Union Article

The following is an article that I just wrote a Presbyterian magazine. I am unsure what the edited version will look like. But I thought I'd post the unabridged version here.

People have asked me, “Why do you care about this budget repair bill? It doesn’t affect you. You teach at a private school.” And I thought long and hard about how disappointed I would be in myself to remain passive, all out of fear. Wasn’t Jesus involved with and concerned about the injustice he saw in his society?

Jesus showed love and created community and calls on us to do the same. A great community has risen up in protest to Wisconsin State Governor’s budget repair bill. And it has risen up in the most loving way possible- by asking protestors to stay peaceful, by encourage respect toward police, by voicing opinions to legislators through appropriate channels, by cleaning the state capitol, and the list goes on.

On Valentine’s Day, I read a short but passionate article about the legislation, recalling slightly that I had also read a different article the day before that was much more vague. I perused the Wisconsin State Governor’s website, running over the bullet points listed there about the budget repair bill. Did it say that unions would become defunct? Not in so many words, but it did say that collective bargaining would only be able to negotiate pay within limits (although not things such as pay schedules). Collective Bargaining Rights were the sticking point. I read about protestors at the State Capitol and was desperate to get down there but was unable as I had to work late in the evenings.

February 16 was the first day the Madison School District could not have school because so many teachers called in sick. My friends who teach in the district still planned on going to work, since they were still requested to report to school even though there were no students. They had no doctor’s note and were not sick. They were mad but they were also torn. The rest of the week saw no-student days in Madison as well as many other districts in Wisconsin. 14 Democratic senators left the state so the state senate could not vote on the bill. Direct deposit stopped to their bank accounts and they now have to retrieve their paycheck in person at the capitol. None have come back to get paid (a source of encouragement to many protestors).

My first experience with protesting other than through the internet was on Friday February 18 after work. I was stunned when I walked into the Capitol. Homemade posters lined the walls- some asking the governor not to take away workers rights, some outlining how it would affect them, and a few demanding him to be recalled when it was a legal option. Of note were also the signs that asked protestors to put up the signs using blue tape, as this would not damage the walls. Signs were hung up with blue tape.

Heading into the rotunda, chants and drums grew louder. In the middle was a large group of young college-aged people. They were hitting drums, starting chants, dancing around, and sharing stories through a megaphone. Heading up to the second tier revealed many more people comprised of many more ages and even more signs, saying things like, “I love my teachers”, “Solidarity from North Carolina”, and “Workers Rights ARE Human Rights”. Stationed around the capitol were people offering food from Ian’s Pizza (people from multiple states had been calling in orders and asking it to be delivered to the capitol for the protestors), bottles of water, sleeping bags, first aid, an information “center”, a “family space”, and quiet but observant security officers.

The next day saw a very large protest. Some estimates were as high as 70,000 and some as low as 55,000. Either way, most people belonged to the protestors. There were volunteers “crowd controlling” and people wearing signs and reminding people that it was a peaceful protest. “Please,” one woman asked, “keep it peaceful. It may be difficult to keep a cool head when you hear things that are factually incorrect or mean spirited, but do not respond in a poor manner, otherwise that can be used against our cause.” And although there were signs with clever little quips, nobody that I saw became unreasonable. Some protestors stopped by the non-protestor rally. Here were signs that read things such as “Guess who is overpaid? Teachers! Do your share.” Other signs just said “Support Walker”. Those two signs give two very distinctly different feelings and also showed that perhaps there was no clear unifying factor for the non-protestors rally. But there were no brawls, no police intervention. Mostly the two groups just ignored each other. Some people were having heated but civil conversations. It was amazing. “Tell me what democracy looks like! This is what democracy looks like” was a common chant.

Sunday showed gross weather but still protestors came to the capitol. And Monday. And Tuesday. Wednesday evening I spent more time at the capitol. I met up with a young student who helped me lead the national anthem from the middle of the state capitol rotunda. I stayed up until 1:30 AM watching the Wisconsin State Assembly debate before sleeping on the hard, marble floor. I felt so extremely proud of the State Assembly for going over amendments- almost 40 hours continuously at this point.

The Wisconsin Law Enforcement Association issued a statement regretting their endorsement of Scott Walker. The Chief-of-Police in Madison was troubled by the fact the governor said he had considered planting trouble-makers among the protestors. The mayor met with city workers and negotiated contracts for the next two years. Firefighters, a union that also endorsed Scott Walker, have marched through playing bagpipes just about every day of the protests as the people chant “thank you!” People are angry that Scott Walker has threatened lay offs to public workers but recently gave tax breaks to corporations. I do not know if I can explain the feelings of the community when the Assembly passed the bill on Friday, February 25. While some people were glad, most I saw were disappointed, sad, and angry. The bill now waits on the Senate (which, if you recall, cannot currently happen).

The second protest the following Saturday showed even more protestors, continuing to be peaceful. There was more marching, chanting, sign holding, thanking, speeches. There continues to be a stream of people from both Wisconsin and outside of Wisconsin coming to rally to show support against the bill. The Wisconsin governor has made mention that “most of protestors are from out-of-state”. This is very far from the truth. Protestors still remain in the capitol, despite an order to leave the capitol. Security has determined not to arrest anyone as long as they obey the law. In fact, security asked those who were not planning to leave the capitol to go to the upper floors, while those who planned to leave could stay on the bottom floor of the capitol. So there a contingent of protestors remain. Who knows if they will be there in a week? I do not forsee the protestors giving up. This is not just a few people who are upset because they are being asked to pay more of their health insurance premiums. This is a large community demanding to keep their collective bargaining rights so they can have a say in working conditions, work environment safety, and the number of students in the classroom. This is a community that does not understand why the governor is making a choice to lay off workers instead of finding other responsible ways to balance the state budget (many question the tax breaks to corporations the governor passed his first month in office). This is a community, along with allies asking to collectively bargain in good faith.

Over and over again, I heard public workers emphasize “it is not about the money.” In fact, most are understanding of having to take a pay cut (billed as “paying more into their pension”) and pay more for health insurance. Then what is everyone protesting? Taking away collective bargaining rights.

People are determined to peacefully protest until the bill is re-evaluated and changed. Security and protestors are getting along. People who cannot take off work during the day continue to blog, post Facebook updates, text, and e-mail each other to show solidarity.

Who has come together for this bill? Just a short description of the people I have met protesting while at the capitol: students, teachers, retired teachers, pastors, fire fighters, police, nurses, doctors, plumbers, a stay-at-home mother, an Illinois-based road construction worker who has done a lot of work in Wisconsin, musicians, professors, a waitress from a local diner, accountants, state social workers, teaching assistants from the University, private company IT workers, lawyers, a water aerobics instructor, a librarian, artist, custodian, family, friends.

What a great sense of community- and what a loving protest. Jesus would be proud.