Wisconsin activists confront Tea Party, shout down Palin

WW photo

Thousands of labor, community and student activists and organizations showed up to protest and drown out the racist, neofascist Tea Party and its keynote speaker, Sarah Palin, in Madison, Wis., on April 16 at the state Capitol.

The progressive coalition Wisconsin Resists stated in a press release for its counterprotest: “The Tea Party is not a ‘grassroots movement,’ but a right-wing network bankrolled by billionaires like [Gov.] Scott Walker’s friends the Koch Brothers and big-business, special-interest groups like the misnamed ‘Americans For Prosperity.’ The Tea Party has also sponsored events nationwide with a message of racism and hatred.

“Let’s show that the voices of democracy and workers’ rights will not be drowned out by big business and that racism in any form is not welcome in Wisconsin. Wisconsin Resists encourages everyone to bring signs that highlight that Wisconsin stands up for workers’ rights and democracy against the Tea Party, says no to racism, and that it’s time the banks, corporations, and the rich pay their fair share.”

Thousands across the state have attended the state Legislature’s required Joint Finance Committee hearings in Neenah, Wis., and West Allis, Wis. No meetings were held in Milwaukee, although it is the largest population center in the state and has the largest Black and Latino/a populations. The JFC is legally required to have a few public hearings for the public to express their views on Walker’s proposed 2011-13 fiscal budget bill, which includes $3.6 billion in draconian cuts to poor and working people. Democrats in the Legislature — under pressure from the people — will hold hearings in April and May, since the JFC has now concluded the required number of public meetings. (www.defendwisconsin.org)

On April 14 Walker was in Washington, D.C., testifying before the State and Municipal Government Debt Governor’s Panel. He admitted under questioning that the anti-union bills he’s been pushing in Wisconsin aren’t about fiscal priorities. His actions are to weaken and bust unions.

Thousands of poor and working people across Wisconsin — individually, or as part of their union, community or student organizations — continue to gather signatures for recall campaigns targeted at politicians responsible for voting for the anti-union bills. They are also engaging in various protests in cities small and large. And across the U.S. and around the world, Wisconsin solidarity actions are taking place daily. (wisaflcio.typepad.com)

The final tally for the Wisconsin Supreme Court election — which was widely considered a referendum on Walker’s anti-union measures — was released on April 15 showing the conservative David Prosser winning by 7,316 votes over independent JoAnne Kloppenberg. Kloppenberg said she will make a statement by April 20 on whether or not she will request a statewide recount. Until then the Government Accountability Board can’t certify the results. The election is marred by controversy due to a conservative clerk in Waukesha County “finding,” the day after the election, thousands of ballots for Prosser, which made him the winner of the election. The clerk, Kathy Nickolaus, is a former Prosser employee and has been investigated for voter fraud previously.

On April 14 Dane County Circuit Court Judge Maryann Sumi dismissed one of three lawsuits filed by Democratic Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk challenging the anti-union legislation signed by Walker on March 11 after it was illegally rammed through the Legislature. The judge ruled that state law forbids an agency or arm of government like a county from challenging the constitutionality of state laws.

Another lawsuit brought by the Dane County district attorney remains. In that case, Sumi blocked enactment of the law earlier this month while she considers whether the state’s open meetings law was violated in the process of passing the anti-union bill. This lawsuit was appealed by Walker’s administration to the appellate court, which refused to hear it. Thus, it is now before the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which has yet to decide whether to hear the case.

A third lawsuit brought by various labor unions that challenges the anti-union law has yet to be heard by Sumi.

Anti-union attacks continue

Some counties in Wisconsin — such as Milwaukee County — are attempting to use the anti-union climate to push millions of dollars in concessions on unionized workers. Both the Personnel and Finance Committees of the Milwaukee County Board voted to take at least $13 million through next year from 3,500 AFSCME Council 48 workers in the county through higher health care costs, employee pension contributions of 6 percent of salary, a pay freeze and restrictions on overtime pay. The county is also preparing to impose on the union additional concessions made possible by the anti-union law, including raising the retirement age from 60 to 64 and reducing future credit toward pensions by 20 percent. These attempted concessions, which will affect Black and women workers the most, are even greater than those Walker proposed when he was Milwaukee County executive.

According to an April 16 report on Forbes.com, Walker is working on a Michigan-type “Emergency Financial Manager” law written by the anti-union law firm, Foley & Lardner, the largest legal firm in the state of Wisconsin. The bill would empower the governor to insert a financial manager of his choosing into local government with the ability to cancel union contracts, push aside duly elected local government officials and school board members, and take control of Wisconsin cities and towns. Such a law would, additionally, give Walker unchallenged power to end municipal services of which he disapproves, including safety net assistance to those in need.

What these unrelenting attacks by the banks, corporations and the Pentagon against poor and working people show is that it will take more than recall campaigns and demonstrations to defeat the vicious anti-union, anti-people attacks both in Wisconsin and nationwide. It will take an independent, classwide, anti-racist, anti-capitalist movement that directly challenges politicians that do the bidding of Wall Street. It will take engaging in creative, militant, direct action such as occupations and strikes that slow or shut down the machinery of capitalism like the rank-and-file members of International Longshore Workers Union Local 10 did on April 4 by shutting down the docks in Oakland, Calif. There can be no business as usual.

To help and for more information, visit www.wisaflcio.org; wisaflcio.typepad.com; www.vdlf.org; www.defendwisconsin.org; and www.bailoutpeople.org.