It’s Wednesday evening and it feels like it should be Saturday morning. As I sit on my couch I let out a deep sigh. I turn on the television. I am greeted with “Breaking News.” Ahh, the scene is Wisconsin. The watershed moment has arrived. Republicans have stripped collective bargaining out of the budget to make it a stand alone bill. The result? The collective bargaining bill has passed.
Hmmm. Democrats thought leaving would be the answer. Unions negotiated pensions and health care contributions. Republicans held to fiscal woes. Civil workers stood up in solidarity to say this is simply a war waged on workers. Well most civil workers, it is well noted that police and fire were not included.
What happens next? The Republican assembly will vote tomorrow, pass the bill. Governor Walker will sign the bill. Teachers across the country will watch. We will worry. We will wonder what might be the impact. Then when our thoughts become too jaded, the threat to our profession too real, we will sigh. We will convince ourselves that we are nice and safe, as state by state our rights are eradicated, along with public education.
Image by Luigi Diamanti
