This is a cross-post from the Wisconsin Labor History Society.

Film producer Michael Moore captivated the thousands of protesters at the state Capitol Saturday, March 5, with his speech, “America Is Not Broke.” He said, the “country is awash in cash. It’s just that it’s not in your hands” but with 400 of the uber-rich, whom he called “little Mubaraks,” who now have more cash, stock and assets than more than 155 million Americans combined.

Nurses at Washington Hospital Center, the largest hospital in the nation’s capital, have been locked out until March 9 following their one-day strike for better patient care last Friday.

This afternoon, the National Football League Players Association and managers extended the contract deadline for another seven days while negotiations continue.

Nurses at Washington Hospital Center walked out this morning for a one-day strike to protest management’s refusal to address their concerns about safe patient care, management’s attempt to erode nursing standards, and management’s unfair labor practices.

John August, executive director of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions and a native Wisconsinite, sends us this on events there. The coalition is an alliance of 29 local unions representing 90,000 health care workers.

Another bad poll for Scott Walker, John Kasich and all those who would eliminate bargaining rights for public employees. This just in from mmurraypolitics:

Tease from new NBC/WSJ (Wall Street Journal) poll: 33 percent say it’s acceptable and 62 percent say unacceptable to eliminate state employees’ collective-bargaining rights.

Check out other polls that have bad news for Walker and company here and here.

Public employees, from nurses to teachers to firefighters and police officers, have made and will continue to make sacrifices to help close budget gaps. But some state leaders have gone too far, says U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis. Budget sacrifices are one thing; demanding that workers give up their rights as union members—to take away their voice—is another, she says.

Milwaukee City Attorney Grant Langley says Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s bill, which includes taking away public employees’ bargaining rights, is unconstitutional because it would interfer with local autonomy.

The American public opposes weakening the bargaining rights of public employee unions by a margin of nearly two to one: 60 percent to 33 percent, according to a New York Times/CBS poll.

UPDATE: As of this morning, 284 state lawmakers have signed on in support of Wisconsin Senators, according to Progressive States Network.

Progressive States Network today released a letter signed by a bipartisan group of more than 270 state legislators representing 44 states voicing their solidarity with the Wisconsin state senators who oppose an extreme measure to take away the right of public employees to bargain for good middle-class jobs.