Public Employee Press


Video documentary on the Wisconsin struggle
"Laborgeddon": the Walker/Wisconsin war on workers

A new video documentary "Wisconsin Rising" documents the battle against Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walkers' 2011 attack against the union rights of public employees

The protests began soon after Walker introduced Act 10, which would strip most public sector workers of almost all bargaining rights, abolish "fair share" dues contributions by non-members receiving the same benefits as members and imposed an annual recertification for union recognition.

Spontaneous demonstrations of especially young workers in the public university system were soon joined by a coalition of public- and private-sector unions and community organizations blossoming into boisterous occupations of the state Capitol building. Massive rallies of as many as 100,000 outraged protestors were closely followed by media throughout the country.

Resistance also included "sick out" work stoppages by teachers across the state and calls for a general strike supported by the Central Labor Council in Madison

But when push came to shove, Wisconsin legislators supported by rich donors like the billionaire Koch brothers voted for Act 10 and Walker signed it into law. Then began a campaign with volunteers spread out across the state to urge Wisconsin voters to vote to recall the governor. This also ended in a defeat for labor.

Filmmaker Sam Mayfield's compelling documentary of this tragic drama includes numerous demonstrations, national press coverage, and confrontations of protesters with legislative "leaders." She also in terviews protesters noting their range of opinion on strategy and tactics - from those calling for escalation to a general strike and others who criticized the recall strategy, which many believed demobilized on the ground organizing in the statewide protest movement.

After their defeat, Wisconsin public sector labor hunkered down to repair the damage. Some locals were devastated while others succeeded in mounting campaigns to convince workers to stay with the union and others to join for the first time. Another priority was to partner with community groups forming alliances on municipal and statewide issues.

Recently Wisconsin unions were dealt another body blow with the passage of right-to-work legislation in the private sector. With other states exploring rightto-work-laws and a possible future U.S. Supreme Court decision extending it to public-sector workers in all states, "Wisconsin Rising" let's us examine battles lost, exploring which strategies work and which don't in mobilizing to only reverse the steady decline of the labor movement.

— Ken Nash
DC 37 Library, Room 211
online catalog www.dc37library.org