Day 1 in Madison, WI with the LA County Fed

Today, on a cold afternoon in Madison, Wisconsin, I joined a diverse delegation of workers from all over Los Angeles County on a trip to support working families, public employees and students throughout Wisconsin against Governor Scott Walker's cold-hearted attempt to eliminate the right for workers to collectively bargain. Collective bargaining rights are what allow employers and workers to democratically negotiate working conditions, pay structures, and other issues in the workplace, a right first established in Wisconsin. This brazen attempt to put an end to the right for workers to negotiate with their employers is not only an attack against workers, its an attack on democracy as we know it, orchestrated by a very small, very wealthy, and very conservative movement that wants to eliminate the only force standing in their way from getting wealthier at the expense of the working families, students, people of color, and other underprivileged members of society.

How can a student like myself win against those odds? As someone who wants to teach at the community college level, I feel an obligation to fight back alongside my sisters and brothers in the labor movement, as well as an duty to do everything in my power to unite with the brave students who have occupied the State Capitol for the last 9 days. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said that "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." With a threat to working families and public employees as real and as frightening as this, I can't think of anything better to do than to physically be here in Madison to help in any way I can.

Initially, walking in solidarity with these workers seemed easier said than done. The cold wind was biting through my jacket and into my bones, the streets were covered with snow, and my hands went numb 5 minutes into the march. Despite all of this, the cold weather and Gov. Walker's cold-hearted attack on workers stand no match against the enthusiastic energy of the students and workers of Wisconsin and the enthusiasm we brought from LA. It was an amazing sight to see over 5000 people at the rotunda of the Capitol chanting and clamoring against Gov. Walker's proposal. The energy in that hall was something I have never experienced before, and its an experience I will never forget.

Here's a video I took of all the exciting action inside the State Capitol:

Inside the State Capitol with the LA County Fed

All the photos I took from today's events:

Los Angeles County Workers in Solidarity with Wisconsin Workers

I can't wait for tomorrow's events!

In solidarity,
Marcos Perez

StandUp4cc will be reporting to you live from Wisconsin on this blog in the coming days, where student intern Marcos Perez has joined 160 union activists from Los Angeles to add their voices to those outraged over the assault on unions coming from Gov. Walker.

- the editor

"My experience with this internship has been overwhelmingly positive, and I’ve found myself a markedly different person because of it. Not only has it given me a genuine feeling of control—control over campus issues, control over state and federal affairs, control over aspects of my life I felt I was far removed from—but it has also given me a sense of purpose. I’ve come to learn that influence is held by each and every person willing to grab it. I know firsthand the profound effect individuals can have on both their immediate associates and their community at large. And my realization of this has motivated me towards working on the issues which concern me most—accessible education first and foremost, but others along with it. For the first time in my life I feel fully invested in the future of my community, my state and my country. And most importantly, that my investment will make a difference."

-Hosea Dixon, Summer 2009 Intern

"I am extremely happy that I was able to participate in the internship program this past summer. I was really impressed with how prepared the other interns were. I was also impressed with how committed they were to their own respective campuses, and also to the California community college system. There were both promising and frustrating moments. I think we grew a lot as a group by learning how to deal with those frustrating moments and also learning how to turn those frustrating moments into something productive. Now we can take the skills that we developed during the summer back to our campuses to share with the next group of interns that will participate in the fall."

-Darius Leevy, Summer 2009 Intern

"Both sessions of the American Federation of Teachers faculty guild internship have been enlightening and enjoyable experiences. I have learned several helpful tools that I will surely use in present day and later in life. With the help of some amazing coordinators I have advanced my leadership skills, learned how to approach people in the most effective manner, how to work with a diversity of people, how to properly represent students whose voices are unheard and how to balance my time efficiently. My confidence has grown with each class presentation and legislative visit. In order to make change we must overcome several obstacles and through this internship I have learned to do whatever is in my power to meet the final goal. It is in fact the people who hold the power and in this upcoming internship we will prove this to be true."
-Elizabeth Valldejuli, Intern

"Working with for the AFT internship was both motivational and inspirational. Whenever I previously imagined an internship, I pictured being an unappreciated “errand-runner”, but the AFT internship was different. The intern’s opinions, suggestions and ideas were always craved, and I found it amazing when I witnessed thoughts that I conjured taking life in the work we did. It is this work that genuinely makes a difference, so get involved in the internship because the affects of budget reductions are serious; they affect you, your peers and your siblings and family."
-Brian J., Summer 2009 Intern

"The American Federation of Teachers internship has been an amazing learning experience. It taught me how to become a better leader and also ways to approach students in a more effective way such as how to get them involved, how to talk to them, how to make time for them to listen to what we have to say and also, get them to speak out for themselves. Although, there was a lot of information that needed to be updated, the learning experience was fun and enthusiastic. Prior to the internship, I wasn’t aware of what was going on in the community or the issues that could affect me as a student. Therefore, recruiting students against budget cuts became a passion for success and also the willingness to make a change. Additionally, in order to make a change, I needed to start changing myself. I began to think as a leader with the responsibility of creating awareness within my school. The internship has sharpened my leadership skills and given me the courage to keep going on my path to success."
-Nancy A. Pineda, Summer 2009 Intern