Let’s rebuild Wisconsin with jobs we can be proud of.

Last week we heard two speeches, the State of the State and the State of the Union, which focused on job creation.  Finally!  Wisconsin’s workers have been suffering for far too long.

The national AFL-CIO came out with a five point jobs plan in November, and is aggressively pursuing a recovery for Main Street.  You may already be familiar with this plan from earlier blog posts:  http://www.aflcio.org/issues/jobseconomy/jobs/americaneedsjobsnow.cfm

But action at the federal level is not enough.  We must move swiftly to save and create Wisconsin jobs.  We can do it.  We have a plan.

Many of the jobs that we have lost during the Great Recession are not coming back but they can, and they must, be replaced with jobs that are just as good or better.  Wisconsin doesn’t have to become a second-class state with high unemployment, jobs that can’t support a family and a deteriorating standard of living. 

We can stop this race to the bottom, but it will take a commitment from all of us to:

• Create a Green Economy for working people.

• Support and expand our manufacturing sector.

• Strengthen the public services that make Wisconsin a great place to live.

The Wisconsin AFL-CIO is making that commitment, and we call on everyone to work for a stronger Wisconsin.

1.    Create a Green Economy for working people.

Governor Doyle’s Global Warming Task Force recommendations provide a needed platform from which to discuss the development of new jobs in the green economy.  However, the green economy does not automatically translate into green dollars in the pockets of Wisconsin workers.

When Wisconsin taxpayers invest in the Green Economy, the jobs should stay in Wisconsin. 

It is essential that workers in newly created green jobs be able to bargain for the wages, benefits and working conditions necessary to stabilize and rebuild our communities.  The American middle class was created through the higher wages and benefits negotiated by millions of workers through their unions.    In other words, green jobs should be union jobs.

2.    Support and expand our manufacturing sector.

Wisconsin’s workforce is competitive in the global economy. Productivity, skill and quality set us apart, and will continue to do so as long as we make the investments needed to stay ahead.

Workforce training continues to be a priority, but retraining is pointless unless there are new jobs. 

The manufacturing sector needs support through strategic and responsible public investment to help businesses replace outdated equipment and procedures with the technologies that will make new jobs possible.

3.    Strengthen the public services that make Wisconsin a great place to live.

When public sector budgets are slashed it is a double blow.  Not only do we lose family-sustaining jobs, but citizens who rely on our schools, courts, public safety systems and other institutions are at risk of not receiving the quality services that they deserve.

There are currently over 3,000 vacant positions in state government alone, the result of employees who retired without being replaced, due to budget cuts. 

Tight budgets are often used as an excuse to dismantle quality public services through outsourcing or privatizing public sector jobs.  This often results in inferior service at a higher cost to taxpayers.  Accurate cost-benefit analysis and strict accountability are needed any time that privatization is considered to protect the interest of taxpayers.

Be sure to check back with the blog throughout the week, to read articles explaining each of the three steps outlined above in greater detail.

(Photo: Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Phil Neuenfeldt and Executive Vice President Sara Rogers.  Photo Credit: Brenda Moon.)