Troublemakers Dispatch: Wisconsin's Wake-Up Call

Wisconsin Labor Jams Capitol To Resist Governor's Attacks Wisconsin's Republican governor inadvertently issued a wake-up call to the state's labor movement by pushing legislation that would crush public employee unions. Wisconsin unions and allies quickly rallied, flooding the Capitol. A teacher reports from inside the Wisconsin Capitol, where the demonstrators are shoulder to shoulder. The chant goes up: "Freedom, democracy, unions." As protests continue in Madison the mood is electric. An organizer of Madison's Troublemaker School reports that nearly every union in Wisconsin has come to stand with state workers, clearly recognizing the bill as a union-buster having nothing to do with the budget. Pushed Too Far, Ohio Labor Gears for Fight Ohio labor is mobilizing across the state, too, as the new right-wing governor, John Kasich, leads a high-profile effort to demolish public employee unions, while gouging holes in the state's already weak public safety net. Thousands of workers rallied in Columbus, Thursday to stop a Wisconsin-like bill that would end public workers' collective bargaining rights. Restaurant Employees Call for Higher Wages for Tipped Workers   The Restaurant Opportunities Center released a report this week showing nearly 90 percent of restaurant workers have no health insurance or paid sick days. The worker center called for an increase in the minimum wage for tipped workers, still just $2.13 an hour. It would be the first increase in 20 years. In the Troublemakers Blog  A nurse who had her life and career forever altered by a debilitating back injury expressed outrage over the recent decision by the U.S. Department of Labor to withdraw a rule requiring employers to report musculoskeletal injuries to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Boost Your Trainings with the Indispensable Guide for Union Activists A Troublemaker's Handbook 2 is the essential manual for workers who want to take control over their lives at work. In hundreds of first-person accounts, workers tell in their own words how they did just that. Each chapter in the oversize, 372-page guide ends with questions designed to get you thinking strategically about how to apply what you've read to your workplace. Get your copy here. It's a great way to get new stewards up to speed, and special discounts apply for locals that buy five or more to use in trainings. Call us at 313-842-6262 to see how much your local can save! Check out this and other great books, T-shirts, stickers and other troublemaking merchandise at our online store. In This Email Wisconsin's Wake-Up Call Pushed Too Far, Ohio Labor Gears for Fight Restaurant Workers: $2/hr Not Enough In the Troublemakers Blog Boost Trainings with the Essential Troublemaking Guide Share the Troublemaking Spirit! Subscribe Today! Labor Notes gives you a ringside seat for the ups and downs in today's labor movement. This month's issue features a dozen additional stories, most of them not yet available online. Why not subscribe and see what you're missing? Subscribe today! Quick Links Labor Notes Home Page Magazine Archive Troublemakers Blog Subscribe to Labor Notes Online Store Donate Join Our Email List! Support Labor Notes! For more than 30 years Labor Notes has been a home base for activists who want to put the movement back in the labor movement. We connect thousands of troublemakers around the country who share your vision of a labor movement worth fighting for. But we can't do it without your support, especially in these hard times. Please donate today!

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