Several union protests scattered throughout Chicago Saturday, uniting in front of Daley plaza for the "We Are One" rally, a showing of solidarity with workers in Wisconsin and other neighboring states and to send a clear message to local lawmakers that they are ready for a fight in the Prairie State if need be.

Speakers from several local unions -- the Chicago Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, SEIU Local 1 -- as well as union representatives and an elected official from Wisconsin addressed the energetic crowd.

Wisconsin State Senator Chris Larson, one of the 14 Democrats who fled the state for 22 days in protest of Republican Gov. Scott Walker's bill to strip most Badger State workers of their collective bargaining, thanked Illinois for the hospitality. "For 22 days, we left our families, we left our friends, we left our communities ... to be sure that people could be heard," he said. "And the best part is, this is just getting started."

The headliner of the event was William Lucy, the longtime secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). Lucy, who was with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis when he was killed on April 4, 1968, said King would have been on the front lines in Madison, Wisconsin if he were still alive. Watch Lucy's address here:

The sense that the battle for workers' rights is on Illinois' doorstep was palpable. Before the gathering at Daley Plaza, representatives from UNITE-HERE Local 1, the Chicago Teachers Union, the Illinois Education Association, and the Illinois Federation of Teachers, marched around the Hyatt hotel overlooking the Chicago River. A continuous stream of protesters surrounded the square block that houses the hotel. They marched past the front door, which had a sign reading, "We thank our employees for being recognized as one of Chicago's top 100 workplaces."

The gathering in front of the Hyatt was the latest sign that the teachers are gearing up for a fight. As we reported last week, speculation abounds that an education reform bill is on the horizon in Springfield. And the financially powerful, Oregon-based interest group Stand For Children, which has received big donations from the Pritzker family -- the owners of Hyatt hotels -- is said to be looking to strip teachers of many of their rights, including their ability to strike.

Jennifer Johnson, a history teacher at Lincoln Park High School in Chicago, addressed the crowd and previewed what will surely be an intense battle in the coming weeks. She called out Stand For Children and accused the group of spreading falsehoods and making teachers the bogeyman. Watch her comments here:

On the march from the Hyatt to Daley Plaza, Susan Vecchione, a staff member of Rutledge Hall Elementary School in Lincolnwood, said the threat of union busting in Illinois is very real. "If it can happen in Wisconsin, it can happen here," she said. "We want the legislature in Illinois to know that we are strong and we are united.

Asked if Illinois was different because of the Democrats in power in both the legislative and executive branches, CTU vice president Jesse Sharkey said breaking unions is "bipartisan."

Across the street from the Hyatt, the 40 member marching band from King College Prep, the high school in Chicago at which Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis taught, danced. Benjamin Washington, the band's director said many of the students' parents have experienced budget cuts. He said he had no difficulty getting the high schoolers to come out on a Saturday and perform. Here's some footage of the march from the Hyatt and the rally at Daley Plaza.