Post this article on your Facebook page
More than
10,000 workers and students took over the Wisconsin State Capitol Building in a
dramatic action protesting 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 10:30am CT today, Feb. 16, with Austin Thompson,
who is at the scene of the protest.
Liberation
News: We’re talking to Austin
Thompson, who is in Madison and is giving an eyewitness report about the mass
demonstrations that took place yesterday and are continuing today. Austin, can
you tell us what is happening now in Madison?
Austin
Thompson: Sure. Well first, yesterday
was actually Day Two. Day One was a series of student walkouts as well as a
demonstration at Gov. Scott Walker’s house.
It escalated on Day Two. Estimates I’ve seen are that as
many as 10,000 people were there. There were workers from many unions—AFSCME, United
Steelworkers, SEIU, teachers’ unions, firefighters’ unions—as well as students
who walked out of their classes again and teachers who are on strike in Madison.
They went to the State Capitol for a rally. The crowd
surrounded the State Capitol. There was a scheduled program and also organic
actions by the large crowd. It was similar to Tahrir Square, that’s the only thing
I can think to compare it to. There were people with loud speakers over a mile-long
space.
There was a contingent of firefighters who won’t be affected
by Scott Walker’s bill, but they came out anyway. Walker wanted to keep the
firefighters and police out of this to avoid a backlash from that sector of
what are more conservative voters. But the firefighters came out in solidarity and
were met with thunderous applause.
There were also many nurses and others people who take
care of the sick.
Once the rally started, the presidents of several
unions spoke. Another interesting thing happened was that, inside the State
Capital building itself, workers in the Congress held up a banner that said “solidarity.”
This action was met with thunderous applause in the crowds. Even in the midst
of the most conservative legislation that’s been passed in this country in a
long time, people inside are totally in accord with what this action is about.
People began to leave the rally because there was a
lobbying action scheduled for a small contingent after the bigger rally, but a
group of students on their own initiative stormed the Capitol Building, leading
rank-and-file workers into the Capitol rotunda. There, literally throngs of
people, four floors of people, were chanting “tax the rich,” “recall Walker”
and “kill the bill,” which was referring to the bill Walker’s trying to get passed.
It was such a thunderous moment, with the chants
going, people stopping and dancing in celebration of taking back the people’s
house. The entire building began to shake. Youth and students were at the
forefront of leading that action along with rank-and-file workers who stood in
solidarity.
That was only the second day. The bill is going to be
voted on Thursday. So today is a “do-or-die” day for the workers and unions who
are facing this right-wing attack.
Liberation
News: The students that you referred
to, were they high school or college students?
Austin Thompson:
It was both. High school students
walked out. College students from at least Madison and Milwaukee came on buses.
The high school students were amazing, they were extraordinary to see, as well
as the college students.
Liberation
News: What is this bill say
specifically? Why is it so threatening to the workers?
Austin
Thompson: The bill that Scott Walker
has proposed is one of the most conservative bills ever with regard to union
rights, at least in the past 40 years. This is an effort from the right wing,
the rich, corporations, and governors to use this as a model. They are not just
taking on union benefits but the right of public sector workers to collective
bargaining, which is something workers have fought for over the last 50 years
or more in this country—to have the ability to negotiate with management about health
care benefits, hours that you work and the quality of the work itself.
Scott Walker’s right-wing extremist bill would
literally destroy collective bargaining rights for public-sector workers. This
will have a tremendous effect of lowering the standards for public-sector
workers.
Why is Scott Walker taking such an extreme action in
the state? Keep in mind that Wisconsin is known as a progressive state. It’s not
a right-to-work state. Workers could have some pensions and health-care benefits.
Now Scott Walker has been elected as a darling of the Tea Party Movement with a
right-wing agenda. In order to cut the budget, they have to do it on backs of
public-sector workers.
They are trying to pit private-sector workers against
public-sector workers. There are commercials every day—from the morning news to
late-night tv shows—with a very advanced and very romantic appeal to workers in
Wisconsin, telling them that public-sector workers are getting a deal you
aren’t getting, telling them to call their state senator and support Scott
Walker’s plan to crush union benefits and collective bargaining rights for public-sector
workers. They are using public-sector workers as a scapegoat.
There is a corporation called Johnson Controls in Wisconsin
that received hundreds of millions of dollars in stimulus funds from the federal
government. But they have not hired a single person in the state of Wisconsin despite
the fact that they enjoyed record profits in last quarter. Their profits were $1.5
billion domestically and $4.5 billion overseas. The CEO got $17.6 million as
his salary.
When Scott Walker says we’re in a budget crisis and having
trouble funding services, it’s because he is deciding to side with corporations
who don’t pay taxes, who have their assets overseas, who refused to hire people
when they got stimulus money.
That’s why, when I was in the throngs of rank-and-file
workers, I was hearing “tax the rich.” People were comparing Scott Walker to the
U.S.-backed Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak, who was forced to resign last week
after 18 days of protest. They are calling him “Hosni Walker” because only
dictators side with the tiny minority.
Workers are aware of these contradictions. Nobody anticipated
10,000 people would be at the Capitol yesterday. It’s because of the inequality
and hypocrisy of the Walker administration that people are outraged.
Liberation
News: Is there anything you would
like to add?
Austin Thompson:
Scott Walker has already had
conversations with the National Guard in order to fight against any strike or
direct action from public-sector workers. He has raised the National Guard.
There have already been cries among the people who are
part of the demonstrations that the National Guard themselves are workers and
Scott Walker’s anti-worker agenda is going to destroy the families of the
National Guard. So the rank and file are calling on the National Guard to side
with the worker’s rights movement and not the special interests, rich and
corporations who only want to put the brunt of this budget crisis on the backs
of the poor and working people.
That’s very important to point out. This is not
business as usual. The right wing is ready to use violent force to crush the
power of working-class people. That needs to be known.
Let’s stand with these workers who are making
sacrifices and fighting for all workers, not just union workers.
