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LA Union Activists Join in On Wisconsin Labor Fight
Protersters hold signs and shout as police officers four rows deep protect Governor Scott Walker's office inside the Wisconsin state Capitol. Today is the ninth consecutive day of protests. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)
Union workers from the LA County Federation of Labor flew to Madison this morning to join tens of thousands of activists gathered at the Wisconsin state capital to protest Gov. Scott Walker's overreaching efforts to curb union benefits and vanquish its collective bargaining powers.
Ken White, an LA City bus driver said, “As a city bus driver, I understand we have a fiscal crisis and public employees all over this country are making sacrifices but the Governor of Wisconsin is using the fiscal crisis to destroy the right of public employees to collectively bargain. That’s wrong.”
Collective bargaining has not been threatened in California -- yet -- but there have been gatherings and vigils in Sacramento showing solidarity for the Wisconsin labor unions. The 160-member LA contingent arrive in Madison early this afternoon.