Take Action Send an Email to Brig. Gen. Dunbar of WI National Guard. Watch Youtube clip of IVAW in Madison last Saturday. Let us know if you made a phone call to WI National Guard. Make a donation. Send us your feedback.   Tell the Wisconsin National Guard to stand with public employees. Call or send an email urging Brigadier General Donald P. Dunbar of the Wisconsin National Guard to stand with public workers, not against them. As the struggle to preserve the existence of unions continues in Wisconsin, it is unclear how things will play out.  But Gov. Scott Walker has stated that he is prepared to activate the Wisconsin National Guard to respond to any problems that may arise.  We know that National Guard troops have been used in the past against striking workers, protesting students, and to quell urban rebellions in the U.S., at times with horrifying results (think Kent State, 1970). But service members have the power to side with the people. Call the public affairs office of the Wisconsin National Guard: (608) 242-3000 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (608) 242-3000 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or send an email. Respectfully ask that General Dunbar not activate the Wisconsin National Guard against peaceful Wisconsin workers.  Ask General Dunbar to go on the record publicly and say that the National Guard will not be used against those peacefully demonstrating for their collective bargaining rights. If you are making the phone call, let us know how it went by sending us an email to ivaw.org/contact. Here are some talking points: Members of the National Guard are also public servants. They should not be used against their fellow Wisconsin public servants who are fighting for their right to maintain decent compensation and work environments. Many WI National Guard members are also teachers, nurses, EMTs, firefighters, and police officers. Many WI National Guard members are veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.  Veterans often seek jobs in the public sector because government agencies are the only employers that follow hiring preferences for veterans as a matter of law.  Protecting the rights of workers in the public sector unions ensures that veterans have a chance to secure a decent job and earn a living wage with good benefits – something that every American worker deserves. Make the call or email today. Midwest IVAW members joined thousands in Wisconsin last Saturday Last weekend, IVAW members gathered in Madison to stand in solidarity with workers and deliver a message to Governor Walker: troops and veterans support workers fighting for decent jobs, wages, and benefits. Watch the video clip of the message they delivered at the Wisconsin state capitol. IVAW members around the country also attended local solidarity protests in their hometowns and cities. To share our public statement on the Wisconsin GOP’s union-busting efforts, click here. Thank you! In Solidarity, IVAW Field Organizing Team Aaron, Chantelle, Jason, & Joe P.S. CORRECTION: Last week’s E-newsletter incorrectly stated that National Guard was deployed against students at Jackson State University in 1970.  In fact, members of the Jackson Police Department and the Mississippi Highway Patrol were deployed on the students in that incident, killing 2 and wounding others.  Thank you Michael Orange for pointing this out!

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