Wednesday, March 9, 2011

General Strike Called in Wisconsin - Salem-News.Com

It is against Wisconsin law for public workers to strike. It is against the federal Taft-Hartley Act to have a sympathy strike by private sector unions.   So don’t expect to see labor officials spelling out the start of a general strike.  It may be more of a twitter event which just happens.

Wisconsin governor Scott Walker appears to be unconcerned about the looming general strike and continues to push his program forward vigorously.

Unions and other labor advocates have taken a soft position on a general strike due to no-strike provisions in many of today’s labor contracts.   As early as February 21, the Wisconsin South Central Federation of Labor backed, but did not actually call a strike stating "The SCFL endorses a general strike, possibly for the day Walker signs his 'budget repair bill."

Madison Wisconsin Capital Times reports, “both Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and past mayor and current candidate Paul Soglin talked about a general strike at a candidate forum Feb. 23”

A general strike in Wisconsin would be historic.  The last general strikes in the US occurred in Seattle in 1919 and San Franciso and Minneapolis in 1934

The possibility of a strike against consumption would also make a General Strike harder for the governor to resist.

Click on the following for more details:  General Strike Called in Wisconsin - Salem-News.Com

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