Rallies took place across the country today to support Wisconsin's public employees, whose right to bargain collectively is on the verge of decimation thanks to Tea Party Governor Extrodinaire Scott Walker. If you attended a rally in your state please join this diary to recount your experience for all of us following this battle, from California, to Maine, to Alaska, to Hawaii.
I attended the rally in Boston which took place in front of the golden domed state house. I'd say there were at least 2,000 in attendance. Many were union members but many were simply supporters, of all ages. The chant "Union, union, union," was the mantra of the day. Speakers included Deval Patrick, the Governor of the Commonwealth, as well as U.S. Congressmen Ed Markey, Mike Capuano, and Stephen Lynch. Representatives of various unions spoke including workers from the Service Employees International Union (S.E.I.U.), state teachers, and state nurses.
The Governor stressed that in Massachusetts the government works with public employees, not against them. He said that in this state "We turn to each other, not on each other." If only the state employees of Wisconsin were as fortunate.
There was however a small but vocal group of Tea Party members who stood at the back of the crowd attempting to heckle. One of them had a bullhorn and another had a device that made a siren sound. They were distracting, as was their intention. They were surrounded by attendees who chanted to drown them out throughout the course of the event.
Before I went to the rally I called the four local television stations to ask if they were going to be covering it. I knew that they were probably already aware of it but I figured that one more person pushing a little bit couldn't hurt. When I arrived a man from the organization Jobs With Justice gave me one of the stickers he was handing out. It said "Stop Corporate Greed" in the shape of a red stop sign. Many people carried signs that they had made. Others carried union printed signs that said "We Stand With Wisconsin." There was at least one person wearing a cheesehead hat.
However we can we each play our part as this drama in Wisconsin plays out. Similar attacks are underway by Republican governors and legislatures in Ohio and Indiana. Further attacks on workers lie on the horizon. Nineteen states are now ruled by Republican governors backed by Republican legislatures. Did you attend a rally today? If so where were you and how did it go?