Works in Progress #1 -- June

works in progressFREE

IthasbeenoverayearsincetheWalkeradministrationrushedthepas-sageoftheircontroversialBudgetRepairBill.Sincethen,theattacks have keptcomingandwomenhavebeenhitespe-ciallyhard. The maincont rover sy o fWalker’s budgetwastheclausebar-ring public sectorunions from col-lective bargaining.Though itwasnotoftensaidexplicitly,thisattackonpub-lic sector unionswasalsoagenderedattack. The publicsector (teachers,nurses, bus driv-ers,socialworkers,etc.)istheprimaryemployerofwomen,wherewomenmakeup56%ofgovern-mentstateworkersand58%ofmunici-palworkers. Under theguiseofbalancingthe state budget,theWalker admin-istration has alsodrasticallycutBad-gerCare, the state

providedhealthcareprogramforunin-suredWisconsinites.ThegoalofBadger-Care,atitsimplementationin1999,was

toprovideandexpandhealthinsurancecoveragetoensurethat98percentofthepopulationinWisconsinwasinsured,

specifically targeting childrenandtheirmothers.The2011BiennialBudget,passedlastsummer,cut$467millionofstatefundsfromtheBadgerCareprogram.Themannerinwhichcutswilloccur,however,areleftto the Department of HealthServices(DHS)Secretary,DennisSmith.Thespecificsarestillnotknown,butDHSestimatesthat22,835peoplewill losehealthinsurancecoverageasaresultofthesechanges.Newrulesandstipulations inthepublichealthsystemincludehigherpremiums,denialofcov-erage to familieswhohaveemploy-er-sponsoredinsur-ance(regardlessofwhetherthatinsur-anceexceedstheirincome),denialofyoungadultsupple-mentalcoveragetotheirparents’plans,andpreventingchildrenfromex-pressenrollmentinBadgerCare.Toaddtothelist,theHealthyYouthActwasrepealed,whichhad mandated that publicschoolsprovidecomprehensivesexeducation.Comprehensivesexeducationprovidesmedically

accurateinformationtoteensabouttheirreproductiveorgans,howcontraceptionworks,theprocessofconception,aswellaslanguageandscenariosdemonstratingclearsexualconsent.

The big controversyabout sex education toteensfocusedprimarilyonpregnancy.Wisconsinhasateenpregnancyratethatis27%lowerthanthenation-alrate,whichtheHealthyYouthActhasbeencreditedwithkeepinglow.Acrucialpart of this program hasbeen having confidential

andaffordablefamilyplanningservicesavailabletoteens. TheWalkerbudgetfurtherre-strictswomen’shealthbymandatingpa-rentalconsentforpeopleundertheageof18toreceivefamilyplanningservices.Familyplanningisnotsimplyforabor-

War on Women: No Good News to Report… Yet

> continued on page 3

Ayearofcampaigningand$80millionlatertheWisconsinrecallsarefi-nallyover.Inarepeatofthe2010elec-tionbetweenthesametwocandidates,WalkeractuallyimprovedhisleadoverBarrett,winning53-46,withapproxi-mately2.5millionvotescast,350,000morethanwerecastin2010.Breakingdownthenumberssome,59%ofwhitepeoplevotedforWalker,asdidmostsub-urbsandsmalltowns,and38%ofunionhouseholds(ratherthanunionists)votedRepublican;supportforeithercandidatewaslargelyrelatedtotheperceptionofhowwellthisadministrationwascreat-ingnewjobs.MostpeoplehaddecidedwhotheyweregoingtovoteforbyApril,andmanypeoplesimplydisagreedwiththeuseoftherecallfor“politicalrea-sons”,choosingthentovoteforWalker.Andwiththestatebeingsocloselysplit,Walker’sabilitytoturnoutmorevoterscertainlyhelpedsecureavictory. A num-berofnewssites,commentators,left blogs andradical groupshavewritten ex-tensivelyonhowandwhyWalkerbeat the recall.Thesealltendtosharecriticismsoftherecallprocess(ifnotstrategy),andmosthaveabasicagreementabouttheproblemofturningmovementsintoelectioncampaigns.Herewecanbrieflysummarizetheimportantexplanationsoftherecallelections:First,ReaderSupportedNewsreported,

“Walkerspent88%ofthemoneytoget53%ofthevote”.Walkerwasabletobe-ginfundraisinginNovemberaspartofa

loopholeintherecalllaws,andcoupledwiththeCiti-zensUnitedrulinghewasabletowinaformidablefinancial advantageoverhisopponents.Hewasthenable to keep a constantbombardmentofadvertise-mentsacrossthestate. Beyondjustthemoney,Walkercampaigned,ashedid in 2010, around jobcreation.UnderWalker’s

administration,WisconsinhasbeentheonlystateintheUStoactuallyhavenetjobloss,butasForbescolumnistRickUn-garnotedWalkersimplychoseadifferentaccountingmethodtoskewthedatainhisfavor.

Alongwiththis,UW-MilwaukeeprofessorJeffreySommerssuggestedthatWalkerwasable towinontaxes, fol-lowingthestrategyusedinCalifornia’sProposition13—essentiallysubstitutingshort-termpropertytaxcutsforwagegrowthandpittingpartsoftheworkingclassagainsteachother.Walkerwasclearinhismessagingoncuttingtaxes,whileBarrett’s approach to taxationwouldplaceincreasedburdenonworkingpeo-plefordegradedservices.Herewewouldnotetheabsenceofanydiscussionofprogressiveorheavycorporatetaxation. Inthecourseoftheyear’scam-paigning,themessagesfromtheDemo-cratswerevagueandunconvincing.Earlyon,theDemocratsdecidedtoplaytothecenter,todisastrousresultsinlastsum-mer’ssenateracesandWalker’srecallboth.Messagingchosenoncollectivebargaining seemed narrow and rein-

forcedtheperceptionthatthepublicsec-torunionsweremainlyconcernedwiththemselves,ratherthanusingtheoppor-tunitytohavelargerdiscussionsaboutworkers’rightsandlivingstandardsinWisconsin.Instead,Barrett’scampaignfocusedonWalker’sdivisiveness,corrup-tionandunwillingnesstoworkacrosspartylines—issuesthatdidnotresonatewiththepoliticizedatmosphere. Allsaidanddone,Walkerwasable tomount a strong,well-fundedcampaignasagainstBarrettwhowasnotabletomakeanysignificantinroadsandmostlyrana“VoteWalkerOut”campaign.TheDemocratswerewithoutacompel-lingvisionoftheirown,desertingthepopularspiritoflastwinter’suprisingfortypicalpartypolitics.Thiswasnotsimplyanissueofout-of-statemoneyversus“underfinancedpeoplepower”,butanis-

This was not simply an is-sue of out-of-state mon-ey versus “underfinanced people power”, but an is-sue of actual politics that did not break through the

usual lines.

> continued on page 7

This act imposes criminal penalties and possible jail time on physicians who provide wom-en with nonsurgi-

cal abortions.

What Comes After the Recall ?

by Andrew Sernatinger

June 2012 Volume 1 Issue 1

Animportantaspectofcomprehensivesexeducationisinformationonsexu-allytransmittedinfections(STIs).ThemostcommonSTIisChlamydia,knownasa“silent”diseasebecausesymptomsmaynotoccur.However,evenwithoutsymptomsitcausesdamagetowomen’sreproductiveorgans.In2009,theDHSreportedthattherewereover7,000casesofChlamydiainadolescentsages

15-19.

byJessiIndresano

PhotobyEmilyMills

Thepaperyou’relookingatisthefirstfullissueofamonthlyleft-commu-nitypaperbasedinMadison,Wisconsin.Thegroupofusproducingthispaperhaveallworkedonanumberofnewspapersinthepast:MadisonObserver,Insurgent,andinWashingtonStatetheCounter-Point Journal and Olympia Works inProgress (ournamesake).What all ofthesepapershadincommonwasthattheywerefree,locallyfocusedpapers,providingaspacefornews,commentaryanddebatenotusuallytakenupbythebiggerprofessionalnewsmedia.Thesewere“frombelow”efforts,lookingatis-suesthataffectourcommunitythroughgrassrootsjournalismandpointingtoim-portantorganizingandmovementworkthatishappeningaroundus.It’sbeenafewyearssinceMadisonhadsuchapa-per,andweallagreedthatwewouldliketoseeonecomeback. But isn’t thereWORT and allthoseblogs?Well,yes,buteverymove-mentneedsapaper. People seeprintandtakeitmoreseriously:it’snotjustsomethingyouwroteintenminutesandcaneditifyoumadeamistake.There’sadegreeoffinalitytoit,whichmeansthatyouhavetoreallysitandthinkaboutwhatyou’redoing—thisisgoodforread-ersandwritersboth.Ifweusethisasa“movementpaper”,itmeansthere’sdeep-erreflectionandinvestmentinresponses.Anotherpoint,apaperispublic:youcan’tleaveablogonabusorcoffeeshopforjustanyonetofind—withtheinternet

youonlygetaselectaudience,limitingyourreach inbringingout issuesandideas.Lastly,apapergivesussomethingtoorganizearound,providingacommonspaceforstories,reportingandopinionstogo. Thinkingaboutlastyear,wherewasthereaspacetodiscusswhatwashappeningwithallofWalker’sbills,theactivityofcommunitygroups,coalitionsandtradeunions,andwhatwemightdo?Theseseemedtobespreadoutandmadeitdifficultforustothinkaboutwhatweweredoingasamovement.WithWalker’sre-electionandanewwaveofattackstocome,weneedapaperasaspacetoeducate,informanddiscuss.Hopefully,WorksinProgresscanbeonecontribu-tion. Sohowdoesthiswork?We’rebuilding thispaperoffof amodelof

otherleftcommunitypapers:thereisaneditorialcollectivethat’sresponsibleforputtingapapertogethereachmonth:writingandsolicitingstoriesandopin-ions,layingoutaneditionandtakingittotheprinter,handlingthefinances.Forotherpeople,werelyonyoursubmis-sions:articles,editorials,opinionpieces,photographs,artworks,interviews,car-toons,etc.Workinglikethisallowsustohaveadedicatedgroupofpeoplemaketheprojectworkforotherfolkswhocancontributeasthey’reable,withdiffer-entlevelsofcommitment.Ifyou’dliketosubmitorareinterestedintheeditorialcollective,pleasecontactusatMadison.worksinprogress@gmail.com.Ifyoulikewhatwe’redoing,pleaseconsiderdonat-ingsomemoneyorbuyingadvertisementspaceforyourgrouporbusiness.

WIP

Letter to the Editors:

UWworkershadanincomere-ductionof10-15%inthelastyear,soitisnowondertheywantaraise,butUW’splantorewardonlyonethirdoffacultyandacademicstaffisthewrongwaytodoit. Ifstateagencies’longexperiencewith“merit”bonusesisanyguide,wecanexpectUWraisestoskewheavilytothehighestpaidworkers,managers,andhumanresourceofficers.Theraiseswillprobablyalsoshowapatternofdiscrimi-nationbasedonraceandage,asotherbonusesinthestatedo. ThecriteriaforearningaraiseatUWappearssubjecttothewhimofparticulardepartmentheads.Thispolicyisaninefficientandineffectivewaytoachieve theUW’s statedgoals.Work-erswhoshowcompetence,independentthinking,andexcellenceinachievementarelikelytoloseoutwhilemanagersre-wardfavoritesandyes-men.ThisisnotgoodforastrongUW,anditisafarcryfromtheprinciplesoffairnessandobjec-tivejobperformancethatwereusedforover40yearsincollectivelybargainedagreementswiththeUWworkforce,untilnow. Thisisahighlydivisiveplaninwhichmostworkerswillgetnoraise,whilethousandsofotherswillget“atleast5%.”By implementingthisplan,UWwillpitpeersandwholecategoriesofworkersagainsteachother,feedingbitterworkplaceresentment.UWshouldgobacktothedrawingboardonitscom-pensationplan.

Sincerely,HarryRichardson

SeeingJuneisnationalLGBTmonthIthought itwouldbenicetohighlightsomeofthewonderfullocalworkthatisfightingtoendhomophobia.ProudThe-aterwasfoundedin1999bySolKelley-JonesandCallenHarty.Sinceformingithashelpedcountlessyouthexplorethemselvesandtheirsexualityinasafeandcaringenvironment. It isnowex-pandingouttomoreandmorelocations.

Mission:ToChangetheworldthroughthepoweroftheaterandthetheaterarts,andtomakeapositivedifferenceinthelivesofLGBTQandalliedyouththroughtheten-

antsofart,heart,andactivism!

ItisaprogramofArtandSoulInnova-tions,agroupdedicatedtotheadvance-mentofqueer youthnationwide.Ho-mophobiaandtransphobiapresentmanychallengesinthelivesofqueeryouth.Theateroffersaspaceforself-expression,toexploredifferentsidesofyourselfand

discoverpeersupportsecurity.Proudthe-aternotonlyconnectsqueeryouthwitheachother,butalsoprovidescommunityandmentorship.OvertheyearsProudTheater ashelped innumerable youthwithitspositiveengagementwithoverall

health,self-esteemandstability. TofindoutmoreaboutProud

Theatergoto:

www.proudtheater.org

Thismonthit’s.....Proud Theater

Community Highlight:Thiscorneristoshowofftheamazinggroupswealreadyhaveinourcommunity.Groupsthatalltoooftengetover-looked,butonesthathighlightimportantissuesanddogreatwork.Eachnewspaperwillfeatureadifferentgroup.Letmeknowifyouknowagroupthatyouthinkshouldhaveahighlight.

Youcanreachmeattessaecheverria@gmail.com.

To provide the Madison and broader Wisconsin communities with a spec-trum of news and information through a responsible, local, and independent

media outlet.

Solidarity

Solidaritywiththeworkingclassasawhole,acrossallboundariesofrace,sexualandgenderorientation,spiritualbelief,health,andethnicityisthekey-stoneinthestruggleagainstimperial-ism,exploitation,andinjusticeevery-where.Webelieveallstrugglesagainstoppression are interdependent and,throughthelensofjournalism,attempttoshedlightonthetiesthatbindus.Intheoldunionsaying,“Aninjurytooneisaninjurytoall,”westandresolute.

Independence

WorksinProgressshallcontinuouslyandforeverstrivetobefullyself-gov-erningandindependentofallfundingfromsourceswhich,eitherimplicitlyorexplicitly,demandweactaccordingtoasetofprincipalsotherthanourown.Wewillmakeeveryefforttobefundedsolelybythecommunityweserve.

Democracy

Independentmediaisanecessaryser-viceforaninformedandengagedcom-munity.Wetakethisresponsibilityseri-ouslyand,assuch,willalwaysendeavortoprovidethehighestqualityreportswe

arecapableofproducing.

Submissions

PleasesendtextasWordattachments.Artworkandphotoscanbesentelec-tronicallyorwecanscanthemforyou.Wevaluewell-researchedpiecesthatcovernewsstoriesthatwouldbeinfor-mativetoreadersinthegreaterMadi-sonarea.Weprefernewsandanalysisoveropinionpieces.Weprioritizesto-riesbylocalauthors.Wesupportsub-missionsonstoriesthataremisrepre-sentedorignoredbymainstreammedia.

WIP reserves the right topublish inwholeorpartofallsubmissions.Foreditingpurposes,pleaseencloseyourphonenumber.Articlesmaybereprint-ed.Pleasecitesource.

Ifyoudon’tseeyourissuebeingcoveredinWorksinProgress,it’sbecauseyouaren’twritingaboutit!

SendsubmissionsbyJuly 15th toMadison.worksinprogress@gmail.com.

Editorial Policy

WIPwillmakeeveryefforttoworkwiththecontributorofmaterialconsideredbyWIPtobeobjectionableinordertoreachamutuallyagreeduponresolu-tion,butWIPreservestherightasalastresorttoeditornotprintsubmittedma-terial.

byWorksinProgressEditorialCollective

> Tessa Wyllie de Echeverria> Andrew Sernatinger> Kate Schiffman> Jessi Indresano> León Carlos Miranda> Heather Rosenfeld

Workers in progresss

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Contactusifyouareinterestedinjoiningtheeditorialcollcetive.

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Editorial: Every Movement Needs a Paper2---WorksinProgress June2012

Overthepastthreeweeks,youmayhavenoticedpeopleinMadisonwearingredsquaresandmarchingdownthestreetbangingpotsandpans,andyoumayhavewonderedwhy.WhatyouhavewitnessedisOccupyMadison’sinitiativeto keepour energy in thestreets, regardless of theresultoftherecallelection,andtoshowsolidaritywithamovementhappeningjust1000milesaway.

Theworldhasseenawholeseriesofmassuprisingsoverthe past couple of years.Oneofthelatestinthisse-riesisthestudentuprisingofQuebec.Inresponsetoaneffortby theCharestgov-ernmenttoraisetuitionby80%in theprovince,hun-dredsofthousandsofstu-dentswentonstrikestart-ing on February 6th. Thestudentshavebeen inthestreetsnightlyeversinceandhavebeenjoinedbyunions,leftgroups,andthegeneralcommunity.SupportfortheprotestscameparticularlyaftertheprovincialgovernmentpassedBill78,adraconian lawcriminalizingprotestingroupsofmorethan50peopleunlessthetime,location,androuteisap-provedbythepoliceaheadoftime.

Thefirstmajorsymbolofthemovementisthesmall,redclothsquare,firstadoptedduringthe2005Quebecstudentstrike

asameansofallowingstrikerstoiden-tifyeachother.ThesymbolcomesfromaFrenchsaying“carrémentdanslerouge”,

literally “squarely in the red”, mean-ingoneisinescapablymiredindebt.Asnewsofthemovementhasspread,peopletheworldoverhavestartedwearingthesquareasagestureofsolidarity;youmay

evenhaveseenthebandAr-cadeFiresportingthemduringarecentSaturdayNightLiveappearance.Thesecondsym-bolisthenoisypotsandpansmarch,called“casseroles”inFrench,whichhastakenoverthestreetseveryeveningsinceBill78waspassed.Thisisaformofprotestwhichstartedas“cacerolazos”inChiledur-ingthe1970’sandhaspoppedup in variousprotestmove-mentseversince.

OnWednesday,May30th, aCasserolesAcrossCanadaday

ofactionwascalled,whichspreadin-ternationallytomanyplacesincludingMadison,andon the twosubsequent

Wednesday’sitspreadevenfurtheracrossNorthAmerica,SouthAmerica,andEu-rope.Casseroleshavenowbeen inte-

gratedintoothermovementssuchastheanti-austerityprotestsinSpain,OccupyWallStreet,andtheMexicanstudentprotests.

So , what re l-evance does theQuebec uprisinghave to Wiscon-sin,andwhyarewe marching insolidarity? Well,there’s a rea-son why tuitioninQuebec is thelowestinCanada:thestudentsthererealizetheirowncollectivepower,andknowhowtouseitwhenthegovernmentattemptstoforcethemtotakeonmoredebt.HereinWis-consin,wefinallyroseupinlargenum-berslastspringafterdecadesofattacksontheworkingclass,butwedidn’tknowourownpoweryet.Insteadofusingitto

forceconcessionsontheWalkeradmin-istration,weallowedtheunionleadersandtheDemocratstomoldthenarrative

intooneofcompromise,of“sharedsacrifice”,andto redirect the energyofouruprisingintotheelectoralprocess.

Butdespite the failureto recall Walker, all isnot lost. The solidaritywe felt in the Capitolhas sustained itself inthesubsequentmonths.Wecan learn fromourdefeats, takeexamplessuchasQuebectoheart,andlearnhowtouseourown power for all thefightsthataretocome.Wecanseethishappen-ingalready,astheendoftherecallhasallowedthe movement to turnits sights on the rank-and-filefightbackgoingon at Palermo’s Pizza,where workers in Mil-waukeearestrikinguntiltheirunionisrecognized.Theyhavealreadyfaced

retaliationfromthecompany,butshownosignsofgivingup.

OnJune7th,theUWBoardofRegentstookapageoutoftheCharestbookandap-proveda5.5%tuitionhikeacrosstheUWSystem.Thiswill increase in-state tu-itionandfeespast$10,000ayear.Now,willWiscon-sintakeapageoutoftheQuebecoisbookandfightback?

Join Occupy Madison forthenextinternationalCas-serolesdayofactionthis

Friday,June22nd!WewillbemeetingatVeteransPlaza(topofStateSt)at8pm.Bringyourpotsandpans,andwatchtheOccupyMadisonfacebookpageforup-dates.

Vive la Résistance!“The fight we are currently leading in Quebec is the same as the ones

workers and students of Wisconsin and throughout the world are in.We are only a small part of a global struggle against social and eco-

nomic injustice.We have to start to think about concrete ways to ensure solidarity

between our struggles.Over the borders, over our own interests, over our differences, we can

find a global link that unites us all.We are eager to be free.

Free from domination, oppression and domination from the corporate elites.

We might only be writing the first lines of the story of a global fight, but one thing is for sure, we all know the end of that story.

In the end, our solidarity will beat their oppression!Quand l’injustice devient loi, la résistance est un devoir!

Which means: When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes a duty!”(From the Quebec student organization ASSESolidarite,

sent by ASSESolidarite member Guillaume Lagault.)

tions,butforSTIscreeningandaccesstomedicaltreatment.Additionally,eligibil-ityforstateassistancewillnolongerbebasedonadependent’sincome,butontheirparents’.Bothmeasuresgreatlyim-

pactthehealthandwellbeingofWiscon-sinyouth. AlsowrittenintothebudgetistheWomen’sHealthBlockGrant.Thiscut“10%ofallfundingforfamilyplanningservicesandeliminatedallstatefund-ingforanyclinicthatoffersall-optionspregnancycounseling servicesoranyclinicthatisaffiliatedwithanorganiza-tionthatconductsorrefersforabortions.”ThemaintargetofthisclauseisclearlyPlannedParenthood.

InearlyAprilofthisyear,afire-bombexplodedataPlannedParenthoodofficeinGrandChute,Wisconsin.Laterthatmonth,theCoerciveandWebcamAbortionPreventionActwassigned.Thisnewlawimposescriminalpenaltiesandpossiblejailtimeonphysicianswhopro-videwomenwithnonsurgicalabortions.PlannedParenthoodthenlostamajor-ityofstatefundsthatitdependedonto

providebirthcontrolandcancerscreen-ings. TheWisconsinAllianceforWom-en’sHealth(WAWH)presentedacompre-hensivereportattheWisconsinWomen’sHealthPolicySummitthispastMayde-tailinghowthecutswillimpactwomenandchildren.WAWH’sreportliststhefol-lowingaspointsofconcern:(seetable).

Morerecently,asetofanti-womenat-tackshavecomefromRepublicanSenatorGlennGrothmanofWestBend.Groth-man’sbill,quietlysignedbyScottWalker,repealedWisconsin’s2009EqualPayEn-forcementAct,whichdefinedpenaltiesforemployerswhodiscriminateagainstwomen.Nationally,womenmakesevencentstoeverydollarmadebymeninthesamepositionwiththesamebackgroundandexperience.Witharollbackinpro-tectivelegislation,womeninWisconsinareevenmorevulnerabletodiscrimina-tionandimpoverishment. Sen.GrothmanisalsoworkingonpassinghisproposedSenateBill507,abillthatpenalizessingleandunmarriedparents.6.4%ofhouseholdsinWisconsinareheadedbysinglemothers,threetimestheamountassinglefathers.

To all women and their allies, please send us your stories. We want to know how women are standing up and fighting back.

•Cut$1,062,800frommentalhealthtreatmentservices•Cut$417,500fromCommunitySupportProgramsandpsychologicalservices•Cut$959,200fromDepartmentofHealthServiceslicensingandcertificationactivities•Cut$638,700fromAIDS/HIVservices•Cut$610,000fromcommunityhealthcenters•Cut$316,000fromservicesandoperationsforcongenitaldisorders•Cut$300,500fromfundingfordentalservices•Cut$99,500fromruralhealthdentalclinics•Cut$217,800fromemergencymedicalserviceaids•Cut$99,400fromleadpoisoningandexposureservices

•War on Women continuedfrompage1

Stand in Solidarity with Quebec Students.Make and wear your own red sqaure!

Wecanlearnfromourde-feats,takeexamplessuchas Quebec to heart, andlearnhowtouseourownpowerforallthefightsthatare tocome.Wecanseethishappeningalready,astheendof the recallhasallowedthemovementtoturnitssightsontherank-

and-filefightback

Witharollbackinpro-tective legislation,women in Wisconsinareevenmorevulner-abletodiscrimination

andimpoverishment.

June2012 WorksinProgress—3

byAnnaOgden-Nussbaum

4—WorksinProgress June2012

Hey NATO: 1984 is not an instruction manual! Despite Chicago’s police state, thousands gather to protest NATO meeting

“1984 is not an instruction manual!” one sign read. On May 20th, 2012, thousands of activists from anti-war, occupy, labor, socialist, anarchist, queer, and environ-mental justice movements converged in downtown Chicago. Our mission: to pro-test the meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Association (NATO).

NATOformedoverfiftyyearsago.Itcurrentlyincludes28officialmembercountries,mostlyinNorthAmericaandWesternEurope. LikeGeorgeOrwell’s1984, inwhichtheDepartmentofPeacewasthedepartmentinchargeofwagingwars,“treaty”hasnothingtodowithpeacehere.NATOhadamajorroleintheColdWar,theKoreanWar,andthewarswewitness, are affected by, and protesttoday.ThewarinAfghanistanoverthelastelevenyears?NATO.ThewarinIraq?NATO.Combined,NATOcountriesaccountforover70%ofmilitaryspendingworld-wide,and75%ofthiscomesfromtheUnitedStates. Perhapstheonlygoodthingtocomefromtheeconomiccrisesareaus-teritymeasuresbeingappliedtoNATO.Andtheyweremeetingtotalkaboutthis.Andtocontinuethewarsandmilitarism. Andsotheactivistsweretheretospeakbacktothis.Butagain,maybeitwasaveteranwhoput it best. VinceEmanuele, formerlyof the U.S. MarineCorps, one of theveterans who gavebackhismedals,said“Ourenemiesarenot7,000 miles fromhome.” And theyweren’t. CANG8 hasinitialvictoriesevenasEmanuelpasses“sitdownandshutup”ordinances.ThedaysandweeksandmonthsbeforetheNATOdemonstrationsgeneratedanamazingsenseofmaterialandstrategicsolidarityamongactivistswhoeventuallyconvergedinChicago.Thiswasthecasefromthestart,asso-cial,economic,andenvironmentaljustice

activistscametogetherwithanti-wargroupsandveteranstoformtheCoali-tionAgainstNATO/theG8(CANG8).

One of theearly accomplish-ments of CANG8wasthattheNATOmeetingwasorigi-nally supposedtobeacombinedNATO/G8meetinginChicago.TheG8,orGroupof8, isanannualmeetingofleadersofeightpowerful coun-

tries,mostofwhicharepartofNATO.InMarch,theG8meetingwasmovedtoCampDavid.ThoughObamasaidoth-erwise,manybelievethatthisdecisionwasduetofearofencounteringamassofrightfullyangryprotesters. AnotheraccomplishmentwastheestablishmentoftheChicagoPrin-

ciples throughOccupyChicago.The ChicagoPrinciplesassertsolidarityandarespectforadi-versityoftactics,allowingfordi-rectactionandpeaceful pro-test. Key herewas, and thiswas somethingactivists whowere Chicagonativesandvisi-torsforthepro-testsnoted,thata“separationoftimeandspace”be maintainedbetweendiffer-entsortsofac-tions.Inanticipationof protesters,Chicago mayorRahmEmanual,passed a setof ordinancest ha t , go i ngagainsttheFirstA m e n d m e n t ,restricting freespeechandpro-test.Theywereoriginally tar-

getedtowardsrepressingprotestattheNATO/G8meetings,butwerequicklyex-tendedindefinitely.

Emanuel’spolicestatebeginsinfullforceindaysleadinguptoNATO Someoftheworstpolicebru-talitytookplacenotatthemainSun-dayprotestatall,butinthedaysandhoursbefore.OnthenearsouthsideofChicago,anapartmentintheBridgeportneighborhoodwasraidedbycopsearlierintheweek,afteranalmostmonthlonginvestigationbytheFBI,thesecretser-vice,andChicagopolice.TheoccupantswereBridgeportresidentsandOccupi-ersinfromoutoftown.Theywereac-cusedofmakingMolotovcocktails.Theevidence?Beerbrewingequipment.OneoftheBridgeportresidents,BillVassilakis,whowasreleased,saysthattheywereaccusedofbeinganarchists,and“thatistheonlytruestatementmadebythestate.”Therealreasonfortheraid?“Tospectacularizethestate’swillingnesstoterrorizedissent,”Billadds. GrassroutesCaravans(GRC),abicyclingandcommunity-buildinggroupbasedinMadison,coordinatedaridetoChicago.Callingtheride“CyclesofRevo-lution:BraketheBanks”,aboutadozenactivistsbikedfromMadisontoChicagoforthedemonstrations.TheystoppedinMilwaukeeandelsewherealongthewaytodoserviceproj-ects. Thistle, anelementaryschoolteacherand radi-calfolkmusicianbased in Madi-son,describestherideasatacticforprotest as well,saying “the GRCgivesyouawholeride to practicecooperation andmutualaidonthegroundasacom-munity.” This ledtostrongeraffinitygroupsbythetimetheyarrivedinChicago,shesuggested. OnthedayoftheSundayprotest,butbeforethemarch,manyoftheGRC-erswerearrestedandaccusedof“pos-sessionofoffensivechemicalliquidsandrecklessconduct.”Andwhatweretheseoffensive liquids?Balloonsfilledwithredpaint,water,andglitter.Contactlenssalinesolution.Waterbottles.Oh,andavialoflavenderoil.ThesewerethesameactivistsaccusedbyFoxNewsandNBC

ofhavingbottlesofurineandfeces.

Attheholdingfacility,surroundedbyat

least50policeofficers,Thistleimprovisedasong:“Wehaveredballoonsandglitter,youhaveyourgunsandwar.It’sanunfairfight,butit’sonethatIwillfight,untilit’swon!”Shesaidthatthepoliceofficerssawthehumor,thatitdestabilizedtheoppressivesituation. Evenso,theywereheldbythepoliceforroughlysixhours. Thousandstaketothestreets,Veterans throwbackmedals, tiredof“lies,corruption,andabuse”,aremourn-ing,andare“madashell” Someactivists said that theyknewotheractivistswhowereintimi-datedfromcomingbecauseoftheru-morsofpolicebrutality.Despitethis,anestimated10,000protestersshowedupfortheSundayrallyandmarch.Thisrallywaslegal,permitted,anddescribedas‘familyfriendly.’ PeterFugiel,anactivistinvolvedwithOccupyChicago,saysthat,com-paredtootherantiwardemonstrations,theSundaymarchwaslargerthanothershavebeensince2005orso.Headded:“it’sespeciallysignificantinanelectionyearwithapopulardemocraticpresidentwho’scontinuingthesewars.” Themarchstartedwithanas-sertiveyetfestivetone.Somethought

it almost too fes-tive, more like aparadethanapro-test. For the firstfew blocks, copsat the perimeterandonsidestreetswere in your typi-cal cop uniforms.Asthemarchwenton,however,moreand more cops inriotgearbegantoappear.Someesti-matesput5-6copsperactivistatthefront lines of themarch. Policehad

beenbroughtinfromthesuburbsandfromothercitiesaltogether. Aftermarchingthroughanee-rily deserted downtown Chicago, wearrivedatanintersection(CermakandMichigan)thatwasthepermittedendofthemarch.There,thelegallyagreeduponplanwastomarchwestforablockandturnaroundtofilluptheblockfac-ingthestage.Policebrokethisagree-ment,though,andwhentheprotesters

“Noamountofmedals,ribbonsorflagscancovertheamountofhumansufferingcausedbythesewars.Wedon’twantthisgarbage.Wewantourhumanrights.Wewantourrighttoheal.” saidSargeantMaggieMartinbeforethrowingaway

hermedals.

Inanticipationofprotesters,

ChicagomayorRahmEmanu-

al,passedasetofordinances

that,goingagainsttheFirst

Amendment,restrictingfree

speechandprotest.

PhotobyLeónCarlosMiranda

By Heather Rosenfeld

June2012 WorksinProgress—5

arrived, rowsofcops inriotgearpre-ventedpeacefulactivistsfromfinishingthemarch. Theyalso separatedprotesters from themedicareaandfromaccesstowater.Somepassedoutfromtheheat. Nonetheless,thousandsofprotestersremainedgatheredtolistenasalmost50veteransoftheIraqandAfghanistanwarsgavebacktheirmedals.TheactionwasmodeledafterwhenVietnamwarveteranshaddonethesamething,decadesago. “No amount of med-als,ribbonsorflagscancovertheamountofhumansufferingcausedbythesewars.Wedon’twantthisgarbage. We want our humanrights.Wewantourrighttoheal.”saidSargeantMaggieMartinbe-forethrowingawayhermedals. Navy veteran MichaelApplegateechoed:“I’mreturningmymedaltodaybecauseIwanttolivebymyconscienceratherthanbeingaprisonerofit.” VeteransalsoexpressedsupportforPrivateBradleyMan-ning,condemnedsexualviolenceinthemilitary,andmournedcivil-iandeaths. After the Veterans’ ral-ly, someofthevolunteerPeaceGuidesfortheprotestencouragedpeopletoleave.Andthepolice(infullriotgear)escalatedintimida-tiontactics,brandishingbatons,pullingdownfacemasks,chantinginunisonforprotesterstomove.Theyalsobroughtout,butdidn’tuse,whatatleastoneprotesterreferred toasa “soundgun” (a LongRangeAcousticDevice,orLRAD)that

createsnoisesopainfulthatitcandam-agehumanhearing.

Meanwhile,blackblocanarchistshad

massedup inthe intersection.ThistleoftheGRCdescribesthespiritofthe

blackbloc,eventhoughsheher-self didn’t getto participate.“People whoengage in theblack bloc tac-tic don’t havea master plan.You get a feel-ing of beingpartofaswarmrather thananindividual. Itallows you tomaneuver andmovequickly,tomakedecisionsreally quicklyandhaveabigimpactonhowthe p ro te s tgoes.”TheblackblocatNATOdidn’thave a big im-pact.Therearesomereportsofcopsgettinghitby things likewater bottles,but Sarah Fin-kel,anenviron-mental justiceactivist inChi-cago,wondersiftheywereeventhrownbyrealprotesters,ask-ing “whowere

therealpeoplethrowingthosethings?”Infiltration tacticswereclearlybeing

used;undercovercopswerepartoftheblackbloc,identifiablebytheirmatchingblackbootsandpants.Mostanarchistsdon’tshoptogetherformatchingfancyboots(unlesstheyareanarcho-capital-ists?Butthentheywouldn’tbeprotest-ingNATO.). Remaining protesters werepennedinandpushedbackwithbillyclubs.Theyheldtheirgroundforhoursbeforetheprotestended. Reportedincidentsofpolicemis-conductnumberedataround70fortheSundayprotest.Thisdoesn’tincludetheraids,intimitation,orthearrestsbefore-hand.AndNATOdecidedtospendbillionsofdollarsondrones. MixedaftermathThefollowingday,however,activistshadplannedamarchagainstBoeing,oneofthemajorprofiteersandcontributorstothewarmachine.DespiteapolicestateinChicago,Boeing respondedby tell-ingtheiremployeesnottogotowork.Awell-earnedwinforactivists. About300activistsmetagainatObama’sheadquartersonMondaytoprotestthepolicebrutalityoftheprevi-ousdays.Someactivistsarestillfacingrepercussions forparticipating in theanti-NATOdemonstrations.OccupyChi-cagoiscoordinatingprisonsupport;seeoccupychi.orgformoredetails. CarlSack,apeaceguideandalsoriderwiththeGRC,sumsupthespiritofthedemonstrations.“Weweretheretry-ingtopointoutthatthere’snodemocra-cyinthesystemweliveunder,thatwhenpeoplearegettingmurderedforthein-terestofoilcompaniesandthecapitalistelitesoftheworld,thatsomebodyneedstostandupandsaysomething,tochal-lengethatpower,toultimatelyoverthrowthatpower.”

Privatization of state govern-menthurtstaxpayers,andtheproblemhasgottenworseunderGovernorWalker.Thestateawardsover$400milliontoprivatecontractorseachyear,withlittleoversight. In justoneexample,$13.8millionwaswastedinDOTcontractsforengineeringservices,justinthefirstfourmonthsofthisyear,accordingtoaWISC-TVanalysis. AtUW,Chicago-basedHuronConsultingisbillingupto$325perhourformanagementconsultingandITservic-esonseveralprojects.OneistheAdmin-istrativeExcellenceprojectthatincludescomputerserverconsolidation.Asimilarcomputerserverconsolidationprojectinstateagenciescost$110million,nearlyninetimestheoriginalestimateof$12.8million.IstheUWrepeatingthesame

costlymistake? Insteadoftacklingtheproblemofwastefulcontracts, theWalkerAd-ministrationhastriedtocoveritup.TheAdministrationfailedtoproducethean-nualreportoncontractualservicesinOctober,eventhoughitwasastatutoryrequirement.Nowthere-portisover7monthspastdeadline.TheWalkerAd-ministration’sdisregardforthepublic’srighttoknowisdisturbing. Ourlegislatureisalsomakingitmoredifficulttofindwastefulcontracts.ThelastStateBudgetexemptedUWfromtherequirementtoperformCostBenefitAnalysisbeforesigninglargecontractsfor services (over$25,000).Whenall

otherstateagenciesdothis,whytheex-emptionforUW?Themessageseemstobethatwedonotcarewhethercontract-ingoutwastesmoneyornot.Ormaybelegislatorsthinknoonewillnoticethe

sweetheart deals tocorporationsiftheyarespunas“flexibility”forUW. L itt le infor-mationisavailableonstate contracts, andthishideswaste--orworse.Forexample,no

oneknowshowmanycontractworkersarelaboringforstateagenciesandtheUW,orwheretheyallare.Manycontractfirmsperformworkoutofstate,creat-ingjobselsewherewithourtaxmoney.Governmentcontractfirmsoftendonatemoneytopoliticalpartiesandcandidatestoshoreuptheirfuturebusinesspros-pects:thisfeedsthebig-moneypoliticsthatout-shoutsthevoiceofordinaryvot-ersandcitizens. Inotherways, too,ourdemo-craticvoiceisunderminedbythesetax-fedcorporationsthatplunderourpublicsectorforprofit.In2004,thestatehiredAccenture to build a voter registra-tionsystemeventhoughAccenturehadhelpedcreateFlorida’sfaultyfelonliststhatbarredlegitimatevotersfromthepolls.WisconsinhadtofireAccenturein2007foritsunderperformanceonthisproject.Sincethen,Accenturepickedupothercontractswiththestate,includingasubstantialroleonthe$81millionUWpayrollsystemproject.Thisillustratesthataccountabilityisnotenforcedfor

privatecontractors. Let’sendthiswasteandcorrup-tion.Thefirststepistodemandthatourstate’selectedleadersmandategreatertransparencyofstatecontracts.Required,automatic,fullaccountingoftheseproj-ectsbeforeandaftercompletionwouldshowclearlywherethewasteisgreatest,sothatwemayexciseit.

Waste Grows in the Darkness of the State’s Private Contracts

Don’t throw t h i s p a p e r

away....

Give it to some-one else to

read!

By Duane Konkel

Insteadoftacklingtheproblemofwastefulcontracts,theWalkerAdministration has

triedtocoveritup.

PhotobyLeónCarlosMiranda

6—WorksinProgress June2012

Jackpine Savages, Bolt Weevils, and Solidarity Tractorcades The Radical Rural Roots Behind the Wisconsin UprisingOnSat.March13th,2011over50tractors(plusacoupleofmanurespreadersandaselfpropelledcombine)convergedonMadison,WIforthePullTogetherFarmerLabor Solidarity Trac-torcade.Over150,000people were there togreet the tractors asthey circled the StateCapitol for the largestprotestinWisconsinhis-tory.TheNYTimeshaddeclaredtheWisconsinUprising“over”justtheday before after Gov-ernorWalkermanagedto railroad his budgetdeformbillthroughthelegislature.Theywereobviouslysurprisedbythecontinuedagitation,bolsteredbythelikesofstereotypicallyconservativefamilyfarmersfromacrossthestate.Didsomeonenotgetthememoorreadtheirblog?Sadly,thisignoranceofradicalru-ralprotestheritagewasnotlimitedtobigcitypunditsandevencaughtmanyMid-west-basedorganizersoffguard.What

wouldmotivateafarmkidinBearValleytodriveacrankytractortwicehisagesixhoursonafrigidmorningtojointeachers,firefighters,andnursesatafarawayrally

inMadison? Well,quitealotitturnsoutifonetakesthetimeandefforttotalk to some eldersandreadafewbooks!Several dozen mostlyyoungeractivistsmadeanefforttoovercomethisculturalamnesiabytakingpartinaHistoryofRadicalRuralPoliticsin theMidwest serieshostedbytheMadison

Infoshop,RainbowBookstore,andtheMadisonFreeSchoolthislastspring.Thesuggestedreadingscoveredoveracen-tury’sworthofamazing-yetlargelyfor-gotten–outbreaksofruralrevoltwhichhelpedsetthestageforthestatewidesolidarity thatprovidedthebackboneandstaminabehindthecurrentongo-ingprotest(manyofthesediscussions

are also archivedaspodcastsaspartofanongoingoralhistoryproject-forrelevantlinksvisit:www.madisonin-foshop.org).Itwasno historic acci-dent that this lat-estepisodeofpop-ularresistancewasdubbed the Ched-darRevolution. A m o n gthebest speechesfrom last year’scapitol protestswas that by TonySchultz, a youngcommunity sup-portedagriculture(CSA)farmerfromAthens,WI.BeforethemassivecrowdonMarch13thheinvokedthewordsofthefamous19thcenturyMinnesotaPopulistandFarm-ersAllianceleader,IgnatiusDonnelly:“The interests ofruralandurban laborarethesame.Theirenemiesareidentical.”Boththe National Farmers Union and theNonPartisanLeague(NPL)provedespe-ciallyeffectiveintheearly20thcenturyatmobilizing farmersacross theMid-westtojoinotherworkingclassalliesinsupportofmanyrightsnowtakenforgranted:theeighthourday, limitsonchild labor,workmen’s compensation,women’ssuffrage,minimumwageandprogressivetaxation.InNorthDakota,theNPLevencreatedstateownedbanksandgrainmillstocounterrampantWallStreet corruption. Woody Guthrie in-vokedthislegacyinhisfamous“FarmerLaborTrain”songanditcertainlyreso-natedinTonySchultz’wordsthatday,travelingaroundtheworldviaYouTubetobeheardbyprotestersfromCairotoAthens to London. (You canwatch ityourselfat:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKOvqXoWB7s) ShortlyaftertheTeachingAs-sistantsAssociation(TAA)kickedofftheUprisingwithaWeLoveUWValentine’sDaymarchonthecapitolFebruary14th,2011,theMadisonBranchoftheIndus-trialWorkersoftheWorld(IWW)madeacallforaGeneralStrike,andlatertheAFL-CIOaffiliatedSouthCentralFedera-tionofLabor(SCFL)passedaresolutionsupportingeducationaroundageneralstrike. Flying squads of Wobblies ar-rived fromacross thecountryandaniconicEricDrookerimageoftheIWW’sblackcatsoondecoratedt-shirts,plac-ards,buttons,andtheverywallsoftheStateCapitolitself.Similar“silentagita-tors”hadtauntedthetimberbaronsandminingmagnatesacenturyagowhentheIWWledaseriesofstrikesacrosstheNorthWoodsfromMinnesotatoWiscon-sintoMichigan.FoundedinChicagoin1905bythelikesofMotherJones,BigBillHaywood,EmmaGoldman,andLucyParsons,theIWWwasthefirsttowel-comewomen,AfricanAmericans,andim-migrantsintoitsOneBigUnion.ThroughtheAgriculturalWorkersOrganization,theIWWwasalsothefirstuniontose-riouslyorganizeamongstmigrantfarmworkers,withover100,000“harveststiffs”initsMidwestranksbytheendofWorldWar1.Beingstrictlynon-partisanandindustriallyorganized,puttingallwork-ersinthesameunionregardlessoftrade,theIWWisnotpronetoelectoralcoopta-

tionbypoliticalpartiesorthedivideandruletacticsofbusinessunionbureaucrats.ThefailuretolaunchastatewidegeneralstrikewasprobablytheworststumbleoftheCheddarRevolution,thoughthein-spiredmulti-daysick-outbymembersofMadisonTeachersInc.(MTI)hadamajorimpact. JoelGreeno,wasanotherchar-ismaticandarticulateorganizerbehindtheMarch13thtractorcade.ThisyoungdairyfarmerfromKendall,WIpatientlyexplainedincountlessmediainterviewsthatanyattackonworkers’rightstocol-lectivelyorganizethroughunionswasalsoanattackonfarmers’rightstodothesamethroughco-ops–andthema-jorityofdairyfarmersintheU.S.dependuponsuchmarketingincommonfortheirsurvival.ThecooperativetraditionintheMidweststemslargelyfromScandina-vianimmigrants,whosettledoveracen-turyago.Alongwiththeirappreciationoflefse,cinnamon,andlutefisk,cameadvocacyofreciprocity,mutualaid,andsolidarity.CooperativesremainabedrockofWisconsin’seconomytoday–infact,thereare844co-opswith2.7millionmembers,generating$5.6billioninsalesperyear,nowoperatingstatewide.SowhencheeringUnionCabdriversgreetedthetractorcadewithpicketsignspro-claiming“CooperativesHavePrinciples”therewasnothinglostintranslation. Skyrocketing unemployment,runaway poverty, price rigging com-moditymarkets,greedybanksgrabbingfarmlandthroughforeclosure,taxbreaksfortherichwhilethepoorsuffercutstobasicsocialservices-thesearenotpar-tisanissues.Yet,manyoutsideobserversweresurprisedtolearnthattherewereRepublicansandLibertarians(alongwithDemocrats, Independents, and GreenPartysupporters)withinthetractorcade.Onceagain,adeepergraspofruralhis-torywouldhavemadethisrealityobvious.Over11,000Wisconsinfamilyfarmers(oneoutofseven)relyuponBadgerCare,soaskingthemto“sacrifice”morewhileWalkerdoledoutmillionstohiscronies(including$13.6millioninincometaxre-batesforfactoryfarmoperatorsalone!)wasjusttoomuchtostomach.SimilarruralgrievancesweretherallyingcriesbehindtheNationalHolidayAssociationandtheFarmerLaborAlliancethattook

Short Reading List:"The Prejudice Against Country People" - by: Wendell Berry. Progressive, April 2002.

http://www.soc.iastate.edu/soc130/Readings/Prejudice%20Against%20Country%20People.pdf

"The Very Picture of Anarchy - Women in the Oshkosh Woodworkers Strike of 1898" - by: Virginia Glenn Crane. http://darrow.law.umn.edu/documents/Very_Pictures_of_Anar-

chy_crane.pdf

"Riot, Revolution, Repression in the Iron Range Strike of 1916" - by Neil Betten. Min-nesota History Magazine, Summer 1968.

http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/41/v41i02p082-094.pdf

"Revolt of the Timber Beasts - IWW Lumber Strike in Minnesota" - by: John L. Haynes. Minnesota History, Spring 1971. http://www.mnhs.org/market/mhspress/minnesotahis-

tory/xml/v42i05.xml

"Standing Tall With Big Annie" - by: Daina Paiz Engel. Michigan History Magazine, July/Aug. 1999

Black Settlers in Rural Wisconsin - by: Zachary Cooper. State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1977.

Born in the Country - A History of Rural America - by: David B. Danbom. John Hopkins Univ. Press, 2006.

Farm and Factory: Workers in the Midwest, 1890-1990 - by: Daniel Nelson. Indiana Univ. Press, 1995.

"Farmers Take a Holiday" - Chapter 5 in Toward the Cooperative Commonwealth: An Introductory History of the Farmer Labor Movement in MN (1917-1948) - by: Thomas

O'Connell. Union Institute, PhD Thesis, 1979. http://justcomm.org/fla-hist.htm

"Movement Made of Young Mexican Americans Seeking Change: Critical Citizenship, Migration, and the Chicano Movement in Texas and Wisconsin, 1960-1975" - by: Marc

Simon Rodriguez. Western Historical Quarterly, Autumn 2003.

Farm Labor Movement in the Midwest - by: W.K. Barger and Ernesto M. Raza. Univ. fo TX Press, 1993.

Powerline: The First Battle of America's Energy War - by: Barry Casper and Paul Well-stone. Univ. of MA Press, 1981.

Raising Less Corn and More Hell: Midwestern Farmers Speak Out - by: Jim Schwab. Univ. of IL Press, 1988.

Hard-Pressed in the Heartland: The Hormel Strike and the Future of the American Labor Movement - by: Peter Rachleff. South End Press, 1999.

"Slaughterhouse Fight: A Look at the Hormel Strike" - by Steve Boyce, Jake Edwards and Tom Wetzel

http://ideasandaction.info/2010/08/25th-anniversary-of-the-hormel-strike/

"Hold the Pepperoni - Tyson Workers on Strike" - by: Ricky Baldwin, Z Magazine, Aug. 2003.

http://www.zcommunications.org/hold-the-pepperoni-tyson-workers-on-strike-by-ricky-baldwin

"The Crandon Mine Saga" - Douglas J. Buege. Z Magazine, Feb. 2004.http://djbuege.com/nevermind.html

"Crandon Mine Victory in Wisconsin Won by Historic Alliance" - Debra McNutt and Zoltan Grossman. Earth First Journal, Brigid 2004http://www.earthfirstjournal.org/article.php?id=15

"Making a Statement With Our Tractors" - by: Joel Greeno. Other Words, May 9, 2011. http://www.otherwords.org/articles/making_a_statement_with_our_tractors

Skyrocketingunemploy-ment, runawaypoverty,price rigging of com-moditymarkets,greedybanksgrabbingfarmlandthroughforeclosure,taxbreaksfortherichwhilethepoor suffer cuts tobasic social services -thesearenotpartisanis-sues.

>Continuedonpage7

By John Peck

Photo by Tessa Echeverria

June2012 WorksinProgress—7

sueofactualpoliticsthatdidnotbreakthroughtheusuallines.

In the meantime…Public Sector Unions in Decline

Astherecallschargedforwardwiththesupportoforganizedlabor,pub-licsectorunionsfacingWalker’sattackshavebeenindecline.OnAugust25th2011,Act10wentintoeffect,officiallyendingautomaticduescollectionandrecognition,turningWisconsin’spublicsectorintoanopenshop.Sincethattime,theWallStreetJournalreportedthattheAmericanFederationofState,CountyandMunicipalEmployees(AFSCME)’smem-bershipstatewidehasjustaboutbeencutinhalf,AmericanFederationofTeachers(AFT)haslostaboutathirdoftheirmem-bership,andtheWisconsinEducationAs-sociationCouncil(WEAC)laidoffalargefractionoftheirstaff. Asthiswashappening,unionscontributedmillionsofdollarsanddedi-catedmanystafftotherecalls(thetotalspentonbothsideswasabout$30mil-lion),makingwayforthecriticismthatthat money couldhave been betterusedtotrainunionmembers and or-ganize to keep theunions together. Acase in point wasover a strike andlock-outatManito-wocCraneinMani-towoc Wisconsin,whenunionworkersthere took actionagainsttheirprivateemployer attempt-ingtobringAct10totheprivatesector.TheMachinistsUnionthere went out onstrikewithlittlesup-port,especiallywithsomanyofAFL-CIOstaffersdedicatedtotherecalls. Apointthatwasmadebythelaborleftisthatthis“all-in”strategywithregardtotherecallsneglectedworkplace issuesandshiedaway frommilitancy thatcouldhavecreatedpressureontheWalkeradmin-istrationdirectly.Whileitmaybealarm-

ingtoseethelaborofficialdomoptforastrategytochangeelectedofficialsratherthanaworkplacestrategy,itisinmanywaysexpected:afterthewaveofmili-tancythatbroughtthemintobeinginthe1960’sand1970’s,publicsectorunionsturnedtolobbyingastheirprimaryfocus,withalimitedcultureofmembermobili-zation.

This Changes Things.

Where does aWalkervictoryleaveus?Intermsofpolicy it’llcertainlybemoreofthesame.BothWalkerandBarrettarecommittedto capitalist austerity,makingworkerspayforthecrisiswehavebeeninsince2008;inthe2010race,Barrettrepeatedthathewasgoingto“giveMad-isonahaircut”,indicatinghisintenttocutstateprograms. Havingsurvivedhis recall,anemboldenedWalkerwill increase thewaveofattacksthathebroughtaboutsincehistermbeganlastyear.Afirstarea

offocuswillbedismantlingthepublicpensionsystem: ina recentarticle intheMilwaukeeJournalSentinelJasonRichwineoftheconservativeHeritageInstitutewroteadefenseofthe“mod-eratereform”.Anotherpotentialthreat,

unthinkable only a few years ago, ismakingWisconsinaRight-to-Workstate.Right-to-worklegislationprohibitsfairshareagreementsbetweenunionsandemployers,allowsworkerstooptoutofpayinguniondues,underminingunionsandworkplacesolidarity.Lastly,whilethePenokeeMine,partlyontriballand,

in northern Wis-consinfellthroughlastyear,theproj-ectmayreturninthecomingyear. W h a t ’ s r e -ally worth think-ingabout ishowthiswillshiftthebalance of politi-calpower inWis-consin. For thirtyyears, the Demo-

craticPartyofWisconsinhashadaveryclose relationship with public sectorunions,basedoffofbargainingbetweenthestateandtheunions,wherehypo-theticallytheDemocratswerethepoliti-caladvocatesofthepublicsector.ButthedeclineofthepublicsectorunionswillactuallyaffectthestrengthoftheDemo-

craticParty. This is not be-causethepartywill lose unionmoney forcam-paigns,whichisrelatively smallcompared tocorporate fund-ing,butbecausetheunionpoliti-cal infrastruc-turewillnotbeabletocontinueas their mem-bership srhinks.Duringelectionsin general andthisrecallinpar-ticular, unionsput their mem-bers towork inGetOutTheVote(GOTV) driveswhile lending

staffforcampaigning.Thiscreatesare-lationshipbetweenunionandparty,andwiththedeclineofpublicsectorunionsupporttheDemocraticPartywillnothavethesamereachasitdidpreviously.Moretothepoint,problematicasthetie

theMidwestbystorminthe1930s,trig-geringthefamous1933Wisconsinmilkstrike.Backthen,fedupfarmersandtheirallieshadfewqualmsaboutrun-ningbankstersoutoftownwithpennyauctionsordynamitingscabcreameries.Duringthepowerlinefightacrosscen-tralMinnesotainthe1970’s,hundredsoffarmersdefiedstatetroopersusinganhydrousammonia,livestockmanure,andwhateverothermeanswereneces-sary. Ultimatelymillionsofdollarsofsabotage,includingmidnighttopplingofpowerlineswasdoneinthenameoftheBoltWeevilsandtheseheroictalesofgrassrootsresistancearestillbeingpasseddowntoruralchildrentoday. Iftherewasanysilverliningto

theCheddarRevolution,itwasthede-featthisyearofoneofWalker’smajorcorporatewelfareschemesfortheNorthWoods-theproposedGogebicTaconinte(GTAC)openpitironoremineinthePe-nokeeHillsnearLakeSuperior.Thissuc-cessfulgrassrootscampaignwasbuiltuponthe lessons learned fromearlierepisodesofcrosscultural ruralurbancoalitionbuildingthatalsobroughtto-gethertribalcommunities,familyfarmers,hunters,andfishingenthusiastswithen-vironmentalists,faithbasedgroups,socialjusticeandanti-corporateactivists.Twosuchexamplesincludethe1990sCran-donMinefight(whichpittedthemythi-calHodaganditsmanyalliesfromEarthFirst!totheMoleLakeSakaogonagainstthemercenariesofExxon/Kennecott/Rio

Algom),andthewaterprivatizationfightthatkickedNestle/Perrieroutofthestatein2002.OtherruralstrugglesarenowunderwayinWisconsin-againstfactoryfarms, fracking sandmining, high voltagepowerlines, low leveldroneflights,tonameafew.Inordertowinthese latest battles,rural folks and theirfriendswillcontinuetodrawuponthishistoriclegacyofradicalresis-tance. To paraphrasethe19thcenturyIrishimmigrantandPopulistsoapboxer,MaryEliza-bethLease,weallstill

needtoraiselesscornandmorehellintheyearsahead.

Family Farm Defenders: Fighting for Fair Trade, Economic Justice, Workers Rights, Sustainable Agriculture, and Food

Sovereignty since 1994!

Apointthatwasmadebythelaborleftisthatthis“all-in”strategywithregardtotherecallshasneglectedunionorganizing and shied awayfrom militancy that couldhavecreatedpressureontheadministrationdirectly.

>Recall continuedfrompage1

>Rural Radicalismcontinuedfrompage6

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betweenunionsandDemocratsis,theabsenceofunion swayon theDemo-craticPartyopenstheDemocratsuptoevenmoreblatantcorporateinfluenceforresourcesneededtowinelection,andwecanexpecttheDemocratstoshiftevenfurthertotheright.Insuchasituationthedynamicbetweenthecapitalistpar-ties,andtheimpactthathasuponordi-narypeople,islikelytochange. Are thereopportunitieshere?Thereisincreasingneedtorespondtothecrisis,andWalker’sattacksinmanywayspointtowhatamovementwillhavetotakeup:new(andold!)formsofworkerorganization,demandsfortheprotectionandextensionofpublicservices,engage-mentwithWalker’sstrategiesincludingdemands fora just taxsystem,devel-opmentofindependentpoliticsastheDemocratsmovefurthertotherightandexperimentationwithmilitanttactics,es-peciallyasthecontractsbindingpublicsectorunionsdisappear.

Submit! Articles, analysis, opinions, art, photos, announcements, poems, event reports, etc.Works in ProgressDeadline July 15thSend to:Madison.worksinprogress@gmail.com

“Works in Progress”1019 Williamson St,

Madison, WI 53703

8—WorksinProgress June2012

Inefficiency,incompetence,andcorruptioncanruinabusiness,andareeven lesswelcome inour tax-fundedpublicservices.WisconsininstitutedCivilServiceinitsstategovernmentover100yearsagotoaddresstheseproblems,andtocounterpatronageand the “spoils”system.However,recentthreatstotheCivilServicesystemhaveweakenedit,tothedetrimentofWisconsincitizensandtoourreputationforcleangovernment.Forexample,GovernorWalkerremovedtheDept.ofCommercefromtheCivilService.Nowtheprofessionalsatthequasi-privateWEDCserveat-willand“atthepleasure”ofpoliticalappointees,makingthemvulnerabletocorruptionwhenhandlinglargefundsforeconomicdevelopment. Willprojectsfundedreallybethebestonesforourstate,orjustbestforfriendsoftheGovernorandhisparty?

AnearlymottoofWisconsin’sCivilSer-vicewas“Thebestshallservethestate,”butthat’snottruewhenpoliticalappoin-teesfillmorekeypositions.TheBudgetRepairBill(Act10)alsoremovedcertainpositionsfromtheCivilService–includ-ingagencyChiefCounsels,PublicInfor-mationOfficersandLegislativeLiaisions.Somefacesstayedthesame,butinothercasesthesepositionsarenowoccupiedbypurepartyhackswhoneverwouldhavebeenjudgedqualifiedunderCivilService. CivilServicemeanshiringgov-ernmentemployeesbasedonrealmerit–competitiverecruitmentandobjectivecriteria.Therevivalofso-calledmeritpayattheDepartmentofJustice,UW-Madison,andelsewhere,alsocompro-misesCivil Service and cleangovern-ment.Thereisnorationalsystemfordistributingthesearbitrarybonuses.It

isatrue“spoils”system:afewmanag-ersaregiventhepowertorunfiefdomsbasedontheirpersonalwhims.Vagueexplanationsof“market-based”raisesand“merit-based”awardsshouldnotfoolus,especiallywhenpeopledoingthesametypeandqualityofworkarepaiddifferentlyfornogoodreason.Favoritesandflatterswillberewarded.Objectivityandfairness,andcompetentlydoingthestate’sbusiness,becomedistantsecondconsiderations. UW’sHumanResourcesDesignproject runs directly counter to CivilService principles. Proposals includeabandoninghundredsofcurrentjobde-scriptions,collapsingmanyjobcatego-riesinone“broadband,”changingthecompensationsystemwithoutresearchorevidence,anddroppinglong-standingpracticessuchasrespectingseniorityingrantingvacations,andrequiring just

causefordiscipline.Thesechangeswillradicallyrealignthecampuscommunityandcompromisethequality,competence,andindependentthinkingweexpectfromourfacultyandstaff.Thiswillleadourgreatuniversityinthewrongdirection.Civilserviceisasystemforcleangov-ernmentthat’sbeenaroundsincetheQindynasty(221-207BCE)andwasim-portantintheRomanEmpire.Thefed-eralgovernmentadoptedCivilServicereformsafteradisgruntledoffice-seekershotPresidentMcKinley.WisconsinwasoneoftheearlystatestoestablishCivilServiceonJune17,1905,underGovernorBobLaFollette, SaveWisconsin’sCivilServicetomakesureourpublicagenciesarenot“OpenforBusiness”tocorruptionandin-competence.

Save Civil Service in WisconsinByTonyReeves

MadCityVeganFesttookplaceSaturdaythe9thattheGoodmanCom-munityCenterontheeastside.Thefes-tivaldrewanumberofMadisonarearesidentsaswellasatsomefromtheMilwaukee,Chicago,theTwinCitiesandbeyond.TheVeganFestseekstoprovideaspacewhereveganculturecanbecele-bratedasaway“toalleviatethesufferingofhumansandanimalsalike”,whilealsoprovidinginformationtothoseinterestedinveganism.Veganismforthoseunsureisanideawhoseproponentsdotheirbesttoavoidusingproductsproducedbyani-malssuchasameat,dairy,andleather. MadCityVeganFestfeaturedashowingofregionalandnationalani-malwelfareandrightsgroupsaswellassampletablesfromvariouscompaniesand cooperatives that provide every-thingfromveganmeatanalogsorbakedgoodstoartisansoaps,yardsupplies,andevensailingvacations.AlongwiththesevariousexhibiterstheeventbroughtinspeakerslikeColleenPatrick-Goudreautoleadcookingdemonstrationsshowcasinghowdeliciousanddesirableveganfoodcanbeaswellasfolkswhowereabletotalkaboutthehealthandpoliticalissuessurroundingveganism.IspentmostofthetimeIwastherewel-comingfolkstothefestivalandhandingoutprograms.Icaughtthefinalspeaker,ChefNjathiKabui,animmigrantfromKenyawhoisanorganicfarmerwithamaster’sdegreeinMedicalAnthropologyandUrbanStudies,whogaveatalktitled,“Veganism,Health,andFoodJusticeinModernDayKenya.”IendedupbeingveryhappyIwasabletoattend,andnotjustforthewonderfullypreparedmilletandbeetdish.ChefKabuitalkedabouthisfamilyhistorywithfoodactivismdat-ingbacktohisgrandfatheradvocatingagainsttheexportingofKenyanfood-stuffsforfearofafamines(foreshad-owingfaminesmerelytwoyearslater)

Kabui’stalkavoidedtheoftenlimitedpoliticaldiscussionthatveganismengen-ders.Instead,Kabuiarticulatelyarguedfortheintertwiningofanimalandhumanliberation. SpeakingaboutKenya,ChefKa-buiexplainedlackofcontroloverfoodisthemostdestructiveoppressionsomeonecanbeunder.Withoutcontrolofone’sfood,otherconcernsarenecessarilysub-ordinated.Asavegan,myconcernforothersincludesanimals.ButveganismisreallyonlypossibilityformebecauseIamluckyenoughtoliveundercertainsocialconditions,withsomeautonomyovermyfoodschoices,whichallowmetoconceiveofextendingconsiderationtootheranimals.IfIwantotherstochoosetoavoidusinganimalstosatisfytheirneedsIfirstmustensuretheyaresuf-ficientlyempoweredtomakethatkindof decision. Chef Kabui’s underliningmessageseemedtobeifwearecompas-sionate,justiceorientedindividuals,andIthinkmostvegansare,wemustnot,infactcannotliberateotheranimalsunlesswejoinotherhumanbeingsinliberatingourselves.Likethepreviousyear,thisyear’sVeganFestwasawonderfulexperience.Ien-joyedmanysamplesandsomegreatfoodand even stocked up on some veganmarshmallowsfromChicagoSoyDairy,butbyfarthemostenjoyablepartwaslisteningthelectures.Evenasaself-pro-fessedleftist,sometimesitfeelslikethestruggleforveganismandthestruggleforaworldbeyondcapitalismareexplicitlylinked.ButasKabuiremindedme,thesestrugglesarelinkedandanimalliberationisimpossiblewithoutalsoensuringhu-manliberation.http://veganfest.org(websiteforthefes-tival)http://organicsandsound.com(ChefKa-bui’sorganization)

Madison’s Second Vegan Fest byJoshuaKissel

Answersforthesudokuwillbeinthenextpaper,alongwithanewpuzzle.

Sudoku!

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94

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84

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