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Wisconsin Schools Stay Closed; New Yorkers Show Support

Feb 18, 2011 – 4:32 PM
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Dana Chivvis

Dana Chivvis Contributor

Public schools in Madison, Wis., were closed for the third straight day today after teachers continued to call in sick in order to protest at the Capitol. The planned "sickout" spread across the state as several other school districts -- including Milwaukee, the state's largest -- canceled classes due to teacher absences.

Demonstrations have swept through Wisconsin this week, as public workers rally against Gov. Scott Walker's proposed plan to limit collective bargaining agreements and to increase state employee contributions to pensions and health care premiums. Thursday, the state's Democratic senators physically left the state, effectively log-jamming any movement on the contentious bill.

A protestor dons a cheesehead hat while protesting outside the NBC building in New York Friday.
A protester dons a cheesehead hat while demonstrating outside the NBC building in New York on Friday.
In New York City, an estimated 200 supporters marched in solidarity with Wisconsin workers this morning, many of them wearing the iconic "cheesehead" hat worn to Green Bay Packers game. Thursday, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg threatened to lay off as many as 6,000 of the district's teachers.

Protests spread Thursday from Wisconsin to Ohio, where an estimated 3,800 demonstrators rallied outside the statehouse during Senate hearings on legislation that would kill collective bargaining for state employees and replace salary schedule with merit pay.
Filed under: Nation
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