22 February, 2011Opposition to the anti-union onslaught against public sector workers in Wisconsin, USA goes global, as unions from around the world protest Governor Scott Walker's plan to deny democracy and fundamental rights.
USA: The International Metal Workers' Federation (IMF) and the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM) joined the international outcry against Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's major assault on the rights of public sector workers to union representation and collective bargaining, with heavy pay cuts and new obstacles to freedom of association.
Governor Scott Walker plans to immediately eliminate collective bargaining rights for academic faculty, hospital workers, child care and home care workers and effectively eliminate these rights for all other public sector workers except police and fire.
Walker wants to remove all collective bargaining rights, except for salary, for all of the roughly 175,000 public employees starting July 1, 2011. Local police, fire and the state patrol would be exempt. Any requests for a salary increase higher than the consumer price index would have to be approved by referendum.
Contracts would be limited to one year and wages would be frozen until the next contract is settled. Public employers would be prohibited from collecting union dues and members of collective bargaining units would not be required to pay dues. The bill also would remove the right for University of Wisconsin faculty and staff to form unions.
The IMF and ICEM wrote to the Governor on February 21, demanding he reconsider his plans to damage social infrastructure and deny fundamental rights.
"The elimination of collective bargaining for public workers is a serious affront to dedicated staff, employees who keep the peace, teach Wisconsin's young, and provide necessary services to all. We urge you to look at constructive labour-management partnerships in Wisconsin public service, and then ask what gain there is in destroying such public models?" write IMF General Secretary Jyrki Raina and ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda.
The statement joins with other urgent action requests, including from Public Services International and the International Confederation of Trade Unions.
"The USA was built on the foundations of freedom and democracy, but will certainly lose its claim to be the Land of the Free with this kind of extremist agenda. The entire international trade union movement stands in solidarity with these American workers whose rights are under such heavy attack, and we will do everything we can to support them," said ITUC General Secretary Sharon Burrow.