© 2024 MICHIGAN PUBLIC
91.7 Ann Arbor/Detroit 104.1 Grand Rapids 91.3 Port Huron 89.7 Lansing 91.1 Flint
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Troy protest targets controversial Wisconsin Governor

Protesters in Troy
Sarah Cwiek
/
Michigan Radio
Protesters in Troy

Protesters lined a busy thoroughfare in Troy Tuesday evening.

Attendees pulling into the parking lot at the San Marino Club for the Ronald Reagan Memorial Dinner were booed by the protesters, who were there to protest Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s appearance at the Oakland County Republican fundraiser.

Walker sparked a massive backlash in his state when he signed a law stripping collective bargaining rights from public employee unions last year. A federal judge later struck down parts of the law.

Walker now faces a recall in June.

Protesters said Walker is symbolic of a larger Republican agenda to cripple unions and the middle class.

Novi public schools teacher Chandra Madafferi was one of many teachers there. She says collective bargaining rights are about more than wages and benefits.

 “We bargain for things like class size, and our calendar, and things that directly impact kids,” Madafferi said. “And if collective bargaining just gets taken away, a lot of things will get taken away.”

The UAW and other unions helped organize the protest.

Organizers say the event was part of what they call a “99% Spring” that will see similar targeted protests across the country.

Sarah Cwiek joined Michigan Public in October 2009. As our Detroit reporter, she is helping us expand our coverage of the economy, politics, and culture in and around the city of Detroit.
Related Content