From: Jim Bakken [Bakken.Jim@aft-wisconsin.org]
Sent: Friday, March 11, 2011 11:59 AM
To: Jim Bakken
Subject: TAKE BACK WISCONSIN!!!
Folks!
Today Governor Walker signed the bill gutting collective bargaining rights in Wisconsin. Fortunately for us, the governor does not decide whether or not we have a union--WE DO! Join working families from around the country for a rally at the Capitol on Saturday where we will start our fight to TAKE BACK WISCONSIN!
If you or your fellow members are interested in serving as rally marshals, please attend the AFL-CIO's marshal training being held at 9:00 am at the Orpheum Theater on State Street. We are expecting huge crowds tomorrow and so it's very important that we have lots of marshals to help manage the event and direct traffic.
Otherwise, the rally will proceed as follows:
Saturday rally details
We are asking all AFT and AFT-Wisconsin members to join us in a march on the Wisconsin capitol this Saturday, March 12 at 12:00 pm. We will gather on Martin Luther King Jr Blvd (100 block) between Doty St and the Capitol Square and then proceed together around the capitol building at noon. We will have signs at the rally site, or bring your own (please keep your signs classy Wisconsin--we have lots of bloggers and media outlets looking for material that they will use to distort the public perception of peaceful protests around a very important issue)!
Please wear your union t-shirt or AFT blue!
Please try to be on site before 12:00 pm so we can get everyone signed in and be ready to march together. The earlier you get there, the easier it will be to get parking. Click here for the bus schedule; click here to ride the bus! If you get cold, AFT Local 243 has arranged a 'warming room' at the Madison Area Technical College Campus (211 North Carroll St, Madison), room D240, from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.
There is a farm labor tractorcade scheduled at 10:00 am, followed by several hours of music and a program of speakers at 3:00 pm, including one of AFT-Wisconsin's own from Wisconsin Science Professionals. Bring your family and friends and plan to spend the afternoon with other working families from around Wisconsin.
See you Saturday!
Jim Bakken
Organizer
AFT-Wisconsin
The next step in this battle is to elect JoAnne Kloppenburg for Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice on April 5th. Her website is: http://www.kloppenburgforjustice.com/. Go there to print off flyers and car signs. She also has a facebook presence.
ReplyDeleteFrom Deb Kutrieb.
ReplyDeleteHere are some inspiring numbers I received in an e-mail from a friend who works at Chi-Hi:
It is obvious to all of us just how VITAL the April 5th election of JoAnn Kloppenburg is for all of us. Our entire legal struggle within the Wisconsin court systen will RISE or FALL with the outcome of this election!
With that said...here are some of the numbers looking at the last surpeme court election (2009) between Shirley Abrahamson and Randy Koschnick.
Number of Registered Voters in Wisconsin:-----------3,469,443
Total WI Voters in 2009 Court Race:------------------------792,758
% of WI Voter Turnout in 2009:-----------------------------22% (Very LOW)
Abrahamson (Republican):--------------------------------------60% (473,277)
Koschnick (Democrat):-------------------------------------------40% (319,481)
Now...here are some numbers that should INSPIRE YOU!
Number of Union Members (Private and Public) in Wisconsin: 355,000 (Courtesy of US Department of Labor)
If every single union member in Wisconsin (and their spouse if they have one) votes for Kloppenburg....SHE WINS BIG! You know what we have to do:
1. First, inform our OWN MEMBERS!
2. Second, inform our spouses (LOL)
3. Third, inform our family and friends