WTF is Going on in Madison?

Why is Madison a "city in chaos?" Well it isn't but some people stated that it is. The city is now undergoing major peaceful demonstrations and protests on a daily basis due to Governor Scott's budget proposal. But those not in the area many not understand how it developed and what is happening.

The budget fix bill has several major provisions. One is to reduce pension payments and benefits and have the workers pay the difference. The other is to significantly restrict bargaining rights to the point that the public unions will be toothless. Other provisions greatly restrict the power of public unions with a clear aim of busting them. Governor Walker focused on the benefit cuts as being essential, while the opposition is greatly concerned with the restrictions on the unions and fear what it means for workers in Wisconsin.

This began simply enough. As the bill was announced on Friday the 11th, the graduate students organized their colleagues, students, and friends to go to governor's office to give him Valentine cards. These heartfelt cards requested that he "not break their hearts." As the governor would not see them to receive the cards, they left them outside his door and proceeded to gather outside by his office window and declared their opposition to the bill. This action started an ongoing succession of rallies which continued until today.

The next few days people gathered in growing numbers, angry at the bill. More people came out, mostly public union members and their supporters. However, Thursday the entire tone of the protests changed. On Thursday 40 percent of the Madison teachers called in sick the night before shutting the school district down. The students organized a walk out, graduates students began a teach out. The geology department sent a message regarding concerns that everyone was getting ill and that the cure was at the Capitol building. Thousands of people gathered at the capitol, with students preforming a sit-in, blocking access to the building. When the Senate was finally able to convene to consider the bill, they noticed that 14 members were missing. The democrats were missing, making them one member short of quorum. Thank God for parliamentary procedures.

Missing those senators, effectively blocked the vote. To ensure that they could not be forced to go the capitol they drove to Illinois. This reinvigorated the union members. From feeling that their efforts would be in vain, they had a sense of hope. The senators bought them time to organized, to make their voices heard.

The following day, the Milwaukee teachers suddenly all got sick and district was shut down, as well as was Madison. The two largest districts were closed. Members of all major unions, private and public began to arrive. The numbers swelled from 20,000 to 30,000 people, perhaps more. These people represented a vast strata of the populace. Obviously government workers such as teachers, sanitation, laborers, and corrections were there in strength. However, police and firefighters, who endorsed Gov. Walker and were exempt from the bill - which I am sure was just a complete coincidence - were present. The firefighters showed a tremendous show of strength having hundreds of members from all over the state present. Private labor unions, like SEIU and AFL-CIO members arrived in large groups. They saw this as an attack on the entire institution of labor. A clique seen on many signs "an injury on one is an injury on all." Walking

next to the laborers and iron workers were high

school students. They organized their own groups to support their teachers. They were some of the most entertaining aspects of the protest. They showed enthusiasm and energy not matched by other groups. also the college students. They enjoyed marching down the downtown street in massive groups to arrive at the capitol. Always an impressive site. The students were also identified by their protest signs with references to Star Wars, Harry Potter, and other nerdy references.

That night on Friday we received another sense of hope from the governor himself. A compromise was offered by the unions. They would accept the bill as long as the language regarding bargaining rights was removed. Walker steadfastly refused, yet he still claimed that the unions were whining over benefits. He made it clear that he was an old fashioned union buster. This was the image that we needed people to see.

By this point the movement for labor rights hit a huge level. On Saturday, 68,000 people came out in support. It was a site to see and largest protest in Wisconsin history. We are making a statement that we stand by our state workers and their unions. We were able to fill the loop around the capitol building with a continual march of protesters who stayed from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in massive numbers. In fact, we grew throughout the day. At the same time this was occurring the Tea Party held a rally for the bill. They claimed to be the silent majority and that they vastly outnumbered the pro-union protesters. They arrived and numbered around 2,000. They were outnumbered 34: 1. Its was glad to see that the "silent majority" revealed their strength to us.

The next two days ice and snow storms hit the area. Still massive numbers show up despite the weather. On Sunday, 5,000 people gathered inside the capitol and the next day 20,000 or more people marched outside in the sleet. Yet, we still marched and spoke our mind. The sleet or snow would not stop the movement. Though my frozen feet wished it would.

Now, we wind up the rallies and the massive show of force. As of today we will hold occasionally rallies as people must work, take care of families, and not become ice cubes in the cold. As we are preparing for the long haul. It is becoming clear that this fight will most likely drag on for another week or much longer.