Huge Pittsburgh Rally Supports Wisconsin Workers

Social Justice, Economic Fairness Belong in All Workplaces

For more information contact: Doug May (USW) – 412-562-2450

PITTSBURGH – An overflow crowd of union members and working-class Americans packed the lobby of United Steelworker headquarters and into the streets in a rally to show solidarity with state employees in Wisconsin, Indiana and Ohio and other states where freedom to organize and bargain collectively has come under attack in recent weeks.

“The recent wave of attacks on public employees is not the fault of the workers but the result of giving enormous tax breaks to the rich and the ultra-rich,” said USW International President Leo W. Gerard. “Public sector unions are being vilified, used as the scapegoats as  budget shortfalls are, pure and simple, being used as political fodder to turn Americans against organized labor,” he said. 

Gerard told the crowd that reduced tax revenues from tax cuts for the wealthy, two unfunded wars, trade deals that have resulted in 55,000 manufacturing plants closing in the United States the past ten years is where the blame lies, not modest pension plans for a retired teacher.

He compared the 20 U.S top hedge fund managers annual income as being equivalent to an entire year’s salary for fifty school teachers in every county, in every state of America.  “If you could create jobs by giving tax breaks to the rich, after eight years of the Bush regime, we should have full employment, he said.”

Nationally syndicated columnist Jim Hightower told the crowd, “ What they’ve done is like poking a stick at a sleeping dog as workers across American have awakened and are fighting back for the middle class.” 

A Pew Research survey has shown that three out of four Americans believe the efforts by Wisconsin Governor Walker,  abolishing collective bargaining is wrong.  Hightower said, “The growing list of Governors, following the same blame-the-unions script, must think they are top dogs and we are a bunch of fire hydrants.” Hightower said, “It’s up to us to stand up”, he said.