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Protests Sweep Nation; Poll Shows Americans Support Public Unions

DC Rally

CWA members in Washington, D.C. (top), and Puerto Rico (bottom), were among huge crowds that rallied in cities nationwide in support of workers in Ohio, Wisconsin and other states where their collective bargaining and other rights are threatened.

Puerto Rico Rally

What began in Wisconsin and Ohio is spreading like wildfire across the United States, with huge pro-worker rallies in cities nationwide and a new poll showing Americans strongly support collective bargaining rights for public employees.

The USA Today/Gallup poll, released Tuesday, showed that 61 percent of respondents would oppose a bill in their state like the one being pushed by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker to kill public sector collective bargaining.

From New York to Alaska, Washington state, California, Colorado, Iowa, North Carolina, Massachusetts and other states as well as Puerto Rico, tens of thousands of Americans are demonstrating in support of the Midwest's embattled workers. Thousands of others are standing up against their own state lawmakers' attempts to kill workers' rights.

In Washington, D.C., CWA members were among more than 1,000 activists who rallied Wednesday in front of the Capitol Hill offices for Walker's lobbyists. Walker set off the firestorm of protests two weeks ago when he announced his intent to end public employee bargaining and threatened to use the National Guard if workers demonstrated or went on strike.

In Minnesota, Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton and other public officials boldly rallied with a crowd supporting Wisconsin’s workers. Dayton said he would stop any so-called "right-to-work" legislation and other anti-union measures. "There's no justification for drastic action in Minnesota," he said. "We will not let Minnesota become Wisconsin."

As the protests grew this week, even some Republican governors distanced themselves from Walker, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and others trying to repeal collective bargaining for public workers. A spokesman for Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett said the state would conduct public sector contract talks "in good faith." Tea Party-backed Gov. Rick Scott in Florida said, "My belief is as long as people know what they're doing, collective bargaining is fine."

Click here for a full and frequently updated list of workers' rights rallies and other events around the country. The four stories that follow update events this week in New Jersey, Ohio, Wisconsin and Indiana.