Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Blog

Union-Made Holidays

In Wisconsin and across the nation, our fellow union brothers and sisters make a variety of great union-made gifts. From pots and pans, to hot chocolate and coffee, baby pacifiers, durable washers and dryers and more, you can find the perfect gift that helps supports good jobs and working families using our union-made and Wisconsin-made gift guide.

At the Wisconsin AFL-CIO, we’re proud to host our Buy Wisconsin website at buywi.org. This resource will help you find union-made in Wisconsin and Wisconsin-made products and gifts for your loved ones. Union products are highlighted in blue. After union-made, Wisconsin-made products are sorted into categories including: Apparel, Food and Beverage, Home, Garden & Sports, and Gift, Bath & Novelty.

To get started, visit Buy Wisconsin at: http://buywi.org/products  

The AFL-CIO has put together a Union-Made Holiday Gift Guide featuring stocking stuffers, apparel and accessories, games and toys, beauty products and more – all made by union members across the country.

View the guide at: https://aflcio.org/MadeInAmerica/holiday-gifts

Union-Made in Wisconsin Gift Ideas

• Colectivo Coffee. (IBEW)
• Board games from Noble Knight Games in Fitchburg. (CWA)
• Call of Duty video games. (Quality assurance testers are CWA members in Madison)
• Milwaukee Art Museum tickets or pass. (IAMAW)
• Regal Ware Pots and Pans made in West Bend. (USW)
• Miller beer made in Milwaukee. (UAW, IAMAW, IBEW, UA, LIUNA, OPEIU)
• Usinger’s Sausage and Smoked Meats made in Milwaukee. (UFCW, IUOE)
• Klement’s Sausages. (UFCW)
• Nuk baby products made in Reedsburg. (IAMAW)
• John Deere lawn mowers made in Horicon. (IAMAW)
• Speed Queen washing machines from Alliance Laundry made in Ripon. (USW)

Every dollar you spend on Wisconsin-made and union-made in the USA goods helps support Wisconsin jobs and fellow union workers. It is only through workers coming together with strong unions and sitting down at the bargaining table with management that we fully harness the power to make change and create a more equitable future for all.

Find a gift that carries the union label at buywi.org and https://aflcio.org/MadeInAmerica/holiday-gifts.

Experis Game Solutions Workers Vote Overwhelmingly to Join IAMAW

On Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023 the workers at Experis Game Solutions, a subsidiary of ManpowerGroup, Inc., voted to unionize with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 10 by a margin of 35 to 4, with nearly 90% of the votes cast and 83% of the total group in favor of the union. The 42 Test Associates, Software Test Engineers, and Data Software Analysts that form the new bargaining unit in Milwaukee will immediately begin the process of preparing for contract negotiations with Experis. 

The workers, who are responsible for quality assurance and troubleshooting of newly developed games and have worked on projects including Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020), Forza Motorsport (2023), Halo Infinite, and Starfield, decided to form a union in order to address multiple workplace issues.  Low pay, burnout, a lack of job security, and unaffordable health insurance are just a few of the chronic problems in the video game industry that the workers are hoping to improve.  The group endured an active anti-union campaign by members of management that included mandatory captive audience meetings, emails, workplace postings, and threats of frozen pay and promotions during negotiations as senior leadership from Experis and Manpower North America were brought in to dissuade the workers from unionizing.

Despite the company’s anti-union efforts, Experis workers remain steadfast in their effort to achieve a voice at work and are looking forward to productively working with Experis management to reach a first contract that allows the company to remain competitive through fair pay, benefits and working conditions that respect the workers’ expertise and hard work. Improvements in working conditions are essential to reducing employee burnout and to creating sustainable, family supporting jobs in the Milwaukee area community.

“We could not be prouder of the forceful message Experis workers delivered to their employer yesterday: that they are ready to be compensated fairly for the skills and hard work they bring to their jobs every day,” said IAM District 10 Directing Business Representative Alex Hoekstra. “We welcome them into the IAM family and will have their backs at every step of the way as they negotiate their first contract.  When 83% of workers agree that it’s time to bargain, it’s time to bargain.”

“Congratulations to video game testers at Experis Game Solutions who on Thursday, November 30, won their union election,” said Stephanie Bloomingdale, President of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO. “We are proud to welcome and offer our solidarity to video game workers as they come together in union with the IAMAW District 10 to address workplace issues and fight for a living wage. Momentum for union organizing continues to sweep the nation as workers in Wisconsin and other states look to unions for a better life. We call on Experis Game Solutions and ManpowerGroup to come to the table in good faith to negotiate a first union contract with the newest members of the IAMAW District 10.” 

Wisconsin Union Members Stand in Support of Collective Bargaining for All

Wisconsin AFL-CIO President Stephanie Bloomingdale released the following statement as coalition of public sector workers file lawsuit challenging constitutionality of Wisconsin’s Act 10: 

 

“Wisconsin union members stand together in solidarity as a coalition of public sector employees bring forth a legal challenge to the constitutionality of Scott Walker’s union-busting Act 10,” said Wisconsin AFL-CIO President Stephanie Bloomingdale. “All Wisconsin workers have the right to collectively bargain with their employer over issues such as wages, workplace safety, benefits and more. Banning some workers from the full freedom to negotiate in union is a violation of the Wisconsin Constitution. Act 10 has done great harm to working people in our state and has done great damage to the public services our families depend on every day. It has lowered wages and led to staff shortages and long-term vacancies in key public service positions. Working families in Wisconsin will stand together to restore the full freedom of collective bargaining to every worker in our state.”

Eliminating Work Permits for Kids

A bill would continue to roll back child labor law in Wisconsin. Yesterday, the Assembly Committee on Labor held a public hearing on a bill to eliminate all Child Labor Work Permits for kids (AB 442) and roll back Wisconsin’s child labor laws. This bill was passed in the Senate in October. It can now be voted on by the Assembly.

Click here to tell your Representative to stop the rollback of child labor law in Wisconsin and vote NO on Assembly Bill 442 the elimination of work permits for 14- and 15- year olds.

Work provides value to young people: in the wages they make, the work ethic they develop, and in the lessons they learn on-the-job. Our current child labor work permit process keeps kids safer at work by involving parents, providing critical information about where kids are working to Wisconsin’s Department of Workforce Development (DWD) and provides necessary funding for child labor law enforcement in our state.    

Assembly Bill 442 will completely end work permits for all children, and in doing so will eliminate parents’ ability to sign off on employment for their child and receive critical information about their child’s job. Eliminating child labor permits also eliminates the current funding mechanism, a small $10 fee per permit paid by the employer, for the enforcement of child labor regulations in Wisconsin.

Assembly Bill 442 follows past efforts to roll back child labor laws. In 2017, the Legislature and former Governor Walker took away the right of parents to approve work for 16- and 17-year olds. Just last session, similar politicians attempted to pass a law that would expand the hours of work for some teenagers. Fortunately, Governor Evers used his veto to strike down last session’s attempt to further weaken child labor laws.  

Through the 2017 child labor rollback and a few other states’ similar rollbacks, we have unfortunately seen a rise in teens harmed at work and working in hazardous and/or illegal jobs for their age over the last seven years. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the number of minors employed in violation of child-labor laws was up 283% from 2015, and just last year was up 37% from the previous year.

Over and over, backers of this bill have complained and made wrong claims about cumbersome paperwork and red tape, yet Wisconsin’s child work permit process has changed. Parents and guardians now go online to approve employment digitally.

Child work permits play and have played an essential role in protecting Wisconsin kids for over 100 years. The permit process provides the DWD enforcement office with critical information, such as how many 14- and 15 year-olds are working, where they are working and what job tasks they are performing.

Eliminating child work permits in Wisconsin ends key parental oversight and weakens child labor enforcement mechanisms. Contact your Representative today in opposition of AB442.