Madison, WI – As of 3:00 p.m. today, March 12, the number of protesters at the state capitol here has swelled to more than 150,000. Senators who had left Wisconsin in an attempt to block Governor Walker’s union-busting legislations returned to an enthusiastic welcome.

Freedom Road Socialist Organization salutes the workers, students and community participants in the March 12 protest in Madison, Wisconsin. Everyone filling the streets around the state capitol is sending a clear message to the rich and powerful – we will not sit back in silence while our right to collectively bargain is taken away. The moment has arrived to stand up and do whatever it takes to defend our unions, our standard of living, and our future.

Madison, WI – As of 1:00 pm today, March 12, about 70,000 protesters have converged on the Wisconsin State Capitol. Trade unionists and supporters from around the state are arriving in buses. The streets around the capitol are full of marchers, with more arriving every moment.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following article from Workers World

Madison, WI – Massive protests are expected here, March 12. Tens of thousands of workers, students and community members are expected to converge on the state capitol Saturday afternoon. Buses have been chartered from across the state.

Photo journalist Jacob Flom has created a powerful photo essay documenting the struggle inside the Wisconsin capitol during the final hours before the State Assembly stripped public workers of the right to bargain collectively. Flom’s photographs are visual testaments to the power and determination of Wisconsin workers who will continue their fight until victory.

Madison, WI – After weeks of intense struggle across Wisconsin, on March 10 the state assembly has passed the union-busting bill pushed by Governor Scott Walker and the Republican Party. The assembly voted 53-42 in favor of the bill, which is expected to be signed into law by Governor Walker shortly.

Madison, WI – As Republicans made use of a parliamentary maneuver to ram through major sections of their anti-union legislation, thousands stormed the Capitol last night, March 9, and hundreds remained overnight.

Madison, WI – As of 9:00 p.m. this evening, March 9, the Wisconsin state capitol building is packed with protesters who are outraged by Republican moves to strip state workers of their collective bargaining rights.

Madison, WI – This evening, March 9, Republican senators here pressed forward with legislation that strips public employees of their collective bargaining rights. Protestors are converging on state capitol building, where there is a heavy police presence.

Madison, WI – Seeing their governor friend in office plummet in the polls, the Koch front group, Americans for Prosperity (AFP) organized a bus tour that traversed the state of Wisconsin last week. The bus tour ended in Madison yesterday, March 6. In one city and town after another, protesters met the bus with a firm message: “Kill the bill,” “Recall the Republican 8,” and “Stop the attacks on public workers.”

Madison, WI – The people of Wisconsin will not give up. The fight against Governor Scott Walker's plan to destroy public sector unions, public schools and social services is a daily theme in all parts of this state. Protests are ongoing, some numbering in the thousands. Last Saturday, March 5, tens of thousands march here.

Pewaukee, WI – 1500 demonstrators lined the street outside of Country Springs Hotel, March 7 to protest against Governor Scott Walker’s appearance with right-wing radio talk show host Charlie Sykes. Firefighters, teachers, healthcare workers, sheet metal workers and students chanted “Recall Walker!” and “Union rights are under attack! What do we do? Stand up, fight back!” as passing cars honked to the rhythm of “Kill-the-bill! Kill the bill!”

_Strange and desperate attempt to divide growing union movement _

On March 3, notorious right-wing FOX TV personality Glenn Beck launched a 12-minute attack against Fight Back! News, the Committee to Stop FBI Repression and many individual labor and anti-war activists associated with these projects. The purpose of his attack was to try to sow division among the many forces that have united in Wisconsin to boldly fight back against the anti-union agenda of Governor Scott Walker.

Minneapolis, MN – On March 2, Mario Colloly Torres was fired from his retail cleaning job at Cub Foods. Torres is a leader in the campaign for justice for retail cleaning workers. The campaign is organized by the Center for Workers United in Struggle or Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en Lucha (CTUL) in Spanish. CTUL is organizing low paid, mostly immigrant workers at major retail stores such as Cub, Lunds & Byerly's, Target, and Supervalu to fight for better wages, working conditions, and the right to organize.

Trenton, NJ – About 6000 public workers turned up in a pouring rain here, Feb. 25 to stop New Jersey Governor Christopher Christie's campaign to strip their unions of collective bargaining rights. The main sponsors were the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) and Communications Workers of America (CWA). The rally strongly supported the heroic struggle of Wisconsin public workers to keep their collective bargaining rights. Unions contributed checks in support of the Wisconsin workers. Several ralliers wore cheesehead hats and many carried signs in support of the Wisconsin workers. Christie claims that since the state's finances are wreck, workers have to give up bargaining rights. He is particularly intent on destruction of the 208,000-member NJEA, one of the most influential teachers' unions in the country. This is the same guy who, immediately upon taking office, allowed an upper-bracket income tax to expire, costing the state $1 billion a year in lost revenue. Then he inflicted brutal cuts in state aid to schools and municipalities. The workers know where the blame lies and they aren't having any of it. The state's pension fund is over $100 billion in deficit in its obligations to employees. For 17 years the state has paid only a pittance, if anything, to the fund while workers paid full up per contract. Even more, the fiscal crisis is due to the Wall Street collapse of 2008. The masses know it, for the entire governor's plan is nonsense. The militancy is flowing upward to the union leadership. NJEA President Barbara Keshishian denounced the governor's “well organized and well funded war to destroy labor unions and public education.”

_Fighting back against Gov. Walker’s attempts to destroy public sector unions and slash funding for education _

Milwaukee, WI – Over 1500 students and workers walked out Mar. 2 at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in protest of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's plan to destroy public sector unions and slash funding for public education. Initiated by Milwaukee Students for a Democratic Society, the protest included a worker contingent of AFSCME, TAUWP and AFT union members. The protest took place on the National Day of Action to Defend Education.

Madison, WI – Sixty protesters remain inside the state capitol building on the evening of March 2.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from Milwaukee Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).