This past Tuesday, we watched with pride as our sisters and brothers in Wisconsin recalled two anti-worker state senators. AFSCME and our allies worked tirelessly to take back Wisconsin ever since Governor Scott Walker and fellow republicans passed their anti-freedom "Budget Repair Bill" which eliminated collective bargaining for public employees. Here in Missouri, we stood in solidarity with Wisconsin's working families and we couldn't have been more inspired as election results rolled in and we watched history being made.
As was written in the New York Times today, "Voters around the country who oppose the widespread efforts to undermine public unions - largely financed by corporate interests - should draw strength from Tuesday's success, not discouragement." The message out of Wisconsin is warning to union busters everywhere, including here in Missouri.
It's obvious from the national attention paid to the fight to take back their state that the message Wisconsin citizens sent to Scott Walker and his anti-worker cronies is one that legislators across the country need to hear: Working families and America's middle class won't sit idly by if you attack us.
As President McEntee writes, "These victories send a powerful, undeniable message to governors, legislators and candidates in every state who think that they can continue to attack the working middle class, public services and the basic rights of workers."
We look forward to continuing to advocate for Missouri's working families and we won't back down. We know and expect anti-worker legislators and candidates will target us in the coming months, but we know that no matter what they try to attack us with, we will have the voice of the people on our side, and as they spoke in Wisconsin on Tuesday, voters will reject politicians who payback their greedy CEO buddies by playing games with the livelihoods and futures of Missouri's and America's middle class.