What is the political background to the systematic attack on public sector unions, and on the publicsector more generally, in Wisconsin, elsewhere in the Midwest, and in other places in the US? To
what extent does it have the support of the electorate and the broader public? Our speakers will
consider this issue in connection with their analysis of the historic explosion of working class
resistance in Wisconsin in February 2011, which broke a long period of labor quiescence in the US.
They will evaluate the role of the trade unions in this conflict, asking if broader, more militant
tactics were a realistic option. They will discuss the recall campaign that emerged as the main form
of carrying on the struggle, asking what are its chances for success and what it can accomplish.
They will debate the future of the movement, in connection with their understanding of the
relationship between the Wisconsin uprising and the Occupy movement that came to fore to
continue struggle the eight months later…posing the question of what role can Occupy play in
catalyzing, and supporting, battles by the trade union movement and working people more
generally.