You wouldn’t understand — It’s a solidarity thing.
When opponents of the drive to make Michigan a Right to Work for Less state rally at the State Capitol Building on Tuesday, they will be joined by some of their brothers and sisters from Wisconsin.
Wisconsin labor leaders are rallying to support their beleaguered brethren in Michigan.Randy Bryce, an organizer for Ironworkers Local 8, is putting together a group of workers from Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to join the protest against legislation pushed by Gov. Rick Snyder and Republicans in the Legislature to make Michigan a right-to-work state.
Bryce, a Racine County ironworker who was involved in similar protests against anti-labor legislation in Wisconsin, said the issues involved are even greater in Michigan.
“A lot of things are eerily similar to parts of what happened here in Wisconsin,” said Bryce, who expects 40 to 50 people from his union to travel to Lansing, Mich., by Tuesday when lawmakers reconvene and Snyder plans to sign the bills into law. “I would say what’s under attack there is even bigger because they decided to go after the public- and private-sector unions.”
Bryce said he’s been in contact with other state labor leaders who also are trying to organize groups to travel to Michigan.
You can count on anti-union types to wail and gnash their teeth over “union thugs being imported from other states”. Be ready for that. You might ask these ignorant union-haters why they are content to see money flooding in from anti-union groups from other states (I’ll have more about this tomorrow) to destroy Michigan unions but are so in need of a fainting couch when union members from our sister state of Wisconsin who support our struggle stand with us in a display of solidarity.
At any rate, on behalf of my union brothers and sisters in Michigan, I send out a hearty THANK YOU! to Randy Bryce and the Ironworkers Local 8 in Wisconsin. We welcome you to Michigan with open arms.
Hat tip: Lynn/@wavingcrosser
