Union group vows to fight union-busting

Wisconsin's radical Republicans exercised the nuclear option, ramming legislation through the State Senate designed to cripple organized labor ["Wis. anti-union bill on guv's desk," News, March 11]. This is a reward for billionaires, like the Koch brothers who contributed to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, and corporations that want to destroy the middle class.

None of the provisions of this late-night charade had anything to do with stabilizing the state budget. They were about union busting from the start. Walker's legislation will require unions to hold annual votes for their survival, stop the collection of dues, severely limit a union's right to bargain collectively, and place significant limits on any pay increases. Tellingly, in separate legislation, Walker shielded the super-rich and large corporations from any tax increases, cut education spending by $900 million, and made further cuts in aid to cities and universities.

The right-wingers want a low-wage economy. They believe that if they can break public employee unions, they can eliminate working families and their unions as a meaningful force in the American economy -- and in American politics. We will not let this assault on our freedoms stand.

John R. Durso

Mineola

Editor's note: The writer is the president of the Long Island Federation of Labor.