The Militant - April 18, 2011 -- Actions across U.S. stand up to union busting, back Black rights

Vol. 75/No. 15 April 18, 2011

Actions across U.S. stand up to
union busting, back Black rights
Wisconsin: 1,000s rally for 7th week
(lead article)

BY ZENA JASPER
MADISON, Wisconsin—As they have for seven weeks now, thousands of workers rallied here at the state capitol April 4 to protest antiunion legislation against this state’s public workers. They also marked the anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, gunned down while in Memphis, Tennessee, to support a sanitation strike there in 1968.

Two Memphis sanitation workers joined the protest here, and in Memphis, 1,000 unionists and supporters marched, including veterans of the 1968 strike.

The action was one of hundreds across the country, involving tens of thousands, in response to a call by the AFL-CIO for April 4 “We Are One” rallies.

Jim Gundersen, a Teamster and snow plow driver in Monona, Wisconsin, told the Militant why he was marching. “I’ve been making concessions for 15 years,” he said. “The only reason I stuck around was for the benefits. We have to fight for those who will be in our shoes 30 years from now. This is a nationwide campaign.”

Gov. Scott Walker March 11 signed into law legislation that outlaws collective bargaining for public employees except on wages. A circuit court judge has issued a temporary restraining order halting the law’s implementation for two months.

Related articles:
Striking Machinists rally in Ohio
Benefits for our class vs. ‘fringes’ for a few
Miners back Wisconsin unions
Rallies answer union-busting across U.S.
Our solidarity surprises them

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