Paris Commune Meets Old School Union Hall In Madison

Mike & Friends Blog

Mike Elk

Mike Elk is a labor journalist and staff writer for In These Times

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February 21st, 2011 6:45 PM

Paris Commune Meets Old School Union Hall In Madison

Yesterday as I entered the state capitol, I was shocked to see a group of people down on their hands and knees gently rubbing and cleaning the marble floor of the state capitol. They were not janitors doing it, but volunteers who had been occupying the Capitol for weeks.

“This is our house, this is the People’s House and it’s important we keep it nice” said Danny Selzberg, a member of the Teacher Assistant’s Association (TAA) at the University of Wisconsin. In the week that protestors have occupied the Wisconsin state capitol, The Teaching Assistant’s Association have organized the Capitol into a communal living center where hundreds, almost upwards of a thousands protestors have sleep every night.

People from all over the country have even been calling local pizzas shops ordering dozens of pizzas for the protestors occupying the Capitol. Yesterday, some Egyptian activists even sent a pizza to the Wisconsin protestors occupying the Capitol. Bands have come, lectures are given, and labor films are shown nightly at midnight. Protestors are creating a fun home like atmosphere community as they plan to stay for how many weeks or months it takes to make Governor Walker withdrawal his attempt to end collective bargaining for public employees.

However, contrary to media portrayals of a bunch of young hippies occupying the Capitol, many blue workers have been sleeping and living there as well. Several families have even taken to sleeping in the Capitol over night. “Steelworkers are sleeping in that Capitol, I dare them to try to move us out of there” said United Steelworkers President Leo Gerard.

The Wisconsin Capitol has indeed become the Paris Commune meets an old school, Midwestern union hall. Every night there are discussions of labor history and labor film showings. It’s almost as if the labor-youth solidarity that was lacking derailed progress during the 60’s has finally been found in Madison, Wisconsin.

Youth-blue collar solidarity is the key to whether the protestors will be able to last “one day longer” than Governor Scott Walker.