Wisconsin

by Felix Bunke, participant

State worker at the Wisconsin State Historical Society's library; Volunteer at Rainbow Bookstore Cooperative

March 2011

Defeat Governor’s Legislative Coup d’État

Wisconsin: For a General Strike Now!

Break with the Democrats, Republicans and All Capitalist Parties!

Build a Class-Struggle Workers Party!

A law challenging the very existence unions of government workers has just been rammed through the legislature in Wisconsin. In addition, wages have been slashed by up to 10 percent to make up for cuts to health insurance and pensions. The labor movement and workers nationwide and internationally are vividly aware of the stakes. There has been a lot of talk in the last three weeks about a general strike. The Wisconsin South Central Labor Federation even voted to authorize one. But now that the moment of truth has arrived, the union bureaucrats have gotten cold feet. They are doing everything to prevent strike action and instead to divert anger at this vicious law into a drive to recall Republican senators. To be replaced by whom? The Democrats’ “alternative” budget bill would also have drastically slashed wages and benefits.

We have said from the outset that “It will take nothing less than a statewide general strike to defeat labor hater Walker.” But we warned , “union leaders block militant action as they chain workers to the Democrats” (The Internationalist leaflet, 18 February). There should be no delay: this is the hour for powerful labor action. For a general strike to shut down Wisconsin now!

Activists Seek to Subpoena Informant Karen Sullivan -- Antiwar activists are now going on the offensive in court.  Mick Kelly and his attorneys announced at a press conference in Minneapolis on Friday that they will make a motion to subpoena "Karen Sullivan," the recently unveiled FBI informant who infiltrated the Anti-War Committee prior to the 2008 RNC. Kelly was shot at close range on the final day of the protests.  "By law, we should have been given all information about this ‘Sullivan’ character," said Kelly's attorney Ted Dooley, but so far, information on Sullivan has been absent from the discovery process. 

UPDATE from Fight Back! News: Occupation continued March 2--60 pople inside as 1,000 marched downtown; Walker takes injunction opening building to mean "one-to-one swap"; large protests scheduled today March 3.