Monday, March 12, 2012

Teamsters bring WI to MN: 'Large, loud, defiant'

Today at the Minneapolis State Capitol.
Today a Minnesota state Senate committee hears a large, loud and defiant crowd condemned Right to Work for Less. The committee is hearing a proposal to put a Right to Work for Less constitutional amendment on the November ballot as throngs of workers outside the committee room chant "Kill the Bill."

Teamsters, union members, families and supporters flocked to St. Paul this morning to fight the latest attack on working families.

Our brothers and sisters at Local 320 sent some tweets and some photos:
Three #mnleg rooms overflowing with #mnunion workers ready to fight #RTW4less #teamsters #ibt320 http://t.co/1CYQdN95

MN #Teamsters are at #mnleg ready to defend the rights of #mnunion workers http://t.co/GGsdB4Zf #fb
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports,
"Just vote no!" and "Hey, hey, ho, ho, attacks on workers have to go!" echoed through the Capitol corridors Monday morning as an estimated 1,000 members and friends of labor unions chanted their disdain for a proposed constitutional amendment to ban labor contracts that require all workers employed under the terms of the contract to pay a share of union costs -- also known as "right to work."
The crowd was large, loud and defiant enough to evoke memories of last year's labor demonstrations in Madison, Wis., as Republicans led by Gov. Scott Walker enacted restrictions on public employee union bargaining rights. "Right to work" is understood by organized labor as union-busting, arguably more damaging to the union cause than Wisconsin's restictions on public employee collective bargaining. "Right to work" undercuts both public- and private-sector unions.

...the fact that scores of Minnesotans made a pre-dawn drive from Winona, Mankato, Duluth and beyond to stand and shout outside a Capitol hearing room tells me that for them, this is no game.
Live in Minnesota and couldn't make it to the Capitol? Here's a suggestion from the tweetosphere:
Call your Senator & tell them not to support the #RightToWork which puts our communities at risk: (651) 296-0504