On the recordMarch 10, 2011
I want to thank the gentlelady and my friend because I think what you've done is you've brought the connection from the public sector worker in Wisconsin and throughout our States to the Federal workforce and to the private sector workforce. I think what we've seen over these last couple of decades, and I think it is evidenced in the poll and the support that all workers are showing for the workers in Wisconsin and for the idea of collective bargaining rights, is that we all recognize as workers whether you're in the public sector or the private sector, whether it's State or municipal government or it's the Federal Government, that, in fact, it's that organizing and the ability to organize and the ability to bargain that has helped so many of us to achieve a place in the middle class. And I think that there is an understandable fear of losing that given what's transpired over the years. In fact, you look at wages in the private sector, and private sector wages have, in fact, remained stagnant for about the last decade. And so you can understand that a private sector worker is actually feeling that strain, but they understand the position of the public sector workers, of the Federal workers. And so we're all united as workers together to make sure that we can lift all of us into the middle class. And I think the Federal workforce is particularly important because the Federal workforce then becomes sort of a bellwether for what can happen in other sectors in our workforce.
