This is Not Egypt

This is Not Egypt

Perhaps the Republican Wisconsin State Senator misspoke when he compared Madison to Cairo. For, after all, however misguided Governor Walker may be, he is not former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak; he is no undemocratic, corrupted dictator. No United States governor is. And rallying in opposition to union rule changes, however drastic, is not the equivalent of protesting for democracy. This does not, however, mean that the Wisconsin protesters' cause is any less important or serious.

Why do Republicans demonize unions, especially teachers' unions? It's not as though teachers are overpaid. Besides which, the Wisconsin teacher's unions have already agreed to the financial compromise Governor Walker offered. Now, he holds out on one issue- collective bargaining. A union's main role is to act as a singular representative for a group of people and to bargain with management to maintain or improve the people's rights. What use is a union without collective bargaining?
And this structural attack on unions in Wisconsin is not only confusing (the economic benefits of ending collective bargaining are negligible) but also dangerous. Governor Walker plans to create a condition where workers' rights can be slashed and teachers' paychecks can be shrunk for the benefit of a conservative social agenda against unions, not an economic one.

[Photo Credit: AP/Huffington Post]

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