PSI co-sponsors film tour of inspiring documentary

The film tour  will encourage discussion of how Canadians can take action to resist the massive public service cuts being imposed on communities by all levels of government.

“What happened in Wisconsin is happening in Canada right now,” says Shellie Bird, a member of the Canadian Union of Public Employees who is helping to organize a screening of the documentary in Ottawa. “Wisconsin’s governor passed a budged that dramatically cut spending on public services and took away collective bargaining rights from public sector workers.  That is exactly what our government is doing right now.”

We Are Wisconsin is a riveting documentary that follows the unprecedented wave of public outrage that rose against Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s controversial ‘budget repair’ bill. The film highlights the human stories behind the popular uprising that was forged inside the Madison Capitol building in 2011. The film’s premiere at the recent Hot Docs film festival in Toronto garnered standing ovations.  

The film tour has the support of many Canadian affiliates of the global unions that back the Quality Public Services—Action Now! campaign. 

“We are seeing attacks on public services and the rights of public sector workers in countries around the world today,” says Peter Waldorff, General Secretary of Public Services International, the global union representing 20 million workers in 150 countries, including Canada. 

“The political and corporate forces driving privatization and anti-union legislation are also at work in Canada. We hope that screenings of this film will provide forums where local communities can come together to discuss how to effectively take action to defend and advance public services and workers’ rights. We also know that the solidarity of working people across borders is vital in this age of globalization.”