Working people from across Maryland rallied yesterday at the state capital in Annapolis to show solidarity with public employees in Wisconsin who are fighting a plan to deprive workers of the freedom to bargain for a decent living. The rally was organized by the Maryland State and District of Columbia AFL-CIO.

Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown (D) told the crowd of several hundred that there is “no room, place or welcome mat” out in Maryland for the wave of anti-worker sentiment trying to take hold across the nation.

State Sen. Jim Rosapepe (D) compared the Wisconsin public servants’ fight to the push for democracy in Egypt, Bahrain and other Middle East countries. Leading the crowd in a chant of  “Workers’ rights are human rights, ” Rosapepe said:

People around the world are watching crowds of ordinary citizens in the Middle East. And crowds around the world are watching crowds of ordinary citizens in Madison, Wisconsin. What do they have in common? They are people struggling for universal human rights.