Mass Protests Strike Wisconsin - 70,000 Stand Up for Labor in Freezing Cold
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- Anti-union "protesters" out-numbered 35-to-1 in Madison [MORE]
- Jesse Jackson says Governor Using Workers As Scapegoats [MORE]
Infoshop News Madison -- The city of Madison is seeing the largest protests in decades as people speak up against Republican attacks on public sector workers, unions, collective bargaining and Democrats. Wisconsin Republican Governor Scott Walker has proposed a bill that would eliminate almost all collective bargaining rights for most public workers and slash their pay and benefits. The Republican campaign is clearly a political attack on Democrats, but also an attack on unions in a very pro-union city and state. Tens of thousands have turned out to protest on the grounds of the State Capitol and inside the building. Protesters have been joined by teachers and government workers who are striking in the form of sick outs. [MORE] and [MORE]
According to ColorLines, nationally a large percenteage of public sector workers are Black and Latino.
- 14.5 percent of all public sector workers in the nation are black, making the sector second only to health and education services as the most heavily black workforce. In all other sectors, black workers hover around or below 10 percent. Again, if you took out states with disproportionate white populations or even focused on states with budget crises, I bet you’d see an even greater disparity.
- More than one in five black workers are employed in public administration, as are 23.3 percent of black women in the workforce. That compares to just under 17 percent of all white workers.
- Black women in the public sector make significantly less than everyone else. Their median wage is $15.50 an hour; the sector’s median wage overall is $18.38. White men make $21.24.
