On an overcast Saturday in Phoenix, scores of people in red gathered at the Arizona State Capitol, waving their signs and standing in solidarity with protesters in Wisconsin. Some were former residents of Wisconsin, some knew a union worker there and others came to say “Not in our state.”
The pristine white statue atop the building stood vigil over the crowd as people cheered over the speakers preaching the importance of unions.
Apache Junction Unified School District teacher Barbara Kanzler sat in the grass at the back of the crowd, her sign leaning against her. Outlined in red but stenciled in heavy black print was the phrase “Proud AZ teacher supports Wisconsin.” Kanzler has been a teacher for 29 years but only the last two and a half have been spent in Arizona.
“The state of education in Arizona is in a little bit of trouble and it’s mostly financial but I also don’t think Jan Brewer is as open-minded as she needs to be,” Kanzler says. “I teach kids to deal with conflict resolution and to come to the table and mediate and yet the educators in the state department are not willing to do that. We’re seeing more and more of that in this country.”
In Wisconsin, protesters have persistently pounded the state capitol for more than a month as Gov. Scott Walker’s anti-union bill — which would eliminate many state employees’ bargaining rights in an attempt to balance the state budget — has made its way through the legislature. The bill was signed into law March 11 by Gov. Walker, and was blocked by a federal judge on Friday.
ASU elementary education graduate student Richie Ressel says he also worries about the political climate in Arizona. Ressel is a teacher at a public school in Phoenix and is part of a union. While he isn’t worried about Wisconsin affecting Arizona, he thinks everyone deserves the right to have his or her opinion heard.
“Especially in Arizona where the politics are so backwards, I think it’s really important to voice out any opposition to things they’re trying to do,” he says. “Arizona isn’t Wisconsin, but that’s why we’re here, to say we don’t want that.”
Kanzler says she attended the rally because she refuses to give up her voice. Even though Wisconsin is far away from Arizona, she thinks it’s important to support the cause Wisconsin protesters are fighting for.
“The workers of America, we’re important,” she says, speaking loudly to be heard above the wind and chants of the crowd. “Whenever there’s been a time of crisis, this country has stood up together so I think it’s really important now that we support the voice of every single worker.”
Issis Bin-Rella Negró says she has witnessed what happens when workers are left without voices. She moved to Arizona from Wisconsin seven years ago but still has family there. Her uncle worked at the General Motors in Wisconsin for 30 years before losing his job and was forced to become a trucker. She feels he’s at risk to lose his job again now because of the politics in Wisconsin.
“Arizona is a right to work state but I wouldn’t neglect unions for anything because it’s a lot of job security,” she says, wearing a navy shirt with “Made in Wisconsin,” and looking on as her sons, Soláno and Alisano Bin-Rella, dressed in red Badger shirts, climb a tree. “That’s what worries you when you’re thinking about having a family but it’s protected. This threatens that.”
Bin-Rella Negró says if she were to move back to Wisconsin, she would be a teacher. She says she’s rallying for Wisconsin to support her friends who are teachers, but to also ensure she has something to go back to.
“I want my children to finish their lives there and I plan to go back,” she says. “I’m going to fight for my future there, my children’s future. I need to make sure it’s intact when we go back.”
Reach the reporter at sheydt@asu.edu.
