Labor Rally in LOVE Park

Labor rallies took place all over the country on Saturday, including one in LOVE Park in Center City.

MoveOn.org helped organize nationwide rallies in support of the issues teachers and other laborers face in Wisconsin. “On Saturday, February 26, at noon local time, we are organizing rallies in front of every statehouse and in every major city to stand in solidarity with the people of Wisconsin,” their Web site says.

Hundreds of people also rallied in Harrisburg to support union members in Wisconsin, where Republicans are seeking to reduce the collective bargaining rights of government workers.

Back in LOVE Park, Teresa Prato, a teacher at Bucks County Technical High School, made sure her voice was heard.

“If we don’t have a collective voice—as teachers; as state workers—we have nothing,” she told NBC Philadelphia. She insists the rally is about more than wages.

“It’s about what’s doing right for our students.”

She was amid signs that read, “Cut Bonuses Not Teachers,” “Unions Make Us Strong,” and, “Save the American Dream.” Saturday's rally was the second in three days, after 1,000 people showed solidarity with workers in Wisconsin in downtown Philadelphia on Thursday. Trenton saw a similar rally on Thursday as well.

Prato sees a very stark difference between making concessions while still having fair collective bargaining agreements and taking away workers’ voices all together.

“Give us the right to be part of the conversation. Don’t just dictate policy to us.”

She’s worried that if these measures are successful in Wisconsin, they will make their way east and affect teachers and state workers in our area.

In Harrisburg, several dozen people across the street sounded whistles and bullhorns in a counter protest.