Casey Kelly, KTOO – Juneau
Alaska public employees joined thousands across the country Tuesday in rallies to support public workers in Wisconsin. They even learned a song for the occasion.
Unions in Wisconsin are battling the state’s Republican governor and lawmakers who want to do away with the employees’ right to collective bargaining.
Alaska AFL-CIO President Vince Beltrami led a noon rally across the street from the State Capital Building in Juneau. He says a 30 year assault on workers’ rights by conservative and corporate interests has finally reached a tipping point.
More than 80 people attended the rally, including members of the three largest state employee unions, the National Education Association of Alaska, and the Juneau Central Labor Council. Gary Boatright is a Ketchikan High School math teacher and a member of the NEA.
Public employees in several other states held rallies Tuesday to show solidarity with workers in Wisconsin, including Idaho, Indiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, and others.
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