PROFS march on Capitol tomorrow a critical turning point

The decision by the steering committee of PROFS, a membership organization of UW faculty, to march on the Capitol tomorrow in support of the TAA’s ongoing occupation of the Capitol, is a critical turning point in our efforts to stop Governor Scott Walker from gutting the collective bargaining rights of public sector workers around the state. The PROFS march, along with the support of undergraduate students – who staged their own walkouts on Thursday and Friday and plan to do so again tomorrow – shows that opposition to the bill is widespread across campus. The TAA would like to express its appreciation for all this support.

The PROFS march will coincide with the third day of teach-out organized by the Teaching Assistants’ Association to express our opposition to the bill and to show our solidarity with the tens of thousands of people who have been occupying the Capitol since Tuesday. The growing crowds – estimated at 68,000 on Saturday – have shown Gov. Walker that the working people of Wisconsin will not give up their rights.

Several groups, including PROFS, UW Faculty Organizing for Change, and the Teaching Assistants’ Association, will meet at 10:30 by the Abraham Lincoln statue on Bascom Hill tomorrow. They will join a group of students on the Library Mall and walk together to the Capitol.

PROFS stands for Public Representation Organization of the Faculty Senate. It advocates on behalf of UW-Madison faculty before state legislators, the governor, the Board of Regents, members of Congress and the public.

Many groups have also signed letters of support for the TAA and against the bill. Those letters, including one signed by 260 faculty, are available here: http://www.defendwisconsin.org/category/messages-of-support/

The PROFS press release is available here: http://profs.wisc.edu/?p=1296

Contact TAA co-presidents:

Alex Hanna, 765-404-6996

Kevin Gibbons, 813-466-0952