. They are going to vote on
this thing any moment now so workers have decided to put all of the
hesitation behind us and now we’re packed into the actual Capitol
Building. The demonstrations are no longer focused outside. We have
moved into the Capitol Building.
There
are thousands of people inside here. No one can move. I’m in a crowd of
people. The police have blocked off several of passageways. Our goal is
to make this place so packed that this bill won’t be able to go to a
vote without hearing the voice of the workers.
It’s
a very lively situation. It’s unusual for State Capitol Buildings to be
packed like this. There are union organizers, students, rank-and-file
workers and others. People are chanting “kill the bill” and singing
“solidarity forever, the unions make us stronger.”
Throughout
the day the actions are expected to escalate as they get closer to
voting on the bill. There is a feeling that it may be passed. I’m not
sure what that will mean for the demonstrations. I can assure you that
workers aren’t going to take that lying down.
Liberation News: How
many people do you think are there—is it larger or smaller than
yesterday? Is there any difference in the composition from today to
yesterday—is it the same workers, more unions, more young people?
Austin Thompson: The
crowds are much, much larger than they have been at any other point in
the demonstration. They are so large that there is no room to move
around the Capitol Rotunda or floor levels above the Rotunda.
The
demographics are much different than the other days. Now it’s mostly
unions, although students are still involved. The vast majority of
people here are workers. It’s a sea of red. I see teachers, corrections
officers, firefighters, nurses—this is literally the workers, that is
the only way I can explain it. These are workers who are on strike today
or have taken off work.
We’re
getting word that we’re expecting well over 50,000 people to come out
today. It is the workers who make this state move. The workers who are
here are the ones who serve the community. I don’t see how the
legislatures can pass the bill given what’s happening here. This is
historic.
The
politicians are literally hiding. They are escaping through secret
passageways so they won’t have to hear the voice of the workers.
What’s
happening at this moment is only the beginning. After 12 noon, we are
expecting busloads of workers from many different unions. This is a
major escalation—that’s the only way I can describe it.
