Kansas unions fight austerity

Chanting “Stand up! Fight back,” hundreds of working people and their family members throughout Kansas gathered at the state capitol in Topeka on Feb. 23 for a rally sponsored by a labor-community coalition, the Working Kansas Alliance.

Despite the fact that one of the biggest snow storms in Kansas history, with snowfalls between 12 and 18 inches, ended just the day before the rally, members of unions and community organizations statewide forged ahead to the capitol to demand that Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback and other Wall Street legislators stop attacking working people and our communities.

A broad rainbow of speakers and participants at the rally represented every sector of the working class. Numerous unions participated, including the Service Employees, the Electrical Workers, the Kansas Organization of State Employees, the American Federation of Teachers, the Kansas National Education Association, Salina Area Workers Coalition and many more. Community organizations included the immigrant rights organizations Sunflower Community Action and Cross Border Network, groups advocating for public health care, farmers, women’s rights and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer organizations, among others. Faith-based organizations included representatives from Interfaith Worker Justice

The high energy rally inspired many current and future actions to fight back against the 1%’s austerity and union-busting efforts in Kansas. For more information, visit www.workingkansans.com.