3/14/2011

Contact: James L. Palmer, II, 608-273-3840

MADISON—The head of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association denounced today the vandalism of an M&I bank branch that occurred last Saturday in Glendale. The union was one of several to formally request the bank’s support of public employee collective bargaining rights at the risk of encouraging its members to boycott the bank’s goods and services if it didn’t.

“Wisconsin has established a new standard when it comes to civil discourse, and illegal acts like vandalism only serve to undermine what has been a peaceful outpouring of support for Wisconsin’s public employees,” said WPPA Executive Director Jim Palmer. “Voluntary consumer activism is one way to protest the position of M&I and others who choose not to support collective bargaining. Vandalism, on the other hand, is unacceptable.”

With more than 11,000 members, the WPPA is the state’s largest police union.