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Works in Progress #1 -- June
8
works in progress FREE It has been over a year since the Walker administration rushed the pas- sage of their controversial Budget Repair Bill. Since then, the attacks have kept coming and women have been hit espe- cially hard. The main controversy of Walker’s budget was the clause bar- ring public sector unions from col- lective bargaining. Though it was not often said explicitly, this attack on pub- lic sector unions was also a gendered attack. The public sector (teachers, nurses, bus driv- ers, social workers, etc.) is the primary employer of women, where women make up 56% of govern- ment state workers and 58% of munici- pal workers. Under the guise of balancing the state budget, the Walker admin- istration has also drastically cut Bad- gerCare, the state provided health care program for unin- sured Wisconsinites. The goal of Badger- Care, at its implementation in 1999, was to provide and expand health insurance coverage to ensure that 98 percent of the population in Wisconsin was insured, specifically targeting children and their mothers. The 2011 Biennial Budget, passed last summer, cut $467 million of state funds from the BadgerCare program. The manner in which cuts will occur, however, are left to the Department of Health Services (DHS) Secretary, Dennis Smith. The specifics are still not known, but DHS estimates that 22,835 people will lose health insurance coverage as a result of these changes. New rules and stipulations in the public health system include higher premiums, denial of cov- erage to families who have employ- er-sponsored insur- ance (regardless of whether that insur- ance exceeds their income), denial of young adult supple- mental coverage to their parents’ plans, and preventing children from ex- press enrollment in BadgerCare. To add to the list, the Healthy Youth Act was repealed, which had mandated that public schools provide comprehensive sex education. Comprehensive sex education provides medically accurate information to teens about their reproductive organs, how contraception works, the process of conception, as well as language and scenarios demonstrating clear sexual consent. The big controversy about sex education to teens focused primarily on pregnancy. Wisconsin has a teen pregnancy rate that is 27% lower than the nation- al rate, which the Healthy Youth Act has been credited with keeping low. A crucial part of this program has been having confidential and affordable family planning services available to teens. The Walker budget further re- stricts women’s health by mandating pa- rental consent for people under the age of 18 to receive family planning services. Family planning is not simply for abor- War on Women: No Good News to Report… Yet > continued on page 3 A year of campaigning and $80 million later the Wisconsin recalls are fi- nally over. In a repeat of the 2010 elec- tion between the same two candidates, Walker actually improved his lead over Barrett, winning 53-46, with approxi- mately 2.5 million votes cast, 350,000 more than were cast in 2010. Breaking down the numbers some, 59% of white people voted for Walker, as did most sub- urbs and small towns, and 38% of union households (rather than unionists) voted Republican; support for either candidate was largely related to the perception of how well this administration was creat- ing new jobs. Most people had decided who they were going to vote for by April, and many people simply disagreed with the use of the recall for “political rea- sons”, choosing then to vote for Walker. And with the state being so closely split, Walker’s ability to turn out more voters certainly helped secure a victory. A num- ber of news sites, commentators, left blogs and radical groups have written ex- tensively on how and why Walker beat the recall. These all tend to share criticisms of the recall process (if not strategy), and most have a basic agreement about the problem of turning movements into election campaigns. Here we can briefly summarize the important explanations of the recall elections: First, Reader Supported News reported, “Walker spent 88% of the money to get 53% of the vote”. Walker was able to be- gin fundraising in November as part of a loophole in the recall laws, and coupled with the Citi- zens United ruling he was able to win a formidable financial advantage over his opponents. He was then able to keep a constant bombardment of advertise- ments across the state. Beyond just the money, Walker campaigned, as he did in 2010, around job creation. Under Walker’s administration, Wisconsin has been the only state in the US to actually have net job loss, but as Forbes columnist Rick Un- gar noted Walker simply chose a different accounting method to skew the data in his favor. Along with this, UW-Milwaukee professor Jeffrey Sommers suggested that Walker was able to win on taxes, fol- lowing the strategy used in California’s Proposition 13—essentially substituting short-term property tax cuts for wage growth and pitting parts of the working class against each other. Walker was clear in his messaging on cutting taxes, while Barrett’s approach to taxation would place increased burden on working peo- ple for degraded services. Here we would note the absence of any discussion of progressive or heavy corporate taxation. In the course of the year’s cam- paigning, the messages from the Demo- crats were vague and unconvincing. Early on, the Democrats decided to play to the center, to disastrous results in last sum- mer’s senate races and Walker’s recall both. Messaging chosen on collective bargaining seemed narrow and rein- forced the perception that the public sec- tor unions were mainly concerned with themselves, rather than using the oppor- tunity to have larger discussions about workers’ rights and living standards in Wisconsin. Instead, Barrett’s campaign focused on Walker’s divisiveness, corrup- tion and unwillingness to work across party lines—issues that did not resonate with the politicized atmosphere. All said and done, Walker was able to mount a strong, well-funded campaign as against Barrett who was not able to make any significant inroads and mostly ran a “Vote Walker Out” campaign. The Democrats were without a compel- ling vision of their own, deserting the popular spirit of last winter’s uprising for typical party politics. This was not simply an issue of out-of-state money versus “underfinanced people power”, but an is- This was not simply an is- sue of out-of-state mon- ey versus “underfinanced people power”, but an is- sue of actual politics that did not break through the usual lines. > continued on page 7 This act imposes criminal penalties and possible jail time on physicians who provide wom- en with nonsurgi- cal abortions. What Comes After the Recall ? by Andrew Sernatinger June 2012 Volume 1 Issue 1 An important aspect of comprehensive sex education is information on sexu- ally transmitted infections (STIs). The most common STI is Chlamydia, known as a “silent” disease because symptoms may not occur. However, even without symptoms it causes damage to women’s reproductive organs. In 2009, the DHS reported that there were over 7,000 cases of Chlamydia in adolescents ages 15-19. by Jessi Indresano Photo by Emily Mills
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IthasbeenoverayearsincetheWalkeradministrationrushedthepas-sageoftheircontroversialBudgetRepairBill.Sincethen,theattacks have keptcomingandwomenhavebeenhitespe-ciallyhard. The maincont rover sy o fWalker’s budgetwastheclausebar-ring public sectorunions from col-lective bargaining.Though itwasnotoftensaidexplicitly,thisattackonpub-lic sector unionswasalsoagenderedattack. The publicsector (teachers,nurses, bus driv-ers,socialworkers,etc.)istheprimaryemployerofwomen,wherewomenmakeup56%ofgovern-mentstateworkersand58%ofmunici-palworkers. Under theguiseofbalancingthe state budget,theWalker admin-istration has alsodrasticallycutBad-gerCare, the state
providedhealthcareprogramforunin-suredWisconsinites.ThegoalofBadger-Care,atitsimplementationin1999,was
toprovideandexpandhealthinsurancecoveragetoensurethat98percentofthepopulationinWisconsinwasinsured,
specifically targeting childrenandtheirmothers.The2011BiennialBudget,passedlastsummer,cut$467millionofstatefundsfromtheBadgerCareprogram.Themannerinwhichcutswilloccur,however,areleftto the Department of HealthServices(DHS)Secretary,DennisSmith.Thespecificsarestillnotknown,butDHSestimatesthat22,835peoplewill losehealthinsurancecoverageasaresultofthesechanges.Newrulesandstipulations inthepublichealthsystemincludehigherpremiums,denialofcov-erage to familieswhohaveemploy-er-sponsoredinsur-ance(regardlessofwhetherthatinsur-anceexceedstheirincome),denialofyoungadultsupple-mentalcoveragetotheirparents’plans,andpreventingchildrenfromex-pressenrollmentinBadgerCare.Toaddtothelist,theHealthyYouthActwasrepealed,whichhad mandated that publicschoolsprovidecomprehensivesexeducation.Comprehensivesexeducationprovidesmedically
accurateinformationtoteensabouttheirreproductiveorgans,howcontraceptionworks,theprocessofconception,aswellaslanguageandscenariosdemonstratingclearsexualconsent.
The big controversyabout sex education toteensfocusedprimarilyonpregnancy.Wisconsinhasateenpregnancyratethatis27%lowerthanthenation-alrate,whichtheHealthyYouthActhasbeencreditedwithkeepinglow.Acrucialpart of this program hasbeen having confidential
andaffordablefamilyplanningservicesavailabletoteens. TheWalkerbudgetfurtherre-strictswomen’shealthbymandatingpa-rentalconsentforpeopleundertheageof18toreceivefamilyplanningservices.Familyplanningisnotsimplyforabor-
War on Women: No Good News to Report… Yet
> continued on page 3
Ayearofcampaigningand$80millionlatertheWisconsinrecallsarefi-nallyover.Inarepeatofthe2010elec-tionbetweenthesametwocandidates,WalkeractuallyimprovedhisleadoverBarrett,winning53-46,withapproxi-mately2.5millionvotescast,350,000morethanwerecastin2010.Breakingdownthenumberssome,59%ofwhitepeoplevotedforWalker,asdidmostsub-urbsandsmalltowns,and38%ofunionhouseholds(ratherthanunionists)votedRepublican;supportforeithercandidatewaslargelyrelatedtotheperceptionofhowwellthisadministrationwascreat-ingnewjobs.MostpeoplehaddecidedwhotheyweregoingtovoteforbyApril,andmanypeoplesimplydisagreedwiththeuseoftherecallfor“politicalrea-sons”,choosingthentovoteforWalker.Andwiththestatebeingsocloselysplit,Walker’sabilitytoturnoutmorevoterscertainlyhelpedsecureavictory. A num-berofnewssites,commentators,left blogs andradical groupshavewritten ex-tensivelyonhowandwhyWalkerbeat the recall.Thesealltendtosharecriticismsoftherecallprocess(ifnotstrategy),andmosthaveabasicagreementabouttheproblemofturningmovementsintoelectioncampaigns.Herewecanbrieflysummarizetheimportantexplanationsoftherecallelections:First,ReaderSupportedNewsreported,
“Walkerspent88%ofthemoneytoget53%ofthevote”.Walkerwasabletobe-ginfundraisinginNovemberaspartofa
loopholeintherecalllaws,andcoupledwiththeCiti-zensUnitedrulinghewasabletowinaformidablefinancial advantageoverhisopponents.Hewasthenable to keep a constantbombardmentofadvertise-mentsacrossthestate. Beyondjustthemoney,Walkercampaigned,ashedid in 2010, around jobcreation.UnderWalker’s
administration,WisconsinhasbeentheonlystateintheUStoactuallyhavenetjobloss,butasForbescolumnistRickUn-garnotedWalkersimplychoseadifferentaccountingmethodtoskewthedatainhisfavor.
Alongwiththis,UW-MilwaukeeprofessorJeffreySommerssuggestedthatWalkerwasable towinontaxes, fol-lowingthestrategyusedinCalifornia’sProposition13—essentiallysubstitutingshort-termpropertytaxcutsforwagegrowthandpittingpartsoftheworkingclassagainsteachother.Walkerwasclearinhismessagingoncuttingtaxes,whileBarrett’s approach to taxationwouldplaceincreasedburdenonworkingpeo-plefordegradedservices.Herewewouldnotetheabsenceofanydiscussionofprogressiveorheavycorporatetaxation. Inthecourseoftheyear’scam-paigning,themessagesfromtheDemo-cratswerevagueandunconvincing.Earlyon,theDemocratsdecidedtoplaytothecenter,todisastrousresultsinlastsum-mer’ssenateracesandWalker’srecallboth.Messagingchosenoncollectivebargaining seemed narrow and rein-
forcedtheperceptionthatthepublicsec-torunionsweremainlyconcernedwiththemselves,ratherthanusingtheoppor-tunitytohavelargerdiscussionsaboutworkers’rightsandlivingstandardsinWisconsin.Instead,Barrett’scampaignfocusedonWalker’sdivisiveness,corrup-tionandunwillingnesstoworkacrosspartylines—issuesthatdidnotresonatewiththepoliticizedatmosphere. Allsaidanddone,Walkerwasable tomount a strong,well-fundedcampaignasagainstBarrettwhowasnotabletomakeanysignificantinroadsandmostlyrana“VoteWalkerOut”campaign.TheDemocratswerewithoutacompel-lingvisionoftheirown,desertingthepopularspiritoflastwinter’suprisingfortypicalpartypolitics.Thiswasnotsimplyanissueofout-of-statemoneyversus“underfinancedpeoplepower”,butanis-
This was not simply an is-sue of out-of-state mon-ey versus “underfinanced people power”, but an is-sue of actual politics that did not break through the
usual lines.
> continued on page 7
This act imposes criminal penalties and possible jail time on physicians who provide wom-en with nonsurgi-
cal abortions.
What Comes After the Recall ?
by Andrew Sernatinger
June 2012 Volume 1 Issue 1
Animportantaspectofcomprehensivesexeducationisinformationonsexu-allytransmittedinfections(STIs).ThemostcommonSTIisChlamydia,knownasa“silent”diseasebecausesymptomsmaynotoccur.However,evenwithoutsymptomsitcausesdamagetowomen’sreproductiveorgans.In2009,theDHSreportedthattherewereover7,000casesofChlamydiainadolescentsages
15-19.
byJessiIndresano
PhotobyEmilyMills
Thepaperyou’relookingatisthefirstfullissueofamonthlyleft-commu-nitypaperbasedinMadison,Wisconsin.Thegroupofusproducingthispaperhaveallworkedonanumberofnewspapersinthepast:MadisonObserver,Insurgent,andinWashingtonStatetheCounter-Point Journal and Olympia Works inProgress (ournamesake).What all ofthesepapershadincommonwasthattheywerefree,locallyfocusedpapers,providingaspacefornews,commentaryanddebatenotusuallytakenupbythebiggerprofessionalnewsmedia.Thesewere“frombelow”efforts,lookingatis-suesthataffectourcommunitythroughgrassrootsjournalismandpointingtoim-portantorganizingandmovementworkthatishappeningaroundus.It’sbeenafewyearssinceMadisonhadsuchapa-per,andweallagreedthatwewouldliketoseeonecomeback. But isn’t thereWORT and allthoseblogs?Well,yes,buteverymove-mentneedsapaper. People seeprintandtakeitmoreseriously:it’snotjustsomethingyouwroteintenminutesandcaneditifyoumadeamistake.There’sadegreeoffinalitytoit,whichmeansthatyouhavetoreallysitandthinkaboutwhatyou’redoing—thisisgoodforread-ersandwritersboth.Ifweusethisasa“movementpaper”,itmeansthere’sdeep-erreflectionandinvestmentinresponses.Anotherpoint,apaperispublic:youcan’tleaveablogonabusorcoffeeshopforjustanyonetofind—withtheinternet
youonlygetaselectaudience,limitingyourreach inbringingout issuesandideas.Lastly,apapergivesussomethingtoorganizearound,providingacommonspaceforstories,reportingandopinionstogo. Thinkingaboutlastyear,wherewasthereaspacetodiscusswhatwashappeningwithallofWalker’sbills,theactivityofcommunitygroups,coalitionsandtradeunions,andwhatwemightdo?Theseseemedtobespreadoutandmadeitdifficultforustothinkaboutwhatweweredoingasamovement.WithWalker’sre-electionandanewwaveofattackstocome,weneedapaperasaspacetoeducate,informanddiscuss.Hopefully,WorksinProgresscanbeonecontribu-tion. Sohowdoesthiswork?We’rebuilding thispaperoffof amodelof
otherleftcommunitypapers:thereisaneditorialcollectivethat’sresponsibleforputtingapapertogethereachmonth:writingandsolicitingstoriesandopin-ions,layingoutaneditionandtakingittotheprinter,handlingthefinances.Forotherpeople,werelyonyoursubmis-sions:articles,editorials,opinionpieces,photographs,artworks,interviews,car-toons,etc.Workinglikethisallowsustohaveadedicatedgroupofpeoplemaketheprojectworkforotherfolkswhocancontributeasthey’reable,withdiffer-entlevelsofcommitment.Ifyou’dliketosubmitorareinterestedintheeditorialcollective,pleasecontactusatMadison.worksinprogress@gmail.com.Ifyoulikewhatwe’redoing,pleaseconsiderdonat-ingsomemoneyorbuyingadvertisementspaceforyourgrouporbusiness.
WIP
Letter to the Editors:
UWworkershadanincomere-ductionof10-15%inthelastyear,soitisnowondertheywantaraise,butUW’splantorewardonlyonethirdoffacultyandacademicstaffisthewrongwaytodoit. Ifstateagencies’longexperiencewith“merit”bonusesisanyguide,wecanexpectUWraisestoskewheavilytothehighestpaidworkers,managers,andhumanresourceofficers.Theraiseswillprobablyalsoshowapatternofdiscrimi-nationbasedonraceandage,asotherbonusesinthestatedo. ThecriteriaforearningaraiseatUWappearssubjecttothewhimofparticulardepartmentheads.Thispolicyisaninefficientandineffectivewaytoachieve theUW’s statedgoals.Work-erswhoshowcompetence,independentthinking,andexcellenceinachievementarelikelytoloseoutwhilemanagersre-wardfavoritesandyes-men.ThisisnotgoodforastrongUW,anditisafarcryfromtheprinciplesoffairnessandobjec-tivejobperformancethatwereusedforover40yearsincollectivelybargainedagreementswiththeUWworkforce,untilnow. Thisisahighlydivisiveplaninwhichmostworkerswillgetnoraise,whilethousandsofotherswillget“atleast5%.”By implementingthisplan,UWwillpitpeersandwholecategoriesofworkersagainsteachother,feedingbitterworkplaceresentment.UWshouldgobacktothedrawingboardonitscom-pensationplan.
Sincerely,HarryRichardson
SeeingJuneisnationalLGBTmonthIthought itwouldbenicetohighlightsomeofthewonderfullocalworkthatisfightingtoendhomophobia.ProudThe-aterwasfoundedin1999bySolKelley-JonesandCallenHarty.Sinceformingithashelpedcountlessyouthexplorethemselvesandtheirsexualityinasafeandcaringenvironment. It isnowex-pandingouttomoreandmorelocations.
Mission:ToChangetheworldthroughthepoweroftheaterandthetheaterarts,andtomakeapositivedifferenceinthelivesofLGBTQandalliedyouththroughtheten-
antsofart,heart,andactivism!
ItisaprogramofArtandSoulInnova-tions,agroupdedicatedtotheadvance-mentofqueer youthnationwide.Ho-mophobiaandtransphobiapresentmanychallengesinthelivesofqueeryouth.Theateroffersaspaceforself-expression,toexploredifferentsidesofyourselfand
discoverpeersupportsecurity.Proudthe-aternotonlyconnectsqueeryouthwitheachother,butalsoprovidescommunityandmentorship.OvertheyearsProudTheater ashelped innumerable youthwithitspositiveengagementwithoverall
health,self-esteemandstability. TofindoutmoreaboutProud
Theatergoto:
www.proudtheater.org
Thismonthit’s.....Proud Theater
Community Highlight:Thiscorneristoshowofftheamazinggroupswealreadyhaveinourcommunity.Groupsthatalltoooftengetover-looked,butonesthathighlightimportantissuesanddogreatwork.Eachnewspaperwillfeatureadifferentgroup.Letmeknowifyouknowagroupthatyouthinkshouldhaveahighlight.
To provide the Madison and broader Wisconsin communities with a spec-trum of news and information through a responsible, local, and independent
media outlet.
Solidarity
Solidaritywiththeworkingclassasawhole,acrossallboundariesofrace,sexualandgenderorientation,spiritualbelief,health,andethnicityisthekey-stoneinthestruggleagainstimperial-ism,exploitation,andinjusticeevery-where.Webelieveallstrugglesagainstoppression are interdependent and,throughthelensofjournalism,attempttoshedlightonthetiesthatbindus.Intheoldunionsaying,“Aninjurytooneisaninjurytoall,”westandresolute.
Independence
WorksinProgressshallcontinuouslyandforeverstrivetobefullyself-gov-erningandindependentofallfundingfromsourceswhich,eitherimplicitlyorexplicitly,demandweactaccordingtoasetofprincipalsotherthanourown.Wewillmakeeveryefforttobefundedsolelybythecommunityweserve.
Democracy
Independentmediaisanecessaryser-viceforaninformedandengagedcom-munity.Wetakethisresponsibilityseri-ouslyand,assuch,willalwaysendeavortoprovidethehighestqualityreportswe
arecapableofproducing.
Submissions
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Ifyoudon’tseeyourissuebeingcoveredinWorksinProgress,it’sbecauseyouaren’twritingaboutit!
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Editorial Policy
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byWorksinProgressEditorialCollective
> Tessa Wyllie de Echeverria> Andrew Sernatinger> Kate Schiffman> Jessi Indresano> León Carlos Miranda> Heather Rosenfeld
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Editorial: Every Movement Needs a Paper2---WorksinProgress June2012
Overthepastthreeweeks,youmayhavenoticedpeopleinMadisonwearingredsquaresandmarchingdownthestreetbangingpotsandpans,andyoumayhavewonderedwhy.WhatyouhavewitnessedisOccupyMadison’sinitiativeto keepour energy in thestreets, regardless of theresultoftherecallelection,andtoshowsolidaritywithamovementhappeningjust1000milesaway.
Theworldhasseenawholeseriesofmassuprisingsoverthe past couple of years.Oneofthelatestinthisse-riesisthestudentuprisingofQuebec.Inresponsetoaneffortby theCharestgov-ernmenttoraisetuitionby80%in theprovince,hun-dredsofthousandsofstu-dentswentonstrikestart-ing on February 6th. Thestudentshavebeen inthestreetsnightlyeversinceandhavebeenjoinedbyunions,leftgroups,andthegeneralcommunity.SupportfortheprotestscameparticularlyaftertheprovincialgovernmentpassedBill78,adraconian lawcriminalizingprotestingroupsofmorethan50peopleunlessthetime,location,androuteisap-provedbythepoliceaheadoftime.
Thefirstmajorsymbolofthemovementisthesmall,redclothsquare,firstadoptedduringthe2005Quebecstudentstrike
asameansofallowingstrikerstoiden-tifyeachother.ThesymbolcomesfromaFrenchsaying“carrémentdanslerouge”,
literally “squarely in the red”, mean-ingoneisinescapablymiredindebt.Asnewsofthemovementhasspread,peopletheworldoverhavestartedwearingthesquareasagestureofsolidarity;youmay
evenhaveseenthebandAr-cadeFiresportingthemduringarecentSaturdayNightLiveappearance.Thesecondsym-bolisthenoisypotsandpansmarch,called“casseroles”inFrench,whichhastakenoverthestreetseveryeveningsinceBill78waspassed.Thisisaformofprotestwhichstartedas“cacerolazos”inChiledur-ingthe1970’sandhaspoppedup in variousprotestmove-mentseversince.
OnWednesday,May30th, aCasserolesAcrossCanadaday
ofactionwascalled,whichspreadin-ternationallytomanyplacesincludingMadison,andon the twosubsequent
Wednesday’sitspreadevenfurtheracrossNorthAmerica,SouthAmerica,andEu-rope.Casseroleshavenowbeen inte-
gratedintoothermovementssuchastheanti-austerityprotestsinSpain,OccupyWallStreet,andtheMexicanstudentprotests.
So , what re l-evance does theQuebec uprisinghave to Wiscon-sin,andwhyarewe marching insolidarity? Well,there’s a rea-son why tuitioninQuebec is thelowestinCanada:thestudentsthererealizetheirowncollectivepower,andknowhowtouseitwhenthegovernmentattemptstoforcethemtotakeonmoredebt.HereinWis-consin,wefinallyroseupinlargenum-berslastspringafterdecadesofattacksontheworkingclass,butwedidn’tknowourownpoweryet.Insteadofusingitto
forceconcessionsontheWalkeradmin-istration,weallowedtheunionleadersandtheDemocratstomoldthenarrative
intooneofcompromise,of“sharedsacrifice”,andto redirect the energyofouruprisingintotheelectoralprocess.
Butdespite the failureto recall Walker, all isnot lost. The solidaritywe felt in the Capitolhas sustained itself inthesubsequentmonths.Wecan learn fromourdefeats, takeexamplessuchasQuebectoheart,andlearnhowtouseourown power for all thefightsthataretocome.Wecanseethishappen-ingalready,astheendoftherecallhasallowedthe movement to turnits sights on the rank-and-filefightbackgoingon at Palermo’s Pizza,where workers in Mil-waukeearestrikinguntiltheirunionisrecognized.Theyhavealreadyfaced
retaliationfromthecompany,butshownosignsofgivingup.
OnJune7th,theUWBoardofRegentstookapageoutoftheCharestbookandap-proveda5.5%tuitionhikeacrosstheUWSystem.Thiswill increase in-state tu-itionandfeespast$10,000ayear.Now,willWiscon-sintakeapageoutoftheQuebecoisbookandfightback?
Join Occupy Madison forthenextinternationalCas-serolesdayofactionthis
Friday,June22nd!WewillbemeetingatVeteransPlaza(topofStateSt)at8pm.Bringyourpotsandpans,andwatchtheOccupyMadisonfacebookpageforup-dates.
Vive la Résistance!“The fight we are currently leading in Quebec is the same as the ones
workers and students of Wisconsin and throughout the world are in.We are only a small part of a global struggle against social and eco-
nomic injustice.We have to start to think about concrete ways to ensure solidarity
between our struggles.Over the borders, over our own interests, over our differences, we can
find a global link that unites us all.We are eager to be free.
Free from domination, oppression and domination from the corporate elites.
We might only be writing the first lines of the story of a global fight, but one thing is for sure, we all know the end of that story.
In the end, our solidarity will beat their oppression!Quand l’injustice devient loi, la résistance est un devoir!
Which means: When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes a duty!”(From the Quebec student organization ASSESolidarite,
sent by ASSESolidarite member Guillaume Lagault.)
tions,butforSTIscreeningandaccesstomedicaltreatment.Additionally,eligibil-ityforstateassistancewillnolongerbebasedonadependent’sincome,butontheirparents’.Bothmeasuresgreatlyim-
pactthehealthandwellbeingofWiscon-sinyouth. AlsowrittenintothebudgetistheWomen’sHealthBlockGrant.Thiscut“10%ofallfundingforfamilyplanningservicesandeliminatedallstatefund-ingforanyclinicthatoffersall-optionspregnancycounseling servicesoranyclinicthatisaffiliatedwithanorganiza-tionthatconductsorrefersforabortions.”ThemaintargetofthisclauseisclearlyPlannedParenthood.
InearlyAprilofthisyear,afire-bombexplodedataPlannedParenthoodofficeinGrandChute,Wisconsin.Laterthatmonth,theCoerciveandWebcamAbortionPreventionActwassigned.Thisnewlawimposescriminalpenaltiesandpossiblejailtimeonphysicianswhopro-videwomenwithnonsurgicalabortions.PlannedParenthoodthenlostamajor-ityofstatefundsthatitdependedonto
providebirthcontrolandcancerscreen-ings. TheWisconsinAllianceforWom-en’sHealth(WAWH)presentedacompre-hensivereportattheWisconsinWomen’sHealthPolicySummitthispastMayde-tailinghowthecutswillimpactwomenandchildren.WAWH’sreportliststhefol-lowingaspointsofconcern:(seetable).
Morerecently,asetofanti-womenat-tackshavecomefromRepublicanSenatorGlennGrothmanofWestBend.Groth-man’sbill,quietlysignedbyScottWalker,repealedWisconsin’s2009EqualPayEn-forcementAct,whichdefinedpenaltiesforemployerswhodiscriminateagainstwomen.Nationally,womenmakesevencentstoeverydollarmadebymeninthesamepositionwiththesamebackgroundandexperience.Witharollbackinpro-tectivelegislation,womeninWisconsinareevenmorevulnerabletodiscrimina-tionandimpoverishment. Sen.GrothmanisalsoworkingonpassinghisproposedSenateBill507,abillthatpenalizessingleandunmarriedparents.6.4%ofhouseholdsinWisconsinareheadedbysinglemothers,threetimestheamountassinglefathers.
To all women and their allies, please send us your stories. We want to know how women are standing up and fighting back.
•Cut$1,062,800frommentalhealthtreatmentservices•Cut$417,500fromCommunitySupportProgramsandpsychologicalservices•Cut$959,200fromDepartmentofHealthServiceslicensingandcertificationactivities•Cut$638,700fromAIDS/HIVservices•Cut$610,000fromcommunityhealthcenters•Cut$316,000fromservicesandoperationsforcongenitaldisorders•Cut$300,500fromfundingfordentalservices•Cut$99,500fromruralhealthdentalclinics•Cut$217,800fromemergencymedicalserviceaids•Cut$99,400fromleadpoisoningandexposureservices
•War on Women continuedfrompage1
Stand in Solidarity with Quebec Students.Make and wear your own red sqaure!
Wecanlearnfromourde-feats,takeexamplessuchas Quebec to heart, andlearnhowtouseourownpowerforallthefightsthatare tocome.Wecanseethishappeningalready,astheendof the recallhasallowedthemovementtoturnitssightsontherank-
and-filefightback
Witharollbackinpro-tective legislation,women in Wisconsinareevenmorevulner-abletodiscrimination
andimpoverishment.
June2012 WorksinProgress—3
byAnnaOgden-Nussbaum
4—WorksinProgress June2012
Hey NATO: 1984 is not an instruction manual! Despite Chicago’s police state, thousands gather to protest NATO meeting
“1984 is not an instruction manual!” one sign read. On May 20th, 2012, thousands of activists from anti-war, occupy, labor, socialist, anarchist, queer, and environ-mental justice movements converged in downtown Chicago. Our mission: to pro-test the meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Association (NATO).
NATOformedoverfiftyyearsago.Itcurrentlyincludes28officialmembercountries,mostlyinNorthAmericaandWesternEurope. LikeGeorgeOrwell’s1984, inwhichtheDepartmentofPeacewasthedepartmentinchargeofwagingwars,“treaty”hasnothingtodowithpeacehere.NATOhadamajorroleintheColdWar,theKoreanWar,andthewarswewitness, are affected by, and protesttoday.ThewarinAfghanistanoverthelastelevenyears?NATO.ThewarinIraq?NATO.Combined,NATOcountriesaccountforover70%ofmilitaryspendingworld-wide,and75%ofthiscomesfromtheUnitedStates. Perhapstheonlygoodthingtocomefromtheeconomiccrisesareaus-teritymeasuresbeingappliedtoNATO.Andtheyweremeetingtotalkaboutthis.Andtocontinuethewarsandmilitarism. Andsotheactivistsweretheretospeakbacktothis.Butagain,maybeitwasaveteranwhoput it best. VinceEmanuele, formerlyof the U.S. MarineCorps, one of theveterans who gavebackhismedals,said“Ourenemiesarenot7,000 miles fromhome.” And theyweren’t. CANG8 hasinitialvictoriesevenasEmanuelpasses“sitdownandshutup”ordinances.ThedaysandweeksandmonthsbeforetheNATOdemonstrationsgeneratedanamazingsenseofmaterialandstrategicsolidarityamongactivistswhoeventuallyconvergedinChicago.Thiswasthecasefromthestart,asso-cial,economic,andenvironmentaljustice
activistscametogetherwithanti-wargroupsandveteranstoformtheCoali-tionAgainstNATO/theG8(CANG8).
One of theearly accomplish-ments of CANG8wasthattheNATOmeetingwasorigi-nally supposedtobeacombinedNATO/G8meetinginChicago.TheG8,orGroupof8, isanannualmeetingofleadersofeightpowerful coun-
tries,mostofwhicharepartofNATO.InMarch,theG8meetingwasmovedtoCampDavid.ThoughObamasaidoth-erwise,manybelievethatthisdecisionwasduetofearofencounteringamassofrightfullyangryprotesters. AnotheraccomplishmentwastheestablishmentoftheChicagoPrin-
ciples throughOccupyChicago.The ChicagoPrinciplesassertsolidarityandarespectforadi-versityoftactics,allowingfordi-rectactionandpeaceful pro-test. Key herewas, and thiswas somethingactivists whowere Chicagonativesandvisi-torsforthepro-testsnoted,thata“separationoftimeandspace”be maintainedbetweendiffer-entsortsofac-tions.Inanticipationof protesters,Chicago mayorRahmEmanual,passed a setof ordinancest ha t , go i ngagainsttheFirstA m e n d m e n t ,restricting freespeechandpro-test.Theywereoriginally tar-
getedtowardsrepressingprotestattheNATO/G8meetings,butwerequicklyex-tendedindefinitely.
Emanuel’spolicestatebeginsinfullforceindaysleadinguptoNATO Someoftheworstpolicebru-talitytookplacenotatthemainSun-dayprotestatall,butinthedaysandhoursbefore.OnthenearsouthsideofChicago,anapartmentintheBridgeportneighborhoodwasraidedbycopsearlierintheweek,afteranalmostmonthlonginvestigationbytheFBI,thesecretser-vice,andChicagopolice.TheoccupantswereBridgeportresidentsandOccupi-ersinfromoutoftown.Theywereac-cusedofmakingMolotovcocktails.Theevidence?Beerbrewingequipment.OneoftheBridgeportresidents,BillVassilakis,whowasreleased,saysthattheywereaccusedofbeinganarchists,and“thatistheonlytruestatementmadebythestate.”Therealreasonfortheraid?“Tospectacularizethestate’swillingnesstoterrorizedissent,”Billadds. GrassroutesCaravans(GRC),abicyclingandcommunity-buildinggroupbasedinMadison,coordinatedaridetoChicago.Callingtheride“CyclesofRevo-lution:BraketheBanks”,aboutadozenactivistsbikedfromMadisontoChicagoforthedemonstrations.TheystoppedinMilwaukeeandelsewherealongthewaytodoserviceproj-ects. Thistle, anelementaryschoolteacherand radi-calfolkmusicianbased in Madi-son,describestherideasatacticforprotest as well,saying “the GRCgivesyouawholeride to practicecooperation andmutualaidonthegroundasacom-munity.” This ledtostrongeraffinitygroupsbythetimetheyarrivedinChicago,shesuggested. OnthedayoftheSundayprotest,butbeforethemarch,manyoftheGRC-erswerearrestedandaccusedof“pos-sessionofoffensivechemicalliquidsandrecklessconduct.”Andwhatweretheseoffensive liquids?Balloonsfilledwithredpaint,water,andglitter.Contactlenssalinesolution.Waterbottles.Oh,andavialoflavenderoil.ThesewerethesameactivistsaccusedbyFoxNewsandNBC
ofhavingbottlesofurineandfeces.
Attheholdingfacility,surroundedbyat
least50policeofficers,Thistleimprovisedasong:“Wehaveredballoonsandglitter,youhaveyourgunsandwar.It’sanunfairfight,butit’sonethatIwillfight,untilit’swon!”Shesaidthatthepoliceofficerssawthehumor,thatitdestabilizedtheoppressivesituation. Evenso,theywereheldbythepoliceforroughlysixhours. Thousandstaketothestreets,Veterans throwbackmedals, tiredof“lies,corruption,andabuse”,aremourn-ing,andare“madashell” Someactivists said that theyknewotheractivistswhowereintimi-datedfromcomingbecauseoftheru-morsofpolicebrutality.Despitethis,anestimated10,000protestersshowedupfortheSundayrallyandmarch.Thisrallywaslegal,permitted,anddescribedas‘familyfriendly.’ PeterFugiel,anactivistinvolvedwithOccupyChicago,saysthat,com-paredtootherantiwardemonstrations,theSundaymarchwaslargerthanothershavebeensince2005orso.Headded:“it’sespeciallysignificantinanelectionyearwithapopulardemocraticpresidentwho’scontinuingthesewars.” Themarchstartedwithanas-sertiveyetfestivetone.Somethought
it almost too fes-tive, more like aparadethanapro-test. For the firstfew blocks, copsat the perimeterandonsidestreetswere in your typi-cal cop uniforms.Asthemarchwenton,however,moreand more cops inriotgearbegantoappear.Someesti-matesput5-6copsperactivistatthefront lines of themarch. Policehad
beenbroughtinfromthesuburbsandfromothercitiesaltogether. Aftermarchingthroughanee-rily deserted downtown Chicago, wearrivedatanintersection(CermakandMichigan)thatwasthepermittedendofthemarch.There,thelegallyagreeduponplanwastomarchwestforablockandturnaroundtofilluptheblockfac-ingthestage.Policebrokethisagree-ment,though,andwhentheprotesters
“Noamountofmedals,ribbonsorflagscancovertheamountofhumansufferingcausedbythesewars.Wedon’twantthisgarbage.Wewantourhumanrights.Wewantourrighttoheal.” saidSargeantMaggieMartinbeforethrowingaway
hermedals.
Inanticipationofprotesters,
ChicagomayorRahmEmanu-
al,passedasetofordinances
that,goingagainsttheFirst
Amendment,restrictingfree
speechandprotest.
PhotobyLeónCarlosMiranda
By Heather Rosenfeld
June2012 WorksinProgress—5
arrived, rowsofcops inriotgearpre-ventedpeacefulactivistsfromfinishingthemarch. Theyalso separatedprotesters from themedicareaandfromaccesstowater.Somepassedoutfromtheheat. Nonetheless,thousandsofprotestersremainedgatheredtolistenasalmost50veteransoftheIraqandAfghanistanwarsgavebacktheirmedals.TheactionwasmodeledafterwhenVietnamwarveteranshaddonethesamething,decadesago. “No amount of med-als,ribbonsorflagscancovertheamountofhumansufferingcausedbythesewars.Wedon’twantthisgarbage. We want our humanrights.Wewantourrighttoheal.”saidSargeantMaggieMartinbe-forethrowingawayhermedals. Navy veteran MichaelApplegateechoed:“I’mreturningmymedaltodaybecauseIwanttolivebymyconscienceratherthanbeingaprisonerofit.” VeteransalsoexpressedsupportforPrivateBradleyMan-ning,condemnedsexualviolenceinthemilitary,andmournedcivil-iandeaths. After the Veterans’ ral-ly, someofthevolunteerPeaceGuidesfortheprotestencouragedpeopletoleave.Andthepolice(infullriotgear)escalatedintimida-tiontactics,brandishingbatons,pullingdownfacemasks,chantinginunisonforprotesterstomove.Theyalsobroughtout,butdidn’tuse,whatatleastoneprotesterreferred toasa “soundgun” (a LongRangeAcousticDevice,orLRAD)that
createsnoisesopainfulthatitcandam-agehumanhearing.
Meanwhile,blackblocanarchistshad
massedup inthe intersection.ThistleoftheGRCdescribesthespiritofthe
blackbloc,eventhoughsheher-self didn’t getto participate.“People whoengage in theblack bloc tac-tic don’t havea master plan.You get a feel-ing of beingpartofaswarmrather thananindividual. Itallows you tomaneuver andmovequickly,tomakedecisionsreally quicklyandhaveabigimpactonhowthe p ro te s tgoes.”TheblackblocatNATOdidn’thave a big im-pact.Therearesomereportsofcopsgettinghitby things likewater bottles,but Sarah Fin-kel,anenviron-mental justiceactivist inChi-cago,wondersiftheywereeventhrownbyrealprotesters,ask-ing “whowere
therealpeoplethrowingthosethings?”Infiltration tacticswereclearlybeing
used;undercovercopswerepartoftheblackbloc,identifiablebytheirmatchingblackbootsandpants.Mostanarchistsdon’tshoptogetherformatchingfancyboots(unlesstheyareanarcho-capital-ists?Butthentheywouldn’tbeprotest-ingNATO.). Remaining protesters werepennedinandpushedbackwithbillyclubs.Theyheldtheirgroundforhoursbeforetheprotestended. Reportedincidentsofpolicemis-conductnumberedataround70fortheSundayprotest.Thisdoesn’tincludetheraids,intimitation,orthearrestsbefore-hand.AndNATOdecidedtospendbillionsofdollarsondrones. MixedaftermathThefollowingday,however,activistshadplannedamarchagainstBoeing,oneofthemajorprofiteersandcontributorstothewarmachine.DespiteapolicestateinChicago,Boeing respondedby tell-ingtheiremployeesnottogotowork.Awell-earnedwinforactivists. About300activistsmetagainatObama’sheadquartersonMondaytoprotestthepolicebrutalityoftheprevi-ousdays.Someactivistsarestillfacingrepercussions forparticipating in theanti-NATOdemonstrations.OccupyChi-cagoiscoordinatingprisonsupport;seeoccupychi.orgformoredetails. CarlSack,apeaceguideandalsoriderwiththeGRC,sumsupthespiritofthedemonstrations.“Weweretheretry-ingtopointoutthatthere’snodemocra-cyinthesystemweliveunder,thatwhenpeoplearegettingmurderedforthein-terestofoilcompaniesandthecapitalistelitesoftheworld,thatsomebodyneedstostandupandsaysomething,tochal-lengethatpower,toultimatelyoverthrowthatpower.”
Privatization of state govern-menthurtstaxpayers,andtheproblemhasgottenworseunderGovernorWalker.Thestateawardsover$400milliontoprivatecontractorseachyear,withlittleoversight. In justoneexample,$13.8millionwaswastedinDOTcontractsforengineeringservices,justinthefirstfourmonthsofthisyear,accordingtoaWISC-TVanalysis. AtUW,Chicago-basedHuronConsultingisbillingupto$325perhourformanagementconsultingandITservic-esonseveralprojects.OneistheAdmin-istrativeExcellenceprojectthatincludescomputerserverconsolidation.Asimilarcomputerserverconsolidationprojectinstateagenciescost$110million,nearlyninetimestheoriginalestimateof$12.8million.IstheUWrepeatingthesame
costlymistake? Insteadoftacklingtheproblemofwastefulcontracts, theWalkerAd-ministrationhastriedtocoveritup.TheAdministrationfailedtoproducethean-nualreportoncontractualservicesinOctober,eventhoughitwasastatutoryrequirement.Nowthere-portisover7monthspastdeadline.TheWalkerAd-ministration’sdisregardforthepublic’srighttoknowisdisturbing. Ourlegislatureisalsomakingitmoredifficulttofindwastefulcontracts.ThelastStateBudgetexemptedUWfromtherequirementtoperformCostBenefitAnalysisbeforesigninglargecontractsfor services (over$25,000).Whenall
otherstateagenciesdothis,whytheex-emptionforUW?Themessageseemstobethatwedonotcarewhethercontract-ingoutwastesmoneyornot.Ormaybelegislatorsthinknoonewillnoticethe
sweetheart deals tocorporationsiftheyarespunas“flexibility”forUW. L itt le infor-mationisavailableonstate contracts, andthishideswaste--orworse.Forexample,no
oneknowshowmanycontractworkersarelaboringforstateagenciesandtheUW,orwheretheyallare.Manycontractfirmsperformworkoutofstate,creat-ingjobselsewherewithourtaxmoney.Governmentcontractfirmsoftendonatemoneytopoliticalpartiesandcandidatestoshoreuptheirfuturebusinesspros-pects:thisfeedsthebig-moneypoliticsthatout-shoutsthevoiceofordinaryvot-ersandcitizens. Inotherways, too,ourdemo-craticvoiceisunderminedbythesetax-fedcorporationsthatplunderourpublicsectorforprofit.In2004,thestatehiredAccenture to build a voter registra-tionsystemeventhoughAccenturehadhelpedcreateFlorida’sfaultyfelonliststhatbarredlegitimatevotersfromthepolls.WisconsinhadtofireAccenturein2007foritsunderperformanceonthisproject.Sincethen,Accenturepickedupothercontractswiththestate,includingasubstantialroleonthe$81millionUWpayrollsystemproject.Thisillustratesthataccountabilityisnotenforcedfor
privatecontractors. Let’sendthiswasteandcorrup-tion.Thefirststepistodemandthatourstate’selectedleadersmandategreatertransparencyofstatecontracts.Required,automatic,fullaccountingoftheseproj-ectsbeforeandaftercompletionwouldshowclearlywherethewasteisgreatest,sothatwemayexciseit.
Waste Grows in the Darkness of the State’s Private Contracts
Don’t throw t h i s p a p e r
away....
Give it to some-one else to
read!
By Duane Konkel
Insteadoftacklingtheproblemofwastefulcontracts,theWalkerAdministration has
triedtocoveritup.
PhotobyLeónCarlosMiranda
6—WorksinProgress June2012
Jackpine Savages, Bolt Weevils, and Solidarity Tractorcades The Radical Rural Roots Behind the Wisconsin UprisingOnSat.March13th,2011over50tractors(plusacoupleofmanurespreadersandaselfpropelledcombine)convergedonMadison,WIforthePullTogetherFarmerLabor Solidarity Trac-torcade.Over150,000people were there togreet the tractors asthey circled the StateCapitol for the largestprotestinWisconsinhis-tory.TheNYTimeshaddeclaredtheWisconsinUprising“over”justtheday before after Gov-ernorWalkermanagedto railroad his budgetdeformbillthroughthelegislature.Theywereobviouslysurprisedbythecontinuedagitation,bolsteredbythelikesofstereotypicallyconservativefamilyfarmersfromacrossthestate.Didsomeonenotgetthememoorreadtheirblog?Sadly,thisignoranceofradicalru-ralprotestheritagewasnotlimitedtobigcitypunditsandevencaughtmanyMid-west-basedorganizersoffguard.What
wouldmotivateafarmkidinBearValleytodriveacrankytractortwicehisagesixhoursonafrigidmorningtojointeachers,firefighters,andnursesatafarawayrally
inMadison? Well,quitealotitturnsoutifonetakesthetimeandefforttotalk to some eldersandreadafewbooks!Several dozen mostlyyoungeractivistsmadeanefforttoovercomethisculturalamnesiabytakingpartinaHistoryofRadicalRuralPoliticsin theMidwest serieshostedbytheMadison
Infoshop,RainbowBookstore,andtheMadisonFreeSchoolthislastspring.Thesuggestedreadingscoveredoveracen-tury’sworthofamazing-yetlargelyfor-gotten–outbreaksofruralrevoltwhichhelpedsetthestageforthestatewidesolidarity thatprovidedthebackboneandstaminabehindthecurrentongo-ingprotest(manyofthesediscussions
are also archivedaspodcastsaspartofanongoingoralhistoryproject-forrelevantlinksvisit:www.madisonin-foshop.org).Itwasno historic acci-dent that this lat-estepisodeofpop-ularresistancewasdubbed the Ched-darRevolution. A m o n gthebest speechesfrom last year’scapitol protestswas that by TonySchultz, a youngcommunity sup-portedagriculture(CSA)farmerfromAthens,WI.BeforethemassivecrowdonMarch13thheinvokedthewordsofthefamous19thcenturyMinnesotaPopulistandFarm-ersAllianceleader,IgnatiusDonnelly:“The interests ofruralandurban laborarethesame.Theirenemiesareidentical.”Boththe National Farmers Union and theNonPartisanLeague(NPL)provedespe-ciallyeffectiveintheearly20thcenturyatmobilizing farmersacross theMid-westtojoinotherworkingclassalliesinsupportofmanyrightsnowtakenforgranted:theeighthourday, limitsonchild labor,workmen’s compensation,women’ssuffrage,minimumwageandprogressivetaxation.InNorthDakota,theNPLevencreatedstateownedbanksandgrainmillstocounterrampantWallStreet corruption. Woody Guthrie in-vokedthislegacyinhisfamous“FarmerLaborTrain”songanditcertainlyreso-natedinTonySchultz’wordsthatday,travelingaroundtheworldviaYouTubetobeheardbyprotestersfromCairotoAthens to London. (You canwatch ityourselfat:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKOvqXoWB7s) ShortlyaftertheTeachingAs-sistantsAssociation(TAA)kickedofftheUprisingwithaWeLoveUWValentine’sDaymarchonthecapitolFebruary14th,2011,theMadisonBranchoftheIndus-trialWorkersoftheWorld(IWW)madeacallforaGeneralStrike,andlatertheAFL-CIOaffiliatedSouthCentralFedera-tionofLabor(SCFL)passedaresolutionsupportingeducationaroundageneralstrike. Flying squads of Wobblies ar-rived fromacross thecountryandaniconicEricDrookerimageoftheIWW’sblackcatsoondecoratedt-shirts,plac-ards,buttons,andtheverywallsoftheStateCapitolitself.Similar“silentagita-tors”hadtauntedthetimberbaronsandminingmagnatesacenturyagowhentheIWWledaseriesofstrikesacrosstheNorthWoodsfromMinnesotatoWiscon-sintoMichigan.FoundedinChicagoin1905bythelikesofMotherJones,BigBillHaywood,EmmaGoldman,andLucyParsons,theIWWwasthefirsttowel-comewomen,AfricanAmericans,andim-migrantsintoitsOneBigUnion.ThroughtheAgriculturalWorkersOrganization,theIWWwasalsothefirstuniontose-riouslyorganizeamongstmigrantfarmworkers,withover100,000“harveststiffs”initsMidwestranksbytheendofWorldWar1.Beingstrictlynon-partisanandindustriallyorganized,puttingallwork-ersinthesameunionregardlessoftrade,theIWWisnotpronetoelectoralcoopta-
tionbypoliticalpartiesorthedivideandruletacticsofbusinessunionbureaucrats.ThefailuretolaunchastatewidegeneralstrikewasprobablytheworststumbleoftheCheddarRevolution,thoughthein-spiredmulti-daysick-outbymembersofMadisonTeachersInc.(MTI)hadamajorimpact. JoelGreeno,wasanotherchar-ismaticandarticulateorganizerbehindtheMarch13thtractorcade.ThisyoungdairyfarmerfromKendall,WIpatientlyexplainedincountlessmediainterviewsthatanyattackonworkers’rightstocol-lectivelyorganizethroughunionswasalsoanattackonfarmers’rightstodothesamethroughco-ops–andthema-jorityofdairyfarmersintheU.S.dependuponsuchmarketingincommonfortheirsurvival.ThecooperativetraditionintheMidweststemslargelyfromScandina-vianimmigrants,whosettledoveracen-turyago.Alongwiththeirappreciationoflefse,cinnamon,andlutefisk,cameadvocacyofreciprocity,mutualaid,andsolidarity.CooperativesremainabedrockofWisconsin’seconomytoday–infact,thereare844co-opswith2.7millionmembers,generating$5.6billioninsalesperyear,nowoperatingstatewide.SowhencheeringUnionCabdriversgreetedthetractorcadewithpicketsignspro-claiming“CooperativesHavePrinciples”therewasnothinglostintranslation. Skyrocketing unemployment,runaway poverty, price rigging com-moditymarkets,greedybanksgrabbingfarmlandthroughforeclosure,taxbreaksfortherichwhilethepoorsuffercutstobasicsocialservices-thesearenotpar-tisanissues.Yet,manyoutsideobserversweresurprisedtolearnthattherewereRepublicansandLibertarians(alongwithDemocrats, Independents, and GreenPartysupporters)withinthetractorcade.Onceagain,adeepergraspofruralhis-torywouldhavemadethisrealityobvious.Over11,000Wisconsinfamilyfarmers(oneoutofseven)relyuponBadgerCare,soaskingthemto“sacrifice”morewhileWalkerdoledoutmillionstohiscronies(including$13.6millioninincometaxre-batesforfactoryfarmoperatorsalone!)wasjusttoomuchtostomach.SimilarruralgrievancesweretherallyingcriesbehindtheNationalHolidayAssociationandtheFarmerLaborAlliancethattook
Short Reading List:"The Prejudice Against Country People" - by: Wendell Berry. Progressive, April 2002.
http://www.soc.iastate.edu/soc130/Readings/Prejudice%20Against%20Country%20People.pdf
"The Very Picture of Anarchy - Women in the Oshkosh Woodworkers Strike of 1898" - by: Virginia Glenn Crane. http://darrow.law.umn.edu/documents/Very_Pictures_of_Anar-
chy_crane.pdf
"Riot, Revolution, Repression in the Iron Range Strike of 1916" - by Neil Betten. Min-nesota History Magazine, Summer 1968.
http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/41/v41i02p082-094.pdf
"Revolt of the Timber Beasts - IWW Lumber Strike in Minnesota" - by: John L. Haynes. Minnesota History, Spring 1971. http://www.mnhs.org/market/mhspress/minnesotahis-
tory/xml/v42i05.xml
"Standing Tall With Big Annie" - by: Daina Paiz Engel. Michigan History Magazine, July/Aug. 1999
Black Settlers in Rural Wisconsin - by: Zachary Cooper. State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1977.
Born in the Country - A History of Rural America - by: David B. Danbom. John Hopkins Univ. Press, 2006.
Farm and Factory: Workers in the Midwest, 1890-1990 - by: Daniel Nelson. Indiana Univ. Press, 1995.
"Farmers Take a Holiday" - Chapter 5 in Toward the Cooperative Commonwealth: An Introductory History of the Farmer Labor Movement in MN (1917-1948) - by: Thomas
O'Connell. Union Institute, PhD Thesis, 1979. http://justcomm.org/fla-hist.htm
"Movement Made of Young Mexican Americans Seeking Change: Critical Citizenship, Migration, and the Chicano Movement in Texas and Wisconsin, 1960-1975" - by: Marc
Simon Rodriguez. Western Historical Quarterly, Autumn 2003.
Farm Labor Movement in the Midwest - by: W.K. Barger and Ernesto M. Raza. Univ. fo TX Press, 1993.
Powerline: The First Battle of America's Energy War - by: Barry Casper and Paul Well-stone. Univ. of MA Press, 1981.
Raising Less Corn and More Hell: Midwestern Farmers Speak Out - by: Jim Schwab. Univ. of IL Press, 1988.
Hard-Pressed in the Heartland: The Hormel Strike and the Future of the American Labor Movement - by: Peter Rachleff. South End Press, 1999.
"Slaughterhouse Fight: A Look at the Hormel Strike" - by Steve Boyce, Jake Edwards and Tom Wetzel
http://ideasandaction.info/2010/08/25th-anniversary-of-the-hormel-strike/
"Hold the Pepperoni - Tyson Workers on Strike" - by: Ricky Baldwin, Z Magazine, Aug. 2003.
http://www.zcommunications.org/hold-the-pepperoni-tyson-workers-on-strike-by-ricky-baldwin
"The Crandon Mine Saga" - Douglas J. Buege. Z Magazine, Feb. 2004.http://djbuege.com/nevermind.html
"Crandon Mine Victory in Wisconsin Won by Historic Alliance" - Debra McNutt and Zoltan Grossman. Earth First Journal, Brigid 2004http://www.earthfirstjournal.org/article.php?id=15
"Making a Statement With Our Tractors" - by: Joel Greeno. Other Words, May 9, 2011. http://www.otherwords.org/articles/making_a_statement_with_our_tractors
Skyrocketingunemploy-ment, runawaypoverty,price rigging of com-moditymarkets,greedybanksgrabbingfarmlandthroughforeclosure,taxbreaksfortherichwhilethepoor suffer cuts tobasic social services -thesearenotpartisanis-sues.
>Continuedonpage7
By John Peck
Photo by Tessa Echeverria
June2012 WorksinProgress—7
sueofactualpoliticsthatdidnotbreakthroughtheusuallines.
In the meantime…Public Sector Unions in Decline
Astherecallschargedforwardwiththesupportoforganizedlabor,pub-licsectorunionsfacingWalker’sattackshavebeenindecline.OnAugust25th2011,Act10wentintoeffect,officiallyendingautomaticduescollectionandrecognition,turningWisconsin’spublicsectorintoanopenshop.Sincethattime,theWallStreetJournalreportedthattheAmericanFederationofState,CountyandMunicipalEmployees(AFSCME)’smem-bershipstatewidehasjustaboutbeencutinhalf,AmericanFederationofTeachers(AFT)haslostaboutathirdoftheirmem-bership,andtheWisconsinEducationAs-sociationCouncil(WEAC)laidoffalargefractionoftheirstaff. Asthiswashappening,unionscontributedmillionsofdollarsanddedi-catedmanystafftotherecalls(thetotalspentonbothsideswasabout$30mil-lion),makingwayforthecriticismthatthat money couldhave been betterusedtotrainunionmembers and or-ganize to keep theunions together. Acase in point wasover a strike andlock-outatManito-wocCraneinMani-towoc Wisconsin,whenunionworkersthere took actionagainsttheirprivateemployer attempt-ingtobringAct10totheprivatesector.TheMachinistsUnionthere went out onstrikewithlittlesup-port,especiallywithsomanyofAFL-CIOstaffersdedicatedtotherecalls. Apointthatwasmadebythelaborleftisthatthis“all-in”strategywithregardtotherecallsneglectedworkplace issuesandshiedaway frommilitancy thatcouldhavecreatedpressureontheWalkeradmin-istrationdirectly.Whileitmaybealarm-
ingtoseethelaborofficialdomoptforastrategytochangeelectedofficialsratherthanaworkplacestrategy,itisinmanywaysexpected:afterthewaveofmili-tancythatbroughtthemintobeinginthe1960’sand1970’s,publicsectorunionsturnedtolobbyingastheirprimaryfocus,withalimitedcultureofmembermobili-zation.
This Changes Things.
Where does aWalkervictoryleaveus?Intermsofpolicy it’llcertainlybemoreofthesame.BothWalkerandBarrettarecommittedto capitalist austerity,makingworkerspayforthecrisiswehavebeeninsince2008;inthe2010race,Barrettrepeatedthathewasgoingto“giveMad-isonahaircut”,indicatinghisintenttocutstateprograms. Havingsurvivedhis recall,anemboldenedWalkerwill increase thewaveofattacksthathebroughtaboutsincehistermbeganlastyear.Afirstarea
offocuswillbedismantlingthepublicpensionsystem: ina recentarticle intheMilwaukeeJournalSentinelJasonRichwineoftheconservativeHeritageInstitutewroteadefenseofthe“mod-eratereform”.Anotherpotentialthreat,
unthinkable only a few years ago, ismakingWisconsinaRight-to-Workstate.Right-to-worklegislationprohibitsfairshareagreementsbetweenunionsandemployers,allowsworkerstooptoutofpayinguniondues,underminingunionsandworkplacesolidarity.Lastly,whilethePenokeeMine,partlyontriballand,
in northern Wis-consinfellthroughlastyear,theproj-ectmayreturninthecomingyear. W h a t ’ s r e -ally worth think-ingabout ishowthiswillshiftthebalance of politi-calpower inWis-consin. For thirtyyears, the Demo-
craticPartyofWisconsinhashadaveryclose relationship with public sectorunions,basedoffofbargainingbetweenthestateandtheunions,wherehypo-theticallytheDemocratswerethepoliti-caladvocatesofthepublicsector.ButthedeclineofthepublicsectorunionswillactuallyaffectthestrengthoftheDemo-
craticParty. This is not be-causethepartywill lose unionmoney forcam-paigns,whichisrelatively smallcompared tocorporate fund-ing,butbecausetheunionpoliti-cal infrastruc-turewillnotbeabletocontinueas their mem-bership srhinks.Duringelectionsin general andthisrecallinpar-ticular, unionsput their mem-bers towork inGetOutTheVote(GOTV) driveswhile lending
staffforcampaigning.Thiscreatesare-lationshipbetweenunionandparty,andwiththedeclineofpublicsectorunionsupporttheDemocraticPartywillnothavethesamereachasitdidpreviously.Moretothepoint,problematicasthetie
theMidwestbystorminthe1930s,trig-geringthefamous1933Wisconsinmilkstrike.Backthen,fedupfarmersandtheirallieshadfewqualmsaboutrun-ningbankstersoutoftownwithpennyauctionsordynamitingscabcreameries.Duringthepowerlinefightacrosscen-tralMinnesotainthe1970’s,hundredsoffarmersdefiedstatetroopersusinganhydrousammonia,livestockmanure,andwhateverothermeanswereneces-sary. Ultimatelymillionsofdollarsofsabotage,includingmidnighttopplingofpowerlineswasdoneinthenameoftheBoltWeevilsandtheseheroictalesofgrassrootsresistancearestillbeingpasseddowntoruralchildrentoday. Iftherewasanysilverliningto
theCheddarRevolution,itwasthede-featthisyearofoneofWalker’smajorcorporatewelfareschemesfortheNorthWoods-theproposedGogebicTaconinte(GTAC)openpitironoremineinthePe-nokeeHillsnearLakeSuperior.Thissuc-cessfulgrassrootscampaignwasbuiltuponthe lessons learned fromearlierepisodesofcrosscultural ruralurbancoalitionbuildingthatalsobroughtto-gethertribalcommunities,familyfarmers,hunters,andfishingenthusiastswithen-vironmentalists,faithbasedgroups,socialjusticeandanti-corporateactivists.Twosuchexamplesincludethe1990sCran-donMinefight(whichpittedthemythi-calHodaganditsmanyalliesfromEarthFirst!totheMoleLakeSakaogonagainstthemercenariesofExxon/Kennecott/Rio
Algom),andthewaterprivatizationfightthatkickedNestle/Perrieroutofthestatein2002.OtherruralstrugglesarenowunderwayinWisconsin-againstfactoryfarms, fracking sandmining, high voltagepowerlines, low leveldroneflights,tonameafew.Inordertowinthese latest battles,rural folks and theirfriendswillcontinuetodrawuponthishistoriclegacyofradicalresis-tance. To paraphrasethe19thcenturyIrishimmigrantandPopulistsoapboxer,MaryEliza-bethLease,weallstill
needtoraiselesscornandmorehellintheyearsahead.
Family Farm Defenders: Fighting for Fair Trade, Economic Justice, Workers Rights, Sustainable Agriculture, and Food
Sovereignty since 1994!
Apointthatwasmadebythelaborleftisthatthis“all-in”strategywithregardtotherecallshasneglectedunionorganizing and shied awayfrom militancy that couldhavecreatedpressureontheadministrationdirectly.
>Recall continuedfrompage1
>Rural Radicalismcontinuedfrompage6
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betweenunionsandDemocratsis,theabsenceofunion swayon theDemo-craticPartyopenstheDemocratsuptoevenmoreblatantcorporateinfluenceforresourcesneededtowinelection,andwecanexpecttheDemocratstoshiftevenfurthertotheright.Insuchasituationthedynamicbetweenthecapitalistpar-ties,andtheimpactthathasuponordi-narypeople,islikelytochange. Are thereopportunitieshere?Thereisincreasingneedtorespondtothecrisis,andWalker’sattacksinmanywayspointtowhatamovementwillhavetotakeup:new(andold!)formsofworkerorganization,demandsfortheprotectionandextensionofpublicservices,engage-mentwithWalker’sstrategiesincludingdemands fora just taxsystem,devel-opmentofindependentpoliticsastheDemocratsmovefurthertotherightandexperimentationwithmilitanttactics,es-peciallyasthecontractsbindingpublicsectorunionsdisappear.
Submit! Articles, analysis, opinions, art, photos, announcements, poems, event reports, etc.Works in ProgressDeadline July 15thSend to:[email protected]
“Works in Progress”1019 Williamson St,
Madison, WI 53703
8—WorksinProgress June2012
Inefficiency,incompetence,andcorruptioncanruinabusiness,andareeven lesswelcome inour tax-fundedpublicservices.WisconsininstitutedCivilServiceinitsstategovernmentover100yearsagotoaddresstheseproblems,andtocounterpatronageand the “spoils”system.However,recentthreatstotheCivilServicesystemhaveweakenedit,tothedetrimentofWisconsincitizensandtoourreputationforcleangovernment.Forexample,GovernorWalkerremovedtheDept.ofCommercefromtheCivilService.Nowtheprofessionalsatthequasi-privateWEDCserveat-willand“atthepleasure”ofpoliticalappointees,makingthemvulnerabletocorruptionwhenhandlinglargefundsforeconomicdevelopment. Willprojectsfundedreallybethebestonesforourstate,orjustbestforfriendsoftheGovernorandhisparty?
AnearlymottoofWisconsin’sCivilSer-vicewas“Thebestshallservethestate,”butthat’snottruewhenpoliticalappoin-teesfillmorekeypositions.TheBudgetRepairBill(Act10)alsoremovedcertainpositionsfromtheCivilService–includ-ingagencyChiefCounsels,PublicInfor-mationOfficersandLegislativeLiaisions.Somefacesstayedthesame,butinothercasesthesepositionsarenowoccupiedbypurepartyhackswhoneverwouldhavebeenjudgedqualifiedunderCivilService. CivilServicemeanshiringgov-ernmentemployeesbasedonrealmerit–competitiverecruitmentandobjectivecriteria.Therevivalofso-calledmeritpayattheDepartmentofJustice,UW-Madison,andelsewhere,alsocompro-misesCivil Service and cleangovern-ment.Thereisnorationalsystemfordistributingthesearbitrarybonuses.It
isatrue“spoils”system:afewmanag-ersaregiventhepowertorunfiefdomsbasedontheirpersonalwhims.Vagueexplanationsof“market-based”raisesand“merit-based”awardsshouldnotfoolus,especiallywhenpeopledoingthesametypeandqualityofworkarepaiddifferentlyfornogoodreason.Favoritesandflatterswillberewarded.Objectivityandfairness,andcompetentlydoingthestate’sbusiness,becomedistantsecondconsiderations. UW’sHumanResourcesDesignproject runs directly counter to CivilService principles. Proposals includeabandoninghundredsofcurrentjobde-scriptions,collapsingmanyjobcatego-riesinone“broadband,”changingthecompensationsystemwithoutresearchorevidence,anddroppinglong-standingpracticessuchasrespectingseniorityingrantingvacations,andrequiring just
causefordiscipline.Thesechangeswillradicallyrealignthecampuscommunityandcompromisethequality,competence,andindependentthinkingweexpectfromourfacultyandstaff.Thiswillleadourgreatuniversityinthewrongdirection.Civilserviceisasystemforcleangov-ernmentthat’sbeenaroundsincetheQindynasty(221-207BCE)andwasim-portantintheRomanEmpire.Thefed-eralgovernmentadoptedCivilServicereformsafteradisgruntledoffice-seekershotPresidentMcKinley.WisconsinwasoneoftheearlystatestoestablishCivilServiceonJune17,1905,underGovernorBobLaFollette, SaveWisconsin’sCivilServicetomakesureourpublicagenciesarenot“OpenforBusiness”tocorruptionandin-competence.
Save Civil Service in WisconsinByTonyReeves
MadCityVeganFesttookplaceSaturdaythe9thattheGoodmanCom-munityCenterontheeastside.Thefes-tivaldrewanumberofMadisonarearesidentsaswellasatsomefromtheMilwaukee,Chicago,theTwinCitiesandbeyond.TheVeganFestseekstoprovideaspacewhereveganculturecanbecele-bratedasaway“toalleviatethesufferingofhumansandanimalsalike”,whilealsoprovidinginformationtothoseinterestedinveganism.Veganismforthoseunsureisanideawhoseproponentsdotheirbesttoavoidusingproductsproducedbyani-malssuchasameat,dairy,andleather. MadCityVeganFestfeaturedashowingofregionalandnationalani-malwelfareandrightsgroupsaswellassampletablesfromvariouscompaniesand cooperatives that provide every-thingfromveganmeatanalogsorbakedgoodstoartisansoaps,yardsupplies,andevensailingvacations.AlongwiththesevariousexhibiterstheeventbroughtinspeakerslikeColleenPatrick-Goudreautoleadcookingdemonstrationsshowcasinghowdeliciousanddesirableveganfoodcanbeaswellasfolkswhowereabletotalkaboutthehealthandpoliticalissuessurroundingveganism.IspentmostofthetimeIwastherewel-comingfolkstothefestivalandhandingoutprograms.Icaughtthefinalspeaker,ChefNjathiKabui,animmigrantfromKenyawhoisanorganicfarmerwithamaster’sdegreeinMedicalAnthropologyandUrbanStudies,whogaveatalktitled,“Veganism,Health,andFoodJusticeinModernDayKenya.”IendedupbeingveryhappyIwasabletoattend,andnotjustforthewonderfullypreparedmilletandbeetdish.ChefKabuitalkedabouthisfamilyhistorywithfoodactivismdat-ingbacktohisgrandfatheradvocatingagainsttheexportingofKenyanfood-stuffsforfearofafamines(foreshad-owingfaminesmerelytwoyearslater)
Kabui’stalkavoidedtheoftenlimitedpoliticaldiscussionthatveganismengen-ders.Instead,Kabuiarticulatelyarguedfortheintertwiningofanimalandhumanliberation. SpeakingaboutKenya,ChefKa-buiexplainedlackofcontroloverfoodisthemostdestructiveoppressionsomeonecanbeunder.Withoutcontrolofone’sfood,otherconcernsarenecessarilysub-ordinated.Asavegan,myconcernforothersincludesanimals.ButveganismisreallyonlypossibilityformebecauseIamluckyenoughtoliveundercertainsocialconditions,withsomeautonomyovermyfoodschoices,whichallowmetoconceiveofextendingconsiderationtootheranimals.IfIwantotherstochoosetoavoidusinganimalstosatisfytheirneedsIfirstmustensuretheyaresuf-ficientlyempoweredtomakethatkindof decision. Chef Kabui’s underliningmessageseemedtobeifwearecompas-sionate,justiceorientedindividuals,andIthinkmostvegansare,wemustnot,infactcannotliberateotheranimalsunlesswejoinotherhumanbeingsinliberatingourselves.Likethepreviousyear,thisyear’sVeganFestwasawonderfulexperience.Ien-joyedmanysamplesandsomegreatfoodand even stocked up on some veganmarshmallowsfromChicagoSoyDairy,butbyfarthemostenjoyablepartwaslisteningthelectures.Evenasaself-pro-fessedleftist,sometimesitfeelslikethestruggleforveganismandthestruggleforaworldbeyondcapitalismareexplicitlylinked.ButasKabuiremindedme,thesestrugglesarelinkedandanimalliberationisimpossiblewithoutalsoensuringhu-manliberation.http://veganfest.org(websiteforthefes-tival)http://organicsandsound.com(ChefKa-bui’sorganization)
Madison’s Second Vegan Fest byJoshuaKissel
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