Writers Guild of America, East Supports Public Employees in Wisconsin

The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) supports the efforts of public employee unions in the state of Wisconsin to retain their right to engage in collective bargaining. The WGAE opposes legislation pushed by Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker which would remove almost all workplace issues from the bargaining table and would force every public employee union to fight for its survival, year in and year out.

“Just as the labor movement speaks truth to power, we think it is important for people in power to speak the truth,” said WGAE Executive Director Lowell Peterson. “Governor Walker proclaims that all he wants is to slash costs and save money for Wisconsin taxpayers, but the inconvenient truth is that the public employee unions he seeks to destroy have already agreed to the givebacks he has proposed. His bluff has been called – what he really wants is to wipe out the voice of the hundreds of thousands of hard-working Wisconsin public employees who have exercised their right to form unions.”

“Governor Walker’s attempt to wipe out collective bargaining for public employees in his state is part of a national campaign to destroy unions as the most effective and powerful progressive force in America,” said WGAE President Michael Winship. “Public employees – in fact, all Americans – have a fundamental right to join unions and to engage in collective bargaining over the full range of issues they face on the job. That right has not only created and upheld the American middle class, but also offered hope and possibility to anyone anywhere who seeks fairness and equality.”

Peterson and Winship added, “We urge our members and all concerned Americans to join the solidarity actions that have been scheduled across the country, including tomorrow’s rally at noon in front of City Hall in New York.”

The Writers Guild of America, East, AFL-CIO, is a labor union representing writers in motion pictures, television, cable, digital media, and broadcast news. The WGAE conducts programs, seminars, and events on issues of interest to, and on behalf of, writers. In addition, it represents writers’ interests on the legislative level.  For more information on the Writers Guild of America, East, visit www.wgaeast.org.