Bringing the thunder on the WI Truth Tour



The Truth Tourbus

Since you just can't count on the mainstream media to cover events important to working people, you have to depend on the tweetosphere. Fortunately there are twitterers in Green Bay today, letting the world know about the Wisconsin Truth Tour.

Thanks to Peter Rickman and others, we're getting a good sense of a rock 'em, sock 'em rally in the parking lot of the Teamsters Hall. Even better, there is now a long line of people waiting to get packets so they can knock on doors for our Teamster brother Dave Hansen, whose election is on Tursday.

At 9:30 Central Time, @peter_rickman reports the lot filled up with trade unionists and local citizens. Wisconsin AFL-CIO President Phil Nieuenfeldt opened the event with a speech:

Nieuenfeldt

You can't launch all-out attack on workers, education and healthcare and expect people to take it lying down...

Cuts to the middle class vs tax cuts for corporations and the rich? Which side are you on?

Then Mahlon Mitchell, head of the Professional Firefighters of Wisconsin, got the crowd fired up with a round of chants. The Wisconsin AFL-CIO blog reports that Mitchell said,

What we have seen in Madison is disastrous. We have seen child labor laws weakened, voter suppression bills enacted, earned income tax credit increased on the poor, cuts to BadgerCare and Medicare – this is no longer Wisconsin, this is the United Corporations of America.

Mike Bolton from Steelworkers District 2 brought the thunder, @steelworkers tweets:

Brother Bolton taking on, calling out tea partiers. Preach it! #wiunion #WITruth

Mike Bolton sez: We're here becuz Dave Hansen stood up 4 us, now we stand up 4 him. #wiunion #WITruth

And, again thanks to the Wisconsin AFL-CIO blog, we find out that Jason Albertz,  a paraprofessional educator from Green Bay who works with special education children at Webster Elementary School, came to help get out the vote for Dave Hansen. He said,

Scott Walker and GOP Legislators are putting big corporations and wealthy campaign donors above what is best for me, my family and the people of Wisconsin. We have been taken by surprise.  I would never have imagined such extreme changes in such a short period of time.... Sen. Hansen stood up and fought for workers last February and will continue to advocate for the middle class instead of catering to corporate CEOs.

Some more tweets:

@wisaflcio

WItruth tour bus in Green Bay - bringing you the facts and giving citizens a voice

@peter_rickman:

It's all hands on deck to fight the fight for wrkng families. We didn't start it but we will win it. #WITruth #wiunion

On Tuesday, we win for wrkng class champion Dave Hansen, win for workers AND democracy. #wiunion #WITruth

No way I can keep up w/ all the attacks on wrkng ppl @MahlonMitchell listing. Damn! #WITruth #wiunion

@MattKadow:

Solidarity w/ ALL my brothers & sisters on the #WITruth Tour! Give 'em hell! @peter_rickman @MahlonMitchell @wisaflcio

Rickman tweets us the Wisconsin blue fist symbol was everywhere in Green Bay, including this permanent tat on a UFCW member: