[@Aerodyno@]

WSJ: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...129280772.html

Thousands of people turned out at rallies in state capitals across the country Saturday to show their support for union members fighting in Wisconsin and other states to retain their rights to represent workers and negotiate contracts.

The events were organized by MoveOn.org and about 45 other groups that typically support Democratic candidates and causes. The groups are hoping to build off the energy of recent union-backed protests in Madison, Wis., and Columbus, Ohio, to energize liberal activists nationwide.

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Turnout in the state capitals ranged from a few hundred people in places like Montpelier, Vt. and Frankfort, Ky., that are far removed from the Midwest union fights, to 2,000 in Harrisburg, Pa. Additional rallies in major cities like New York, Chicago, Denver and Boston drew bigger crowds.

In Chicago, Sen. Dick Durbin (D., Ill.) addressed about 2,000 people in front of the state office building. An estimated 3,000 rallied in Denver and in lower Manhattan where some people wore yellow cheese hats and carried signs that said "We Stand with WI."

"What we're in seeing in Wisconsin is a raw power grab," said Roberta Lynn, head of Council 31 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, to the crowd in Chicago.

A crowd estimated at about 1,000 gathered in support of Wisconsin employees on the steps of the capitol in Denver, Colo.