AFSCME Thanks Wisconsites

A very nice email from AFSCME President Gerald McEntee and AFSCME Treasurer Lee Saunders, thanking us Wisconsinites for the last several months of fighting and for what we accomplished yesterday (emphasis theirs):

Dear AFSCME Sisters and Brothers,

Together, we made history in Wisconsin — winning two recall elections yesterday. Only two lawmakers have been unseated by recall in the state’s entire history. And having picked up two seats, Scott Walker’s anti-freedom bill would not have passed with the new state Senate makeup.

True, we did not retake the Senate. This was an uphill battle from the start, in very conservative districts – but we won two seats because we had no choice other than to stand up against Walker’s extreme anti-worker agenda.

These victories send a powerful, undeniable message to governors, legislators and candidates in every state who think that they can continue to attack the working middle class, public services and the basic rights of workers.

What everyday AFSCME members accomplished in Wisconsin, by pulling together, is nothing short of extraordinary — fighting back and winning against the deep pockets and dirty tricks of corporate-backed politicians and their front groups. Please take a moment to add your name to our card from AFSCME members everywhere, thanking your sisters and brothers in Wisconsin who made this happen.

We simply could not have achieved what we have so far in Wisconsin without the unyielding commitment of AFSCME members like you. Members like Janice Bonholz traveled to Waupun to knock on doors and help mobilize voters for the first time in her life. In Madison, people like Gretchen Lowe made phone calls to voters across the state to help with Get Out The Vote efforts. They fought back, and so can you — watch our video and add your personal message to our thank you card today.

Make no mistake, this is a marathon, not a sprint. And it is about more than just Wisconsin. It’s about the future of the working middle class in our country. It’s about ordinary American families standing up and saying “no more” to the politicians playing partisan games with their lives. It’s about nurses, teachers, firefighters, cops, and public and private sector workers who are fed up with paying the price for Wall Street excess, the greed of corporate CEOs, and the dangerous agenda of the politicians who answer to them.

It’s clear that the Main Street Movement is making a difference, but we still have a long fight ahead of us. In Ohio, we need to win on Nov. 8, and repeal Governor Kasich’s extreme Senate Bill 5. And everywhere else that public services and workers rights are under attack, we need to carry the momentum from yesterday’s wins and continue to turn the tide on the dangerous anti-worker and anti-public services agenda.

But today, we are incredibly proud of what AFSCME members like you have already accomplished, and hope that you’ll join us in saying thanks. Each and every one of you has helped spark a national movement, and proven what we’ve always known: that when we are united, we are strong.

In solidarity,

GERALD W. McENTEE LEE A. SAUNDERS
Predident Secretary-Treasurer

And here is the video:



And I personally echo their thanks to everyone of you who helped get us this much closer to reclaiming our state and bringing it closer to the great state it once was and will be again.