photo by Bill Burke.
“Governor Scott Walker’s attempt to destroy the collective bargaining rights of Wisconsin public employees represents the leading edge of an all-out assault against working families by the forces of greed and ideological extremism.
“That’s why the 40,000 members of UFCW Local 400 stand in Solidarity with every worker whose democratic rights and living standards are under attack by public officials doing the dirty work for their corporate benefactors.
“In fact, Local 400 members from West Virginia and Ohio have been traveling to Columbus to join rallies supporting Ohio public employees who are fighting back against their own union-busting extremist governor, John Kasich. I am very proud of our members’ activism and dedication to their fellow workers.
UFCW Local 400 members in Ohio supporting workers rights to collective bargaining. Photo courtesy of Mick Hutchinson.
“In other words, this is nothing more than a power grab, made even more brazen by his threat to call out the National Guard, emulating the behavior of despots like Hosni Mubarak.
“The fact is that public workers are not responsible for state budget deficits. These were caused by Wall Street’s many abuses, which triggered the Great Recession, which in turn has reduced state and local revenues and undermined the solvency of pension funds. Workers are simply a convenient scapegoat for governors who are beholden to corporate special interests that don’t want their employees to have any power whatsoever.”
The group of Local 400 members in Ohio.