On his 100th Birthday, Ronald Reagan Sends US a MESSAGE

Wisconsin Assembly Passes Controversial Public Union Bargaining Bill.

A day after Republicans in the Wisconsin state Senate used procedural maneuvers to pass a bill stripping public unions of most collective bargaining rights, the state Assembly passed the bill, sending it to Gov. Scott Walker. While media reports, including the lead story on NBC, portray the vote as a win for Walker, many outlets note the controversy has energized unions and the Democratic allies.

The AP (3/10) reports the White House "is denouncing a vote by the Wisconsin Senate to strip nearly all collective bargaining rights from government workers, calling it an assault on public employees." White House spokesman Jay Carney said President Obama "believes it is wrong for Wisconsin to use its budget troubles 'to denigrate or vilify public sector employees.'" In a second story, the AP (3/11, Bauer) reports union leaders "plan to use the setback to fire up their members nationwide and mount a major counterattack against Republicans at the ballot box in 2012."

Dennis Van Roekel posted the following topic--With your help, we can win this fight!

In 30 minutes on March 9, Wisconsin Republicans shredded 50 years of labor peace, bipartisanship, and Wisconsin's democratic process by ramming through an unpopular bill to silence the voice of state workers. Their actions sparked outrage in Madison Wednesday night and sent shockwaves across the country. Republicans in Idaho and Ohio have already voted for similar anti-worker bills like the one in Wisconsin -- and attacks are being waged in other states. In Iowa - Florida - Indiana - Michigan - Tennessee - from Alabama to Arizona, our members are fighting to retain their voice in the workplace...fighting for students...fighting for public schools.
We do not run away from a fight! Brad Lutes, a WEAC member from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, says it best: "We can't be defeated. There's not really an alternative. You can take away my collective bargaining rights. You can take away my pension and some of my health care, but the one thing you can't take away from me is my vote. I think that's how a large majority of Wisconsinites and Americans feel right now."

Now is the time for every NEA member to stand up and stand together...to fight for what we know is right, what is fair, and for what we all deserve. Go to Education Votes to get involved and stay informed.

Funnel Week: A List of Education and Public Employee Bills that Survived or Died During Friday's Funnel

Here’s a list of bills that survived or died in Friday’s funnel, a legislation-winnowing deadline. Not every bill is listed. How can you tell which party is behind a bill? House files that survived are backed by Republicans; Senate bills by Democrats.

Education

SPORTS ELIGIBILITY: High school athletes who transfer to a different school would have to sit out 180 days instead of the current 90 days before they could play. SF 74 alive

LENGTH OF SCHOOL YEAR: Replaces the 180-day school calendar with 990 hours of instructional school time, or 5.5 hours per day, for elementary schools and 1,080 hours for secondary schools. HF 144 alive

CAN YOU HEAR THE PEOPLE SING?

All around our country, our profession is under attack.  The happy surprise is that we are not silent.  Now is the time for us to start the fight in our state that our brave colleagues in Ohio, Wisconsin, Tennesse, Indiana and so many more have started.

Many of the members of SWUU and LC will join in the protest on the attack on our rights, I have found myself singing lyrics from this song.  Those who forget history are damned to relive it. Let's hope that as educated folks, we learned our history well.

We are hopeful that you will join us Monday night--a school night--in making sure that history doesn't repeat itself.  CAN YOU HEAR THE PEOPLE SING?  Join us in doing "the other part of our job" and help us protect our hard-fought rights?  Want one of the empty seats in our car?  Contact us at lceainsider@cox.net

CLICK BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION ON MONDAY'S RALLY

LCEA's Read Across America Celebration

READ ACROSS AMERICA POEM

You're never too old, too wacky, too wild,
To pick up a book and read with a child.
You're never too busy, too cool, or too hot,
To pick up a book and share what you've got.

In schools and communities,
Let's gather around,
Let's pick up a book,
Let's pass it around.

HIT Read More for the rest of the poem and some other great resources for your LC Read Across America planned or impromtu event.