Union Protest: Wisconsin Teachers Calling in Sick en Masse

Union Protests Continue, Teachers Call In Sick Opposing WI Gov's Proposals

Eric Kleefeld
February 16, 2011

The protests against Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's (R) proposals to roll back public employee unions rights are continuing Wednesday, with schools in the state capital Madison closing as the result of teachers calling in sick en masse.

Under Walker's plan, as TPM has previously posted, most state workers would no longer be able to negotiate for better pensions or health benefits or anything other than higher salaries, which couldn't rise at a quicker pace than the Consumer Price Index. Walker and state Republican leaders have said the plan is necessary to deal with the state's budget shortfall.

According to the Associated Press: "The proposal would effectively remove unions' right to negotiate in any meaningful way. Local law enforcement and fire employees, as well as state troopers and inspectors would be exempt."

In Madison, the Wisconsin State Journal reports, School Superintendent Dan Nerad was forced to close the schools today after 40 percent out of 2,600 members of the teachers union called in sick. The teachers' move was spurred by Madison Teachers Inc. executive director John Matthews, who urged members to call in sick and instead attend a rally at the state Capitol.

From the State Journal's report:

The campaign is the first coordinated absence by Madison school employees in 16 years, Matthews said.

"We have only one day where we can make a difference, and it's because of the ridiculous means by which the governor tried to shove this down the throats of public employees," Matthews said.

On the other hand, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that there have been no signs of higher teacher absences in Milwaukee.

In addition, as the ABC affiliate in Milwaukee reports, over a thousand demonstrators gathered Tuesday outside Walker's home (he has not as of yet moved into the governor's mansion near Madison) in Wauwatosa, after marching there from the nearby AFL-CIO building. The line of people was reportedly ten blocks long, while Walker's home was dark inside.

As the Journal-Sentinel also reports, a legislative budget committee hearing where members of the public could speak lasted for 17 hours, going until 3 a.m., when Republicans ended the meeting. The Democratic lawmakers on the committee, however, continued to hear members of the public, breaking only at 8:30 a.m. to move to another room and start again at 9 a.m.

On Tuesday, over 10,000 people gathered at the state Capitol, to demonstrate against the proposal.

Teachers Burning Bridges In Madison’s County

Ed Carson
Investors Business Daily Politics Blog
Feb. 16, 2011

Madison, Wisconsin, schools canceled classes Wednesday because 40% of teachers called in sick to protest Gov. Scott Walker's plan to limit public employee unions' collective bargaining rights. But it's all about the kids.

Many signs read, "Kill The Bill." How uncivil.

Madison teachers risk violating the implicit social contract with parents. Sure, a lot of us won't teach the kids, but we will occupy them for most of the day.

Real brain waves there, huh? They don't even know why they're protesting.

So much for civility. I also noticed how none of this didn't even make the news on network television. How surprising!

Inside the capitol....

My quick an dirty thoughts on this?

1) These teachers are paid by the city and state. They called in sick en masse. If it were me, I'd pull a Reagan and fire each and every one of them. Not realistic, I know. But it pisses me off to no end on how people that are entrusted to tech our children can just decide they're not going to go to work today.

2) NO public employee should be allowed to unionize. Period, end of story.

3) What is the district going to do with kids not in school. Many had no choice. How many that actually had teachers show up went to school?


I worked in a union shop for almost 3 years. Nothing good came of it. Unions are a relic who's time has come.

Missing Wisconsin Dem speaks: We're MIA until GOP drops assault on workers rights

Greg Sargent
Washington Post
Feb. 17, 2011

I just got off the phone with Wisconsin State Senator Chris Larson, one of the Democrats who has left the capitol in order to stall the GOP's plan to rolll back the bargaining rights of public employees. Speaking to me by cell phone from an undisclosed location, Larson said he and his fellow Democrats would not return until the GOP takes its assault on organizing rights "off the table."

"Each of us is in a secure location," he told me, confirming that they were not all together but were monitoring events on the Web and on Twitter. Larson refused to say whether he and his fellow Dems had left the state, as some have speculated.

"We're going to be staying away until we hear that they are taking the right to organize seriously," Larson continued, referring to Republicans. "They're going after 50 years of history in one week. Until they take that off the table, it's a non-starter."

Larson said Dems are not worried about law enforcement pursuing them and dragging them back to the capitol. Though the current proposal exempts state police, he said that individual officers had privately expressed solidarity with the Dems' and public employees' cause.

"They understand the importance of workers banded together to protect workers rights," Larson said, characterizing his conversations with officers. "They understand why we're here."

Dems will not return, Larson vowed, "until the Republicans are prepared to listen to the effects of this bill on workers and what it will do to our state."

You know what gets me here? Even though this is a state issue (Wisconsin), the GOP on the federal level didn't walk off the job when the health care bill was unilaterally rammed thru in 2009. But this bunch of Dems in Wisconsin are pulling the same shit that Texas Dems did a few years ago during the redistricting legislation.

People always say that the "voters have spoken" in regards to any given issue. Yeah. Wisconsin voters spoke last November by booting out Dem control of the governorship and also the Dem controlled legislature.

TexasBlue wrote:You know what gets me here? Even though this is a state issue (Wisconsin), the GOP on the federal level didn't walk off the job when the health care bill was unilaterally rammed thru in 2009. But this bunch of Dems in Wisconsin are pulling the same shit that Texas Dems did a few years ago during the redistricting legislation.

People always say that the "voters have spoken" in regards to any given issue. Yeah. Wisconsin voters spoke last November by booting out Dem control of the governorship and also the Dem controlled legislature.

This is what Democrats do. When they can't get their way, they stamp their feet and have a temper tantrum like little babies and when that doesn't work, they will break any law to get their way. They are cowards and bullies and anyone who can't see that from the actions noted in this thread just doesn't want to see it.