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solidarity
C4C
For Immediate Release
February 21, 2011

Walker’s Budget Despair Goes Too Far


[Racine, WI] – Community for Change, a comprehensive coalition of community organizers in SE Wisconsin who represent social justice, interfaith, labor and trade unions, educators, health care professionals and grassroots community organizations call on Governor Walker and the Wisconsin legislature to suspend any legislation that weakens or undermines the collective bargaining rights of Wisconsin workers.

We join fellow organizations who have already spoken out on behalf of protestors in Madison who have peaceably gathered at the State Capitol to make their voices heard to a seemingly indifferent Governor.

This week, sincere efforts were proposed by Wisconsin union leaders who offered good-faith concessions to wages and increase benefit contributions to the Governor and legislators. Their efforts were roundly ignored. We believe this attempt to weaken and destroy unions is a vast over-reach of governmental power and deeply out of proportion to the budget concerns it claims to address.

The Budget Repair Bill proposed by Wisconsin Governor, Scott Walker will decimate collective bargaining rights, place mandatory limits on wages, and eliminate bargaining ability for quality healthcare, sick days and for working and safety conditions for over a hundred thousand state employees.

The Budget Repair Bill not only affects state workers but reaches to restrict the rights of city, town, village and county employees throughout Wisconsin.

The organizers of Community for Change recognize the financial limitations our state faces as the Governor prepares the state budget. However, we vehemently reject this blatant attempt to reverse decades of labor rights and workplace solidarity disguised as fiscal responsibility.  

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