Four from Truthout:

Thursday 10 March 2011

William Rivers Pitt | Then They Came for the Trade Unionists
William Rivers Pitt, Truthout: "On this day, it behooves us to remember the words of Martin Niemoller. 'First they came for the communists,' he wrote, 'and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.' I am a trade unionist, and yesterday in Wisconsin, they came for me."
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Amy Dean | Walking the Walk: Lessons From an Oregon Victory
Amy Dean, Truthout: Across the country, under the guise of fiscal responsibility, Republican governors and state legislatures have been waging a war against the middle class and trying to undermine the rights of hard-working Americans. What these politicians didn't count on, however, was the public outcry and show of solidarity that these attacks have provoked. In this new series, 'Walking the Walk,' author, activist, social entrepreneur and labor veteran Amy Dean will take a look at the faces and strategies behind the real change that is happening across the country to fight back against this onslaught. This first article in the series examines how the state of Oregon balanced its budget - democratically.
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Wisconsin Republicans Bypass Democrats With Union-Busting Bill
Abby Sewell, McClatchy Newspapers: "Senate Republicans in Wisconsin used a surprise legislative maneuver to advance a bill that would strip collective bargaining rights from most public sector workers - a move accomplished without the presence of 14 Democratic senators who had fled the state to stall the measure. Republicans voted 18-1 Wednesday night to pass the nonfiscal provisions of the budget-repair bill - including those that would eliminate or severely limit collective bargaining rights for most public employees."
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Robert Reich | Governor Walker's Coup D'Etat
Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Blog: "Governor Scott Walker and his Wisconsin senate Republicans have laid bare the motives for their coup d'etat. By severing the financial part of the bill (which couldn't be passed without absent Democrats) from the part eliminating the collective bargaining rights of public employees (which could be), and then doing the latter, Wisconsin Republicans have made it crystal clear that their goal has had nothing whatever to do with the state budget. It's been to bust the unions."
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