Half a century ago it would have come as no surprise to find demonstrating workers from both the public and the private sectors occupying the state house in Madison, Wisconsin along with students, community organisations and church groups. And it isn't only in Wisconsin - much the same is happening in Ohio and Indiana and elsewhere. Legislative action in Wisconsin has come to a halt as the Democratic Party minority in the state senate, in sympathy with the public workers, has fled the state to make it legally impossible to conduct business. Again the same thing has happened in Indiana. Southern Wisconsin's Central Labor Council has taken the first steps towards calling a general strike.

LRB 17 March 2011 | PDF Download