Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Blog

Support Colectivo Workers this Saturday

This small business Saturday, support Colectivo workers who are seeking union rights with IBEW Local 494 in Milwaukee and IBEW Local 1220 in Chicago.

The workers are launching a “reverse boycott” day of action on Saturday, November 28, and ask union members, valued customers and the general public to show support by patronizing Colectivo and marking your order as “IBEW Strong.”

Show your support for the baristas and cafe workers in their bid for safe working conditions and fair wages in these pandemic times by ordering your coffee IBEW Strong! If ordering from the APP, change your name to: IBEWSTRONGyourfirstname with no spaces.

As Colectivo employees collectively strive to organize their workforce in order to form a union, they are employing new measures to reach their goal. Let’s stand in solidarity and show our support and union power. Make your cup “IBEW Strong.

Milwaukee Art Museum Workers Win Organizing Campaign!

Union Yes at the Milwaukee Art Museum as 141 workers overwhelmingly voted to join the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) Local Lodge 66.

The new Machinists Union members work in every capacity at the Milwaukee Art Museum including Visitor Services, Food and Beverage, Education & Programs, Information Systems, Facilities and more.

“I’m proud to welcome Milwaukee Art Museum workers to the IAM,” said IAM District 10 Directing Business Representative Alex Hoekstra. “Your solidarity through challenging and uncertain times is truly inspiring. Together we will affect real change at work.”

Wisconsin workers are organizing in the face of an unprecedented year for working people. The COVID-19 health pandemic, its economic fallout, and long-standing structural racism has brought into renewed focus the importance of having a voice on the job with a union. Together in union, the workers of the Milwaukee Art Museum have claimed a seat at the table. Their voices will be heard and respected as they together work to make positive change in the workplace and in the community through the collective bargaining process.

“MAM workers overcame a year of tremendous obstacles to achieve this victory and claim their seat at the table,” said IAM District 10 Organizer Anne Wiberg. “The hard work and unwavering solidarity of the organizing team made this historic wall-to-wall union possible.”

Congratulations and welcome to Wisconsin’s newest union members at the Milwaukee Art Museum.  

Recount and Georgia Senate Volunteers Sign Up Information

The bedrock of our democracy is that voters pick our leaders, leaders do not pick their voters. The voters of Wisconsin have spoken and the will of the people is clear. The people have chosen Joe Biden as the next president of the United States.

This year, more Wisconsinites voted than in any other Presidential election. Milwaukee and Dane County saw incredible voter turnout in the midst of a pandemic.

We have won a historic victory in Wisconsin where the labor movement lifted Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to victory! However, there is still work to do.

The Trump campaign has requested a recount of votes in only Milwaukee and Dane counties. We want to thank the election administrators and poll workers who worked tirelessly to ensure that the integrity of this election was upheld to our highest standards.

Any recount changes in vote totals will be insignificant and will not impact the result.

In order to make sure the recount process goes smoothly we need volunteers to help.

Sign up to get involved with our efforts at wisaflcio.org/mobilize and one of our staff will be in touch soon about our volunteer opportunities.

Despite pandemic related challenges, Americans turned out in historic numbers to pick new leaders who will govern for us all and tackle our nation’s greatest challenges head on.  

Also, we need your help to elect two new pro-union, pro-worker Senators in Georgia. Reverend Warnock and Jon Ossoff will be champions for Georgia and are essential to ensure that Joe Biden's agenda is able to move in Congress.

Now is the time to focus on a successful and peaceful transfer of power so that we can move forward together to stop the spread of COVID-19 and provide real economic relief for working families, small businesses, and communities across Wisconsin and across our country.  

Join us between now and January 5th to make sure our priorities can be put front and center in Washington, DC.

Sign up to help with our recount and Georgia runoff efforts at wisaflcio.org/mobilize today.

Union-Made Thanksgiving

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As we celebrate Thanksgiving in new ways as the coronavirus continues to surge in Wisconsin, we hope you and your family are safe and healthy. We take a moment during this challenging year to give thanks for our democracy and our movement of working people who are powering our communities through the COVID-19 pandemic while continuing to fight for a better tomorrow for all. We look ahead to moving forward together with a Biden Harris Administration to responsibly tackle this virus head-on and build back better by investing in our families, our communities, and an economic recovery that works for all.

We continue to give thanks for all the frontline farm workers, food processing workers, and grocery store workers who show up day in and day out to keep America fed during the pandemic.

From Ocean Spray products, some of which are made right here in Wisconsin by members of the Machinists Union, to Birdseye Vegetables made in Darien by United Food and Commercial Workers to crescent rolls, made by Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco and Grain Millers workers and more -- there’s a bounty of union made in America food items to choose from this Thanksgiving. You can even serve your meal on union made plates with union made cutlery. View our list of union-made Thanksgiving items below.

 

Union-Made Thanksgiving

*indicates made in Wisconsin

Turkey

Boar's Head—UFCW

Butterball—UFCW

Foster Farms—UFCW

Smithfield—UFCW

Thumann's—UFCW

Side Dishes and Vegetables

*Ocean Spray whole berry cranberry sauce—IAM

*Birds Eye—UFCW

Andy Boy—UFW

Eurofresh —UFCW

Mann's—UFCW

Muranaka Farm —UFW

Sunripe —UFCW

Keebler (Kellogg) crackers—BCTGM

Potatoes

Betty Crocker specialty potatoes—BCTGM

Dole—IBT

Mann's fresh culinary cuts sweet potatoes—UFCW

Ore-Ida—UFCW,IBT

Bread and Stuffing

Pillsbury crescent rolls, frozen and ready to bake rolls/breads—BCTGM

Stroehmann bakery products—BCTGM

Manischewitz—UFCW

Dessert

Banquet fruit pies—UFCW

Entenmann's—BCTGM

Marie Callender's—UFCW

Sara Lee pie—BCTGM

Mother’s Kitchen cheesecakes—BCTGM

Nabisco (Mondelez) cookies—BCTGM

Rich Products pies and cakes—BCTGM

Pillsbury pie crusts—BCTGM

Del Monte fresh apples—IBT

Food Club canned pumpkin pie filling—UFCW

Kroger pumpkin pie filling—UFCW

Set the Table

All-Clad cookware—USW

Corning-Ware—USW

*Regal Ware—USW

Fiestaware—GMP

Anchor Hocking—GMP

Pyrex – USW

Bennington Potters—UNITE HERE

Clauss knives—USW

Homer Laughlin china—GMP

Libbey glassware—USW and GMP