St. Paul March for Middle Class aims to continue King's work

From the Cathedral they marched -- teachers, Teamsters, locomotive engineers -- united Monday in support of workers' rights and in defense of the middle class.

Out front, Russell Hess, megaphone in hand, asked, "Who builds America? Who teaches America?" and the people shouted, "We do!"

But to many, from the marchers to speakers at the Capitol, faith in the power of unions was overshadowed by fears of political attacks, particularly in Wisconsin, where Gov. Scott Walker, seeking to manage a budget shortfall, has pushed to limit union negotiating powers.

A sign toted by many on Monday read: "From Memphis 1968 to Madison 2011. The struggle continues."

The event, We Are One -- March for the Middle Class, was held Monday to mark the 43rd anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who was gunned down in Memphis during a visit to support poorly paid and frequently injured sanitation workers.

Local organizers expected about 2,500 workers to converge on the Capitol Monday. People who patrol and manage the grounds declined to give a crowd estimate Monday.

At the podium was one man, Matthew Little, former president of the Minnesota chapter of the NAACP, who had the distinction of having marched with King in Washington in 1963.

"But don't fool yourselves," he quickly added. "We still have Governor Walker. We still have things to do. And believe me we are going to do it."

Chris Shields, a spokesman for the Minnesota AFL-CIO, one of the groups organizing Monday's rally, said workers were sending a message to state lawmakers that they not only want to avoid a repeat of actions taken in Wisconsin and Ohio, but also want "a balanced budget that protects the middle class. We don't want some [budget] that increases property taxes and puts people out of work."

Many union workers, he said, have suffered pay cuts and wage freezes despite escalating health care costs, taxes and other living expenses.

Monday's effort was part of a larger action that has taken place nationwide over the past two weeks. Locally, events included rallies in Rochester two weeks ago and events Monday and Tuesday on the Iron Range, in Duluth and other areas of the state, Shields said.

In St. Paul Monday, marchers took about a half-hour to complete the trek from the Cathedral to the Capitol grounds. They were in strong voice, and in a feisty mood, too. One man eyed Hess, who was resting briefly, and pointed at the megaphone in his hand.

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