Did you hear Wisconsin State AFL-CIO President Phil Neuenfeldt on the Joy Cardin Show this morning? The calls and comments from listeners were overwhelmingly in favor of the rights of workers who want to form strong, effect unions. If you missed your chance to call in, you can still make your voice heard.
Contrary to the name, this legislation won’t give anyone rights or jobs. It just weakens unions by letting free-riders get all the benefits of union protection without paying their fair share. The result? Weakened unions with fewer resources to defend the workers they represent. That’s why workers in states with these misnamed laws make, on average, $5,500 a year less.
Be sure to vote NO before the poll closes. The online survey is towards the bottom of the page. Your action now will help discourage legislators from proposing a Right to Work for Less law here in Wisconsin.
This afternoon labor and community groups gathered at City Hall in Milwaukee to draw attention to the 15,000 family sustaining jobs that a federally funded high speed rail line between Milwaukee and Madison would have created. The rally drew many supporter angered by the recent Department of Transportation announcement that $810 million dollars designated for Wisconsin high speed rail will be reallocated to projects in other states.
Milwaukee workers suffered an additional blow last week when Spanish train manufacturer Talgo announced it would leave the city at the end of their lease in 2012.
“Thanks to Scott Walker, economic progress is passing Wisconsin by,” said Wisconsin State AFL-CIO President Phil Neuenfeldt. “We’ve lost the train and we’re going to lose Talgo, but we have found our voice when it comes to high quality jobs. The labor movement will continue to speak out to demand that our new Governor put working families and job creation first.”
Governor-elect Scott Walker claims that ending construction on the project was deficit savvy, but the estimated annual cost of running the line was only $4.7 million, and most of that bill would have likely been picked up by the state’s federal transportation budget.
Today’s rally was intended to send a clear message to the incoming administration: the most pressing deficit that our state faces is the deficit of family sustaining jobs.
The Wisconsin State AFL-CIO, Milwaukee Area Labor Council, Citizen Action’s Good Jobs and Livable Neighborhoods Coalition, and Voces de La Frontera sponsored today’s rally.
(Top Photo: The crowd in Milwaukee calls for Good Jobs Now! Right Photo: Milwaukee Area Labor Council Secretary-Treasurer Shelia Cochran. Bottom Photo: Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Stephanie Bloomingdale and ATU Local 998 members at the Emergency Jobs Rally. Credit for All Photos: Jenissee Volpintesta. For more pictures from today's rally, visit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wisaflcio/sets/72157625467908809/with/5258604111/.)
It has been six days since Congress let unemployment insurance expire for over 1,019,500 Americans and 44,000 Wisconsin residents. Every second, someone loses his or her emergency unemployment benefits.
In the videos above and below two Wisconsin residents share their personal unemployment stories and call on Congress to take action.
Dora Herrera-Mier has a Master's in Business Administration and eight years of experience. Due to budget freezes and department relocation she has been looking for work for two years. Unemployment insurance provides a vital lifeline for Dora, her two children, and millions of Americans out of work due to the recession.
Desmond Taylor was laid off after 20 years at Milsco Manufacturing. In his video, Taylor asks Congress to extend unemployment insurance so he can support his family and put his children through college.
Never before has Congress let unemployment insurance expire when so many Americans are out of work. With the unemployment rate at 9.8%, now is not the time to cut benefits.
This is a matter of survial for millions of families, and playing political games is unacceptable. Working people, and those who would like to be working, are speaking out.
Tomorrow, December 7th, is the online day of solidarity for unemployed workers. Please take a moment to call your Congressional Representative and urge them to extend unemployment insurance.
Tell Congress to extend emergency unemployment benefits by calling 877-662-2889.
On Tuesday afternoon, over 100 supporters of the proposed biomass energy facility in Rothschild rallied at the Stoney Creek Inn prior to public hearings on the project.
“It’s no secret that unemployment and job insecurity continue to plague central Wisconsin,” said Wisconsin State AFL-CIO President Phil Neuenfeldt. “Using biomass to generate electricity offers a long-term solution that is good for the economy and the environment at the same time. It also helps our state move towards energy independence. These are the jobs of the future, and we’ll do everything we can to help this project move forward.”
The Domtar paper mill, in cooperation with We Energies, is proposing to build a new biomass generation facility at Domtar’s Rothschild mill. If approved, the mill would replace current boilers with a biomass-fueled generator. The upgrade is expected to reduce air emissions by nearly 30 percent.
The project will help to protect 460 existing mill jobs that the community depends on, create 400 good paying jobs during the construction phase, and create 150 permanent family-sustaining jobs in fields supporting the biomass industry.
After the rally, many supporters crossed the street to testify at public hearings held by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin.
(Top Photo: Crowd at the Rally for Green Jobs in Rothschild, WI. Bottom Photo: Wisconsin State AFL-CIO President Phil Neuenfeldt speaking at the Rothschild Rally. Credit for both photos: Scott Wright. For more rally pictures, visit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wisaflcio/sets/72157625384203867/.)
At midnight last night, over 44,000 Wisconsin workers lost their unemployment insurance benefits. By the end of December, 2 million Americans are projected to lose their unemployment insurance. Shame on those in Congress who aren't supporting this emergency lifeline.
The domino effect of the unemployment insurance expiration will affect more than just the families of the unemployed. When jobless families are unable to pay their mortgage, buy groceries or generate tax revenue, local communities, businesses and governments all suffer. The expiration of unemployment insurance benefits slows our economy down when we need to speed it up.
The Wisconsin State AFL-CIO and working families are calling on Congress to approve a one year emergency extension of unemployment insurance. Never before has Congress allowed unemployment insurance to expire when so many people are looking for work but unable to find jobs. But instead of focusing on working families, the newly-elected GOP Congress is pushing to pass tax cuts for millionaires by extending the Bush tax cuts for those making over $250,000.
Don’t leave Wisconsin’s economy in the cold this December. Keep our communities and jobless families afloat; support a one year emergency extension of unemployment insurance. Sign the petition TODAY!
(Top Photo: Robert Baker and Kathleen Slamka, IBEW 494 at the Rally to Save Wisconsin Jobs. Photo Credit: Karen Hickey)
