Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Blog

Media Matters: Old and New are Both Here to Stay

It is now easier than ever to connect to the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO and stay on top of news affecting working families.  We proudly introduce the following additions to our media program:

 
This blog (which you’ve already found):  http://wisaflcio.typepad.com

Our facebook page: http://facebook.com/wisaflcio

Our twitter account: http://twitter.com/wisaflcio

And last but not least, our flickr photo album: http://flickr.com/wisaflcio

So login, “become a fan” and “follow” us as we build an online labor community with the capacity to create real world changes for working people.

As we strike out into cyberspace, we will continue to be high visibility in the traditional press.
 

In a prime example of media presence, Wisconsin State AFL-CIO President David Newby recently joined forces with Doctor Susan Turney, CEO of the Wisconsin Medical Society to announce an unprecedented consensus on health insurance reform. 

“I don’t think people realize how dramatic a break with history this is,” said Newby in an interview with the Kenosha News which was printed on September 24.  “We have never been on the same side with health care reform before.  It would have been unthinkable 10 years ago, even 5 years ago.”

In an op-ed published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Janesville Gazette and Racine Journal Times, the two leaders, whose organizations together represent 12,000 doctors and 250,000 workers, point out the overwhelming need for reforms to increase access to care, control costs and improve the design of our health care system.   Read the full articles for yourself:

http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/60063607.html

http://gazettextra.com/news/2009/sep/22/time-now-health-insurance-reform/

http://www.journaltimes.com/news/opinion/editorial/article_e71f0dd0-a964-11de-9936-001cc4c002e0.html

As we stride towards quality, affordable health care for all and the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act, we must take the fight to the internet as well as the inkwell.  Either way, Wisconsin workers win.

Day of Action! Tell Congress to Side with Working Families.

On Wednesday, October 7th the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO will participate in a National Day of Action urging Congress to pass a strong public insurance option as part of health insurance reform.

A public option is critical to expanding coverage to the uninsured, lowering overall costs, and holding private insurers accountable.   Tell your elected officials that you expect them to side with working families rather than insurance industry lobbyists.

Our goal is to have 10% of our membership, 25,000 people, call Congress on October 7th.  The number to call is:

1-877-323-5246

That line will remain open after the National Day of Action so that you can continue to tell your representatives and senators that health insurance reform is urgently needed.   

(Photo: Wisconsin State AFL-CIO President David Newby shows how easy it is to make the call.  Photo Credit: Sara Wallenfang.)

"How are you going to keep the insurance companies honest?"

That was the question posed by Mike Goebel of CWA at Rep. Paul Ryan's recent Racine listening session.

The goal of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO is to win secure, high-quality health care for all. We’ll do that by mobilizing and educating our members, as well as building key alliances with businesses and progressive groups.

We are fighting for a unique American plan for health insurance reform that:

• Builds on what’s best about American health care.

• Controls rising and irrational costs.

• Makes sure everyone gets high-quality health care as good or better than they have now.

• Covers preventive care.

• Lets people choose their own doctors and other providers.

• Government is watchdog on costs, quality and fairness and offers the choice of a public alternative to private insurance.

• Divides responsibility among employers, government and individuals.

This is a campaign of education, outreach and mobilization. We will help to arm working people with the knowledge they need to make informed choices about health care reform. We also will help our members make their voices heard in the health care debate. In addition to talking to our members, this campaign will be talking to allies, including not only other progressive organizations but also, crucially, employers. Our employers that have been providing good health benefits have a real stake in reforming health care and must be part of the debate and the solution.

Wisconsin union members have already been extraordinarily vocal at town hall meetings and rallies across the state.

AFSCME set a particularly strong example by busing their members to listening sessions within their districts.

During the month of August and the first week of September at least 2411 union members participated in 47 different listening sessions and health care rallies.  Members of AFSCME, AFT, APWU, ARA, ATU, BAC, BMWE, CWA, DALU, IAFF, IAMAW, IBB, IBEW, IBT, IRON, IUOE, IUPAT, LIUNA, NALC, NEA, OPEIU, ROOFERS, SEIU, SMWIA, UFCW, UA, UAW and other unions all turned out at health care events.

As this fight continues, it will be up to you to keep the pressure on so that Congress passes meaningful reform which includes a strong public option.   

(Top Photo: On July 20th, members of the Fond Du Lac County Labor Council participated in a rally for Health Insurance reform, marching to the office of Rep. Tom Petri to express their views.  Photo Credit: Greg Hinds. Middle Left Photo: Mike Goebel of CWA stands outside of the session with Kenosha AFL-CIO Council President Ron Fredrick and Secretary Treasurer Judy Jensen. Photo Credit: Justin Geiger.  Middle Right Photo: AFSCME members listen at Rep. Gwen Moore's Health Care Town Hall in Milwaukee. Photo Credit: Justin Geiger.  Bottom Photo: The South Central Federation of Labor educated fellow union members and the general public about health insurance reform at the Dodge County Fair on July 21.  Photo Credit: Randy Frey.)

Labor Day Statewide Round Up

An estimated 18,000 people watched or participated in some portion of Milwaukee’s Labor Fest, about 14,000 of whom were union members.  The event kicked off with a parade through downtown Milwaukee at 11 a.m., followed by a free family-friendly festival on the Summerfest grounds (Maier Festival Park).

As you can tell from the photographs, health care was on the minds of many Milwaukee Area Labor Council members as they marched this year.  Over 1,000 signed postcards were collected in support of health insurance reform and the Employee Free Choice Act.

Wisconsin State AFL-CIO President David Newby also focused on health care and Employee Free Choice when he addressed Labor Day picnics in Racine and Kenosha.  Those events had a combined attendance of about 600 people.  Newby was also featured on statewide public radio (Joy Cardin's 8 a.m. show) and WCLO in Janesville, as well as Wisconsin Public Television ("Here and Now") on Friday evening.

Labor Fest participants at the Madison Labor Temple signed over 100 cards in support of health insurance reform and the Employee Free Choice Act.  Representatives of all sectors of labor – manufacturing, public sector, building trades, service sector, and retirees – were on hand to thank Rep. Tammy Baldwin for her continued leadership on health care reform.

“Every time any of our ninety affiliated labor unions go to the bargaining table, they are confronted with the issue of rising health care costs and sometimes forced to the street in order to maintain their families’ health insurance,” said Jim Cavanaugh, president of the South Central Federation of Labor.  “Now, at long last, genuine health care reform – the number one issue for both organized labor and Rep. Baldwin – is the main agenda item in Congress.  Rep. Baldwin both publicly, in Committee, and behind the scenes has worked tirelessly to improve the health care reform bill, and we wanted to thank her.”

Earlier in the day Rep. Baldwin and Sen. Russ Feingold drew a crowd of approximately 20,000 people to Labor Day celebrations in Rock County.  Feingold has also been a strong supporter of health insurance reform and the rights of workers to join and form unions.

Rep. Ron Kind attended Labor Day events in both Eau Claire and La Crosse.  The Eau Claire Labor Day picnic drew about 350 people.  The La Crosse Labor Day parade boasted between 300 and 400 union marchers with over 1,000 spectators cheering them on.

Close to 800 people participated in Labor Day events sponsored by the Greater Green Bay Labor Council.  Be sure to read the fantastic coverage of labor issues which ran in the Green Bay Press Gazette:
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20090907/GPG0101/909070543/1207/GPG01/Unions-look-to-future-this-Labor-Day

Marathon County showcased a Labor Day parade, drawing thousands of participants.  The Wood County and Vicinity CLC hosted Labor Day activities for hundreds of union and community members in Wisconsin Rapids.  Fox Valley, Fond du Lac, and Oshkosh all hosted local Labor Day activities.   Not to be out done, union members in Superior held their annual Labor Day Dance.

For more Labor Day pictures, be sure to visit the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO’s brand new flickr account: http://flickr.com/photos/wisaflcio

(Photos listed from top to bottom, right to left.  Photo 1: UAW and CWA members march in the Milwaukee Labor Day Parade.  Photo Credit: Justin Geiger.  Photo 2: UFCW members march in the Milwaukee Labor Day Parade.  Photo Credit: Justin Geiger. Photo 3: La Crosse Labor Day Parade.  Photo Credit: Andy Thompson. Photo 4: The South Central Federation of Labor (SCFL) presented a special award to Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin, in recognition of her ongoing strides towards health care reform.  Photo Credit: Union Labor News. Photo 5: Madison Labor Fest.  Photo Credit: Union Labor News. Photo 6: Members of USW march in the Milwaukee Labor Day Parade.  Photo Credit: Dom Noth.  Photo 7: Nurses of WFNHP-AFT march in the Milwaukee Labor Day Parade.  Photo Credit: Dom Noth.)

A Public Health Insurance Option: Accept No Substitute

Private health insurers are trying to make sure no public health insurance plan cuts into their market at a time when we’re enacting reforms to cover everyone.   Some of the compromises offered would let private plans have their way.

As union members we must fight for a strong, public health insurance plan in order to make coverage more affordable.  Escalating health care costs are a growing burden for working families, employers and the government.  A public health insurance plan will have lower administrative costs than private health insurance plans and it does not have to earn a profit.  These features, combined with its ability to establish payment rates, will result in lower premiums.

Here’s how it would work:

The public health insurance plan would compete on a level playing field with private plans and would be administered by government but funded through premiums.  Through competition, even those purchasing coverage from a private health insurance plan will benefit from lower costs.  When premiums are lower, that means less spending on federal subsidies for those who qualify for financial help.

A public health insurance plan will also drive quality improvements and more rational provider payments.  Because it is not motivated strictly by profit, a public plan can introduce innovations that private insurance companies have little incentive to implement.  Just as Medicare has led the way with reforms and improvements that the private plans are now adopting, a public health insurance plan can develop innovative payment mechanisms, expand quality incentives and adopt evidence-based protocols.

A public health insurance plan is the surest way to promote competition and keep private insurance companies honest.  In 2005, private insurance markets in 96% of metropolitan areas were considered highly concentrated and anti-competitive, which left consumers with little choice.  Coupled with a more regulated private insurance market, a public option will break the stranglehold a handful of companies have on the insurance market and will give consumers enough choices to vote with their feet and change plans.

And last but not least, a public health insurance plan guarantees stable and continuous coverage. If you lose or change jobs, a public plan will still be there for you. A public health insurance plan available to everyone will provide rural areas with the security of health benefits that are there when rural residents need them, just as Medicare has been a constant source of coverage as private Medicare Advantage and Part D plans churn in and out of rural areas every year. 

(Video: A recent television ad for health insurance reform, paid for by Health Care for America Now.  Top Ptoto: Wisconsin State AFL-CIO President David Newby, addressing the July 20 Rally for Health Insurance Reform in Fond Du Lac.  Photo Credit: Greg Hinds.  Bottom Photo: Members of IUOE Local 139 march for health insurance reform in the Milwaukee Labor Day Parade.  Photo Credit: Justin Geiger.)

The New Alliance and Area Labor Federations

The Wisconsin State AFL-CIO is reorganizing in order to become a more effective voice for Wisconsin workers.  The first step in this “new alliance” process will be detailed strategic planning based on input from our many affiliated unions.

In two regions of the state, new Area Labor Federations (ALF’s) have been chartered to better serve the needs of affiliates by facilitating good working relationships between local unions, Central Labor Councils, the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO and the National AFL-CIO.   The first joint meeting of the Northeast and Central Wisconsin ALF’s took place on August 1st at the Fox Valley Labor Temple in Neenah, WI.

After taking their Oath of Office, board members discussed mobilization in great detail.  They reaffirmed their commitment to Health Care Reform and the Employee Free Choice Act, and also shared ideas on how to build local capacity for rapid response.

The Central Wisconsin AFL serves Adams, Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Menominee, Portage, Shawano, Waupaca and Wood Counties.  The Officers of the Central Wisconsin ALF are: Chair Sally Feistel of USW District 2; Secretary-Treasurer Deb Foth of AFSCME Council 40; Vice Chair Terry Hayden of UA Local 434; Vice Chair Craig Wagner of SMWIA Local 18; Vice Chair Pat Nelson of IUOE Local 139; Vice Chair Brent Roberts of IAMAW Local 1713; Don Cline of the Marathon County Labor Council; Ron Holden of the Wood County & Vicinity CLC; Mark Westphal of the Fox Valley Area Labor Council; Gary Ruhl of the NE WI Building & Construction Trades; John Durben of APWU; Ken Curry of the WI Alliance for Retired Americas.

The Northeast Wisconsin ALF serves Brown, Calumet, Door, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Oconto, Outagamie, Sheboygan and Winnebago Counties. The Officers of the the Northeast Wisconsin ALF are: Chair Mike Bolton of USW; Secretary-Treasurer Nancy Becker of AFSCME Council 40; John Eiden of UFCW; Vice Chair Mike Haak of IBEW 2150; Vice Chair Shane Griesbach of IUOE Local 139; Vice Chair John Rolbiecki of IAMAW District 10; Vice Chair Brad Schwanda of UAW Region 4; Dennis Bomberry of the Marinette/Menomonie CLC; Barb Felde of the Sheboygan County Labor Council; Larry Lautenschlager of the Winnebago County Labor Council; Bob Lutze of the Lakes Regional Labor Council; Dave Page of the Fond du Lac County Labor Council; Jeff Selin of the Fox Valley Area Labor Council; Tony Vanderbloemen of the Greater Green Bay Area Labor Council; Gary Ruhl of the Northeast WI Building & Construction Trades; Bob Young of CWA Local 4621; Mark Buss of UA Local 400; Tim Driscoll of the WI Alliance for Retired Americans.

The current ALF Interim Officers and Executive Board were appointed by the President of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO effective August 1, 2009.  Regular election for Officers and Executive Board members will take place in May or June of 2010.   

(Left Photo: Executive Board of the Central Wisconsin ALF.  Right Photo: Executive Board of the Northeast Wisconsin ALF.  Credit for Both Photos: Sue Ledbetter.)