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Right now in Wisconsin public workers from across the state, supported by private sector workers, students young and old, retirees, labor activists and more, are holding unprecedented protests in Madison against the utterly dictatorial move by Governor Scott Walker to gut their collective bargaining rights.

After giving $140 million to special interest groups in January, many of whom donated to Republican campaigns and to the Governor himself, Walker is now attempting to strip Wisconsin's state workers of their hard-won right to collectively bargain over the conditions of their labor under the guise of filling a claimed $137 million budget shortfall.

A similar bill has been introduced in Ohio, and Republican Sen. Jane Cunningham in Missouri has also introduced a bill to strip state law of all Child Labor protections.

In light of these increasing attacks on the working class, We, the Steering Committee and Central Secretary Treasurer of the General Defense Committee of the Industrial Workers of the World, stand firmly behind all workers fighting back. We extend Solidarity to all workers, union or non-union, fighting back against the Capitalist class trying to return us to conditions not found since the Industrial Revolution.

As our primary mission is to offer solidarity and defense help to any workers imprisoned, arrested, attacked, or punished by the State in any way in fighting the class war, the GDC of the IWW is here to offer any and all help we can during these times, and during all labor struggles.An injury to one is an injury to ALL!

Solidarity Forever!
Signed,

Central Secretary-Treasurer:
Steven Ayers

Steering Committee:
Chuck Bailey
Eric Zenke
Marie Mason.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact:
Sam Green
773-857-1090

INDUSTRIAL WORKERS OF THE WORLD STATEMENT ON WISCONSIN SB 11 AND THE DEMONSTRATION IN MADISON

The Industrial Workers of the World stands in solidarity with all public and private sector workers in the state of Wisconsin during this trying time. The Wisconsin governor, Scott Walker, is attempting to close a 137 million dollar budget gap at the expense of the rights of state employees; effectively eliminating collective bargaining and destroying public sector unions. This bill is nothing less than a slap in the face to people who have dedicated their lives to serving the state and its people.

In response to this impending crisis for organized labor, the IWW is mobilizing its membership for a protracted fight against this and other hostile state administrations. Additionally, the IWW is coordinating with larger unions to initiate a demonstrative one day General Strike throughout the state of Wisconsin - the date of which is to be determined during the coming week. The IWW is committed to organizing a grassroots, worker-led response to this and other economic problems.

An Injury to One is an Injury to All!

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Originally posted by RionaEire:
I tend to be pro-union, the workers need rights. I also understand that employers (particularly in small businesses) have things they need too. Ballance is the key. But yeah, I'm pro-union, so I feel that to make a rule in Wisconsin that they can't have a union with bargaining abilities anymore is wrong.

I agree that we shouldn't compare this to Egypt, I don't feel it matches up enough to compare without looking silly.

Caneman, your comment about Frem's leg was disgusting, I guess I know who I can't trust around here. I do agree with you though that states' rights are quite important and that more things should be decided in that capacity. I feel that some things should be federally mandated, but states should be able to decide more than they get to now.

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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Instead while we cried and the rest of the world wept for us, he chose to "lead" us from the back, herding us like cattle into pens and corrals set-up by Corporations such as Koch Industries, and conservative organizations like ALEC, the Heritage and Reason Foundations. Once there he left us to their manipulations and exploitation to take our savings, pensions, retirement, social security and dignity - as Americans and humans. After taking as much of that as they could lay their hands on, they began taking our homes, vehicles and then went after our jobs and fair wages. Not finished with us, these same corporate interests and Conservatives that developed and funded Bush's agenda turned to putting as many of us in prison as they could, so more money could be earned off of privatized prisons and prison industries. Many of these Conservatives remain in power, influential and still in denial as to the true history of the Bush Administration, continuing to deny that people all over the world disappeared during the Bush years, that torture was not only committed, but condoned by the White House and done proudly in the name of the U.S.

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