They weren’t counting on us.
From 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., we kept the chamber full of Granite Staters speaking out openly against the bill. We overflowed their committee room and wouldn’t leave until we got moved to the floor of the 400-seat Representatives Hall, which we also filled.
We heard teachers, Republicans, small business owners, firefighters, nurses, county officials and community members share their stories about what collective bargaining means to them and the people they serve. We heard experts debunk these laws as a windfall for nobody but lawyers and ideological extremists. We heard labor leaders from across New Hampshire testify against these bills on behalf of their members.
I joined them on behalf of the entire labor movmeent in New Hampshire and stood up for our collective bargaining law and all of the protections it gives workers in the Granite State.We watched IAFF president Harry Schaitberger stand with the firefighters of New Hampshire, and listened to him commend us for keeping up this fight.
Most importantly, we exposed these bills for what they were: an assault on workers’ rights. And we showed our legislators that we will hold them accountable for their attempts to hurt workers in the Granite State.
To everyone who came with us to the Statehouse yesterday – thank you. Thank you for lending your time and voice to this fight and telling the Republican leadership in our legislature that they cannot turn back the clock on our rights.
And to everyone who has fought with us until now, whether you could be at the Statehouse yesterday or not – thank you for standing up for your rights, your communities, your families, and the rights of every Granite Stater.
If we continue to show our strength and stand together, we can continue to win for middle-class working families.
In solidarity,
President Mark MacKenzie, New Hampshire AFL-CIO
