Protests Over Anti-Union Moves in Wisconsin and Ohio

Proposals in Wisconsin and Ohio that would bar public colleges and university faculty members (and many other state employees) from engaging in collective bargaining are drawing numerous angry responses from faculty members and students. In Wisconsin on Thursday, students held walkouts and protests on most University of Wisconsin campuses. Here are local accounts of activities at Eau Claire, Milwaukee and River Falls. Also on Thursday, Cary Nelson of the American Association of University Professors issued a statement about the Ohio legislation, which he said should "be of grave concern to all faculty members--whether they are in a collective bargaining unit or not, whether they would choose personally to be involved in a union. The issue is self-determination: whether faculty members and other public sector employees should have the democratic right to choose their own collective destiny."