6/14/11 – Wisconsin’s largest teachers union has changed its mind about not having an organized protest at the State Capitol against the proposed budget. On its Web site Monday, WEAC has asked teachers to drive to Madison Tuesday to quote, “Stand up for democracy.” Last week, union president Mary Bell told a reporter that many teachers would not be able to make it to the Capitol because of school and part-time jobs. But WEAC now says it wants members to rally against quote, “a budget that guts public schools, strips workers of their rights, and erodes our state’s quality-of-life.” Among other things, the budget cuts 800-million-dollars in state aid to public schools over the next two years. The teachers’ union says its protest will begin late tomorrow morning on the Capitol Square, and a late afternoon rally is planned near the “Walkerville” protest tents on State Street. Also, the Wisconsin A-F-L C-I-O has asked its supporters to sign petitions against the limits on collective bargaining that might be placed into the budget if the courts don’t approve the law by later in the week.
