The White House has voiced increasing support for embattled public workers as protests have grown. Addressing the National Governors Association in Washington, D.C., President Obama said unions are being “denigrated and vilified.”

President Obama: “So I believe that everybody should be prepared to give up something in order to solve our budget challenges, and I think most public servants agree with that. Democrats and Republicans agree with that. In fact, many public employees in your respective states have already agreed to cuts. But let me also say this: I don’t think it does anybody any good when public employees are denigrated or vilified, or their rights are infringed upon.”