Washington, D.C., March 10, 2011 – The following is a statement from International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) President Tom Buffenbarger in response to the move by the Wisconsin state Senate to strip public employees of their collective bargaining rights:
“Last night in Wisconsin, legislative process trumped democratic principles. Republican Senators voted 18 to 1 to strip public employees of their collective bargaining rights. It is a Pyrrhic victory and one the GOP will regret.
“Now is not the time to get mad, but to get organized. In every state where the handmaidens of the hyper-rich try to strip us of our collective bargaining rights, we will mobilize for recalls, ballot initiatives and political campaigns.
“If the Republican Party wants class warfare, they’ve got it. IAM members have watched the hyper-rich destroy their jobs and their communities with their unbridled greed. And the Fighting Machinists have been aching for this fight.”
