It’s been an eventful week here in Madison, with my dissertation defense (passed with no revisions!), the National Council of Teachers of English – Assembly for Research conference, and protests at the state capitol against legislation proposed by Governor Walker that would eliminate collective bargaining for most union members, deny health insurance to 200,000 children, and make our state universities semi-private.

For the past 11 years, I’ve been a union member in Wisconsin, first as a teacher and now as a teaching assistant.  I didn’t vote for Walker, and I can’t support this legislation. Yesterday, our union leaders agreed to take cuts in pay and benefits, if we could preserve collective bargaining.  Walker refused to budge.  Clearly, this isn’t about money: it’s about destroying unions and taking away worker rights.  In response, our state’s citizens have responded in full force.

This week at the capitol, teachers and other public employees were joined by police, firefighters, and countless others who marched, chanted, cheered, and protested this legislation.  My son has joined in the protest too.  (His sign?  “Governor Walker, love our teachers like they love your children.”)  Yesterday, faculty and students from UW-Madison’s School of Education joined together to march from Library Mall up State Street to the capitol.  Our state and our Democratic senators have garnered national and international media attention, and we know that we’re taking a stand not just for ourselves, but for others too. “This is what democracy looks like!”

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