The rainy weather did little to hinder efforts of SRJC employees and other public employees who rallied together in Santa Rosa’s Courthouse Square to protest the actions of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and the potential loss of collective bargaining power for Wisconsin’s public employees, and to show their disapproval of the Republican budget plan.

The event was organized by a group of SRJC faculty in association with MoveOn.org and the Living Wage Coalition, with the primary focus of voicing their opinions about the elimination of collective bargaining rights for Wisconsin public employees.

David Walls, professor emeritus of sociology at Sonoma State University and council coordinator for MoveOn.org, emphasized the importance of protests around the country to support the public workers in Wisconsin. “The more we show that this is of concern nationally, I think the stronger they’ll be, too,” he said. “We didn’t mobilize enough over the battle on healthcare legislation…we have to have mass support and show that support.”

The protest included speeches from SRJC faculty members Linda Hemenway, who coordinated the event, and Martin Bennett of the social science department, among others. Honks of support from passing cars and cheers from the group rang out as the speakers expressed their frustration regarding the treatment of Wisconsin’s public employees.

“What is occurring in Wisconsin is not about the state budget or the pay and benefits of public employees. Walker’s actions are a naked power grab using budget issues as a pretext to eliminate collective bargaining rights,” Bennett said. “To pay for vital public services, maintain adequate levels of public employment, and create desperately needed public sector jobs for the unemployed, requires that we raise taxes on those who can most afford it—particularly corporations and the wealthy.”

The Santa Rosa event was one of many across the country where protesters demonstrated their disapproval of Gov. Walker’s actions. With California facing a nearly unprecedented budget crisis, public employees felt the need to mobilize and ensure that necessary public services are not given up in favor of easy budget solutions.

Walls said that although there may be short-term benefits for corporations and the wealthy in Wisconsin, the decision to bypass standard parliamentary procedure and disregard the demands of the public will ultimately lead to catastrophe.

“I think in the long run it will be a disaster for them,” Walls said. “I think they are going to impeach some of the officials who have been in office more than a year. They may even get the governor after he’s served his year. We did it in California when we were unhappy with the governor and there is a lot more emotion behind this grievance than there was here.”