Sunday Morning Wrap-Up
Sixty-thousands working people were at the Wisconsin state capitol in Madison yesterday continuing the massive protests against Gov. Scott Walker’s (R) assault on middle-class jobs and workers’ collective bargaining rights–and they’re coming back again today. Between 1,000 and 2,000 tea partiers turned out yesterday–but guess who got the big media coverage?
Let’s keep spreading the real news via our social media channels so the truth gets out widely. On Twitter use hashtags #notmywi and #stateSOS. Add your voice on the We Are One solidarity page on Facebook .
More updates:
- Across Wisconsin and across the country solidarity events are spreading–at least 50 events already are planned for this week in 29 states, with working families, veterans, seniors, students, women’s groups, faith groups, environmentalists and many others. Stay tuned and watch your e-mail for more details.
- Baloney-detectors blared yesterday on Gov. Walker’s claims that his assault is about the state’s budget. Local unions and Democratic state legislators offered to accept wage, health care and pension changes in Walker’s budget scam to retain collective bargaining rights. Walker refused.
- Meanwhile, Walker is simultaneously adding to his state’s deficit and outsouring Wisconsin jobs!
- Watch for a big concert in Madison Monday with Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine) and the Street Dogs (offshoot of Drop Kick Murphys).
- In Michigan, Republicans in the state Senate are peeling off from supporting SB 5, an attack on public workers’ collective bargaining rights. And Gov. Rick Snyder is saying he won’t “pick fights” with the state’s unions. “We’re going to negotiate with our unions in a collective-bargaining fashion to achieve our goals,” he said, accordiing to WSJOnline. Now there’s an idea for Gov. Walker.
State Aid, School Construction Must Be Restored in Recovery Package
Reports today indicate that House and Senate negotiators are close to reaching agreement on an economic recovery package. The tentative deal, according to the Associated Press, is pegged at about $790 billion, and talks are continuing on how the money would be allocated.
The Senate yesterday passed its version of the bill that reduced or eliminated several job-creating provisions in the House-passed bill, including aid for fiscally strapped states, infrastructure projects and education. The conference to iron out the differences is under way.
In letters to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), AFL-CIO Government Affairs Director Bill Samuel urges that the state aid be restored, along with funds for school construction, among other provisions.
House Passes Economic Recovery Bill
Hoping to put the brakes on an economy spiraling downhill and out of control, the House today passed (244-188) an $825 billion economic recovery package that could create or save as many as 4 million jobs. Said President Barack Obama, shortly before the vote:
When we it comes to rebuilding our economy, we don’t have a moment to spare.
With the jobless rate at 7.2 percent and expected to worsen for much of the year, and the loss of 2.6 million jobs last year—the biggest one-year job loss since 1945—AFL-CIO President John Sweeney says:
It would be impossible to overstate the trouble our economy is in. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is absolutely essential to turning around this downward economic spiral. This is no time for weak excuses—Congress must act decisively to create jobs and rescue the economy.
