Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Blog

Local IUPAT Member Stands in Solidarity with Las Vegas Workers

Wisconsin International Union of Painters and Allied Trade (IUPAT) member Marcus Shepherd, IUPAT local 781, District Council 7 stands in solidarity with Nevada workers at a picket line outside of the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas on Friday, May 27. 

Hundreds of Las Vegas workers gathered for an area standards picket organized by the Nevada IUPAT District Council 15. 

An area standards picket is to inform the community that an employer is paying lower wages and lower benefits than is established by industry employers in the area.

Jaime Contreras, of IUPAT Local 159, D.C. 15, explains that the community is protesting the Venetian because the hotel is paying below the standard wage for painter and paper hanger workers in the area. 

Shepherd, who is from Milwaukee, is in town to attend the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists annual conference.  He took the time to lend his support for the fight for fair wages in Nevada. 

“I am here to stand in solidarity with my fellow painters,” explained Shepherd.  “I have seen first hand in Wisconsin the power and strength that comes from workers standing together, side-by-side for justice.  I can only hope that the Venetian hears our voice today and complies with the local wage standards.” 

For more pictures of the action in Las Vegas visit the Milwaukee Area Labor Council Face Book photo album by clicking here.

 

 

(Top Photo:  Milwaukee area IUPAT, Local 781, D.C. 7 member, Marcus Shepherd, stands in solidarity with IUPAT Local 159, D.C. 15 in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Middle and Bottom photo:  IUPAT Local 159 members conduct an area standards picket in Las Vegas, Neveda to highlight an empoyler who is paying below standard wages and benefits for the industry in Las Vegas, NV.  Photo Credit:  All photos taken by Jenissee Volpintesta.)

Canvass Locations this Weekend: May 28 & 29

SD 10 -  Volunteer signup for shifts here: http://bit.ly/SD10volunteers
 
Locations:
Hudson, WI

901 4th Street Suite 101
Sat @ 10:00 AM; Sat @ 2:00 PM;Sun @ 12:00 PM
 

Earth Angels Cafe, River Falls, WI
321 N. 2nd Street (Meet Downstairs)
Sat @ 10:00 AM; Sat @ 2:00 PM
 
Menomonie, WI
Meet at Acoustic Cafe
102 Main Street
Sat @ 10:00 AM; Sat @ 2:00 PM
Sunday @ 12:00 PM
 
SD 22:  Volunteer signup for shifts here:  http://bit.ly/SD22volunteers
 
Locations:

UAW Local 72, 3615 Washington Rd, Kenosha
Saturday, 9:00am-noon; 1:00pm-4:00pm
Sunday– 12:00pm-3:00pm
 
SD 32 - Volunteer signup for shifts here:   http://bit.ly/SD32volunteers
 
Locations:
402 Copeland Avenue, La Crosse, WI 54603
10:00 AM and 2:00PM-Saturday
12:00PM Sunday
 
SD 2 - Volunteer signup for shifts here:  http://bit.ly/SD2volunteers
 
Locations:
 
Kaukauna: USW Local 20 Hall, 202 Maple St., Kaukauna –

Saturday:  10:00am and 2:00pm;

Sun: 10:00am
 
SD 30 -Volunteer signup for shifts here:   http://bit.ly/SD30volunteers
 
Locations:
GBEA Office: 2256 Main St., Green Bay
 
SD 8 - Volunteer signup for shifts here:    http://bit.ly/SD8volunteers
 
Locations:
 
Sweet & Associates Law Firm
2510 E. Capitol Drive., Shorewood
Saturday 10am & 1pm
Sunday: 1pm
 
SD 14 - Volunteer signup for shifts here:    http://bit.ly/SD14volunteers
 
Locations:
 
Baraboo civic center 124 2nd st, Baraboo (front parking lot)
Saturday, May 28th; 9:00 AM; 12:00 PM
Sunday, May 29th; 1:00pm
 
Ripon:
Parking Lot Behind Advancing Wisconsin Office (2 doors down from mugs)
313 Watson Street, Suite E & F, Ripon
Saturday, May 28th; 9:00 AM; 12:00 PM
Sunday, May 29th; 1:00pm
 
SD18 - Volunteer signup for shifts here:    http://bit.ly/SD18volunteers
 
Locations:
 
Oshkosh- 105 Washington Ave. Suite 356.
Saturday, May 28th; 10:00am - 1:00pm; 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Sunday, May 29th; 12:00pm - 4:00pm
 

Authorized and paid for by Wisconsin State AFL-CIO PAC as an in-kind contribution to We Are Wisconsin PAC, Phil Neuenfeldt, Treasurer. Not authorized by any candidate, candidate committee or agent.

Judge Rules Anti-Worker Bill Passed Illegally

Today Dane County Judge MaryAnn Sumi ruled that the union busting bill was passed illegally by Scott Walker and Senate Republicans.  This morning Sumi issued a permanent injunction barring the implementation of the “budget repair bill” which strips hundreds of thousands of public employees of their voice on the job.

View the complete decision here.

Sumi ruled that there is “clear and convincing” evidence that the Open Meetings Law was violated.  To pass a bill in a Joint Committee of Conference, 24 hours notice must be given to both Representatives and the public.

Click here to watch footage from the actual meeting where it is clear the law is violated. 

Sumi notes that “the purpose of the Open Meetings Law is to protect all citizens’ rights to be informed to the fullest extent concerning the affairs of their government.  Transparency in government is most important when the stakes are high.” 

And indeed the stakes are high.  This bill would not only have negative affects on public employees but on all of Wisconsin workers and the middle class. 

“This morning Judge Sumi upheld what we knew the beginning, that the law stripping hundreds of thousands of public employees of their rights was passed illegally, in the dead of the night through a back door maneuver,” said Phil Neuenfeldt, President of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO.  “The people have been clear from day one, they have stood together in the streets of Madison and in the streets around the state to express that this law is too extreme for Wisconsin.  Today democracy was upheld.  We hope that the Supreme Court will consider the careful review conducted by Judge Sumi and support her conclusion.”

“Scott Walker and the Republicans broke the law that night,” explained Stephanie Bloomingdale, Wisconsin State AFL-CIO.  “This is a democracy, not a dictatorship, and Judge Sumi’s decision today makes it final that the union busting bill was passed illegally and will not stand.” 


What’s Next?

The fight is not over.  It is clear that Scott Walker and his allies will do anything and everything to pass this bill and push their agenda onto Wisconsin.   

It is likely that anti-union bill will be rolled into the already controversial state budget.  That is why it is important that we keep the pressure on our elected officials and let them know that the people support worker's rights.  Click here to sign-up to volunteer with recall campaigns this summer.

On June 6, the Wisconsin State Supreme Court will hear oral arguments for and against taking the collective bargaining case.  The Supreme Court could uphold Sumi’s decision and not take the case.  The Supreme Court could take the case and keep the injunction in place while arguments are presented.  Or the Supreme Court could lift the injunction while the case is argued. 

We must stop this power grab by talking to our friends and neighbors about the importance of the recall elections this summer, which will help protect democracy in Wisconsin. 

Mary Bell of the Wisconsin Education Association Council suggests that “in the wake of this ruling, state lawmakers should back down and not take another run at this divisive legislation. It is not in the best interest of students, schools or Wisconsin’s future to take the voices of educators out of our classrooms. We’ve seen how this issue has polarized our state.”

 

Bryan Kennedy of the American Federation of Teachers – Wisconsin notes that “Republican legislators face an important choice: they can continue to push an agenda of spite, or they can wisely listen to the voice of their constituents and not attempt to pass this legislation through other channels. For the sake of our bruised state, let’s hope they choose the latter.”

 

Through solidarity and collective action we can make our voices heard and keep Wisconsin moving forward.

Voter ID Bill is Morally Wrong

Scott Walker continued his attack on the people of Wisconsin today as he signed Act 23 into law.

With one stroke of his pen at 12:30 pm on Wednesday May 25, 2011, Gov. Walker stripped hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites of their constitutional right to vote.  Despite no systematic evidence of voter fraud, Gov. Walker and his GOP allies decided to make voter suppression a top priority for the state, fast tracking the bill before recall elections could occur against GOP Senators this summer and further illustrating that many in the Wisconsin Legislature are working for themselves instead of the people of Wisconsin.    

Before we ask where are the jobs?  Let’s take a look at who this Act will affect:

According to a 2005 study by UW Milwaukee Driver License Status of Voting Age Population  those without state-issued photo ID who would need to obtain one to vote include:

• 23% of elderly Wisconsinites over the age of 65
• 17% of white men and women
• 55% of African American males and 49% of African American women
• 46% of Hispanic men and 59% of Hispanic women
• 78% of African American males age 18-24 and 66% of African American women age 18-24

“Why are we making it harder for the people of Wisconsin to participate in their democracy?” asked Stephanie Bloomingdale, Secretary-Treasurer of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO.  “Why are we confusing voters, disenfranchising voters and denying thousands of Wisconsinites their voice in the electoral process?  I had hoped that in 2011, the principle of universal suffrage would be beyond debate but in Scott Walker’s world that is not the case.  We need our elected officials to focus on job creation and a fair economy, not address a manufactured problem of voter fraud.” 

 

“It is clear that the intentions behind the voter suppression law are to silence large portions of the population who tend to vote against Republicans,” explained Phil Neuenfeldt, President of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO.    “Act 23 will deny access to the polls for many legitimate voters who have every right to cast their ballots and have them counted. To make it more difficult for someone to be heard in a democracy, simply because you do not like what they have to say is shameful.” 

 

Click here to watch Sen. Lena Taylor explain why Voter ID is morally wrong to the Senate floor. 

Biomass Project Moves Forward in Rothschild

The Biomass Energy Project, which will bring hundreds of family supporting jobs to the Rothschild area, moved forward last week as the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW) issued a final decision on the project. 

The project would create a biomass-fueled power plant at Domtar Corporation’s Rothschild pulp and paper mill site. Wood, waste wood and sawdust will be used to produce electricity to power the nearby paper mill.  Wood is a renewable resource that can be used as fuel to produce electricity, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving forest health. 

"This project will bring hundreds of needed jobs to central Wisconsin,” explained Michael Bolton, United Steelworkers Director, District 2.  “Wind, solar and biomass are the energies of the future. It is refreshing to see Wisconsin invest in the clean energy economy which not only increases our nation's energy independence but spurs job growth for our local communities."  

We Energies also committed last week to begin the engineering and equipment orders that are necessary to maintain the project schedule.  Parts for a boiler need to be ordered so that construction of the plant can be completed by 2013.

Domtar Corp. is planning to present the biomass project and the new conditions set by the PSCW to its Board of Directors for approval within 45 days.  No construction activities will occur on-site until Domtar Corp. and its Board of Directors make a final decision. 

"Using biomass to generate electricity offers a long-term solution that is both good for the economy and good for the environment.  These are the jobs of the future, and we’ll do everything we can to help this project move forward,"  said Gary Ruhl, North East Wisconsin Building and Construction Trades Council.

Over 400 construction jobs and 150 permanent jobs will be sustained during the construction and operation of the plant. 

The project is the result of a labor/management coalition group which worked together to create an outline for the project. 

“When labor and management come together to talk about problems, creative solutions and mutual benefit are often the result,” said Phil Neuenfeldt, President of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO.  “The biomass energy project is a perfect example of good jobs being created right here in Wisconsin through a business and labor coalition effort.” 


Why should working people care?

The biomass project is expected to create 400+ construction jobs over the 2.5-year building process and approximately 150 permanent jobs in fields supporting the operation of the biomass facility once constructed (forest management, logging, transportation).

On top of that, this project will help retain the current jobs connected both directly and indirectly with the Domtar facility. Domtar's Rothschild pulp and paper mill and the associated Lignotech chemical facility directly employ 460 men and women at family supporting wages. Roughly 800 external jobs rely on the economic impact of the mill.

Even local residents who aren’t directly employed by the project stand to benefit.  Once the biomass plant is in service, both the Village of Rothschild and Marathon County will receive an annual payment based on the megawatt capacity of the facility, and that money can be used to support vital public services

What is biomass?


Biomass is a plant-based energy source.   In this case, it is the tree tops and branches left after logging takes place and clean or the untreated left over material from wood manufacturing such as bark or shavings.

Domtar and We Energies are partnering to build a biomass-fueled cogeneration facility, which will produce steam to run the paper mill and electricity for commercial use.

Combined heat and power cogeneration is a more efficient use of biomass fuel than producing steam and electricity separately. In addition to a smart use of a renewable resource, the new facility will use the existing Brownfield site on the Domtar property and share the mill’s infrastructure and resources.

Domtar currently burns 130,000 tons of clean woody biomass each year to generate steam for their facility. Domtar produces 50,000 tons of biomass through their paper-making process and purchases an additional 80,000 tons annually.

Opponents of the project cite air quality as one of their objections.  However, with the combination of the biomass facility’s air quality technology and the retirement of Domtar’s existing boilers, the new facility is projected to reduce the overall emissions from the mill site by approximately 30 percent. Ambient air quality is also expected to improve as shown by analysis that includes the effects of truck traffic.

Report: Walker breaks promise, raises taxes on poor

Once again for Scott Walker, he's not making tough choices, he's making bad choices. Today’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel PolitiFact finds that Gov. Walker, who ran his campaign on an ironclad commitment to veto any and all new tax increases, has already broken that promise. But raising taxes on the poor in Wisconsin while cutting taxes for the wealthy and his campaign contributors is exactly what Gov. Walker is proposing to do.

In fact, Gov. Walker does intend to raise taxes.  Instead of asking for shared sacrifice from corporate CEOs, Gov. Walker wants to raise taxes on those who are already struggling to make ends meet in this tough economy, the poor. 

According to the report, Walker wants to slash the program Ronald Reagan once called “the best anti-poverty, the best pro-family, the best job creation measure to come out of Congress.” 

Instead of asking for shared sacrifice from corporate CEOs or wealthy donors who he's appointing to implement his extreme economic agenda, Walker wants to raise taxes on those who are already struggling to make ends meet in this tough economy -- low-income beneficiaries of the Earned Income Tax Credit.

 

“Gov. Walker talks tough about being a politician who refuses to raise taxes,” said Stephanie Bloomingdale, Secretary-Treasurer of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO.  “He thought we wouldn’t notice his tax increase trick to raise taxes on the poor while cutting taxes for corporations.  By reducing programs that low income families rely on such as the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Homestead Act, Gov. Walker is redistributing the tax burden onto the backs of working Wisconsinites.” 

 

"The fact that Scott Walker wants to slash a program that Ronald Reagan called one of the best in history shows how truly extreme and out-of-touch he and his allies in the legislature have become,” added Bloomingdale.

Canvass Kick-Off this Weekend

Join us this weekend as we kick off the campaign to take our Government back.  Saturday, May 21 and Sunday, May 22, you can join your friends, family and neighbors by participating in door-to-door walks to talk with your community about the importance of the upcoming recall elections on July 12.  We need your help to restore democracy to Wisconsin and the fight continues this weekend in the streets. 

We Are Wisconsin Saturday May 21 and Sunday May 22 Canvass Schedule

Senate District 2:  Contact, Greg Hinds 920-540-2309

USW Local 20 Hall, 200 Maple St. Kaukauna
Saturday May 21:   10:00 am and 2:00 pm

Sunday May 22:  2:00pm

 

Senate District 8: Contact: Kevin Kane 414-550-8280

Sweet & Associates
2510 E. Capitol Drive, Shorewood
Saturday May 21: 10:00 am and 1:00 pm
Sunday May 22: 1:00 pm

 

Senate District 10:  Contact, Miles Baker 906-458-2865
Advancing Wisconsin
901 4th Street, Suite 110, Hudson
Saturday May 21: 10:00 am and 1:00 pm
Sunday May 22:   Noon

 

The Raw Deal Restaurant
603 S. Broadway
Menominie, WI
SUNDAY ONLY:   12:00 pm and 2:00 pm

Senate District 14:  See below for contact

Advancing Wisconsin Office (2 doors down from mugs) Contact: Kate Shapiro, 404-446-6874
313 Watson Street, Suite E & F
Ripon, WI 54971
Saturday 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
 
Waupaca Public Library Gazebo Contact: Evelyn Lynn (920-450-4853)

107 South Main Street, Waupaca
Saturday 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm 

 

Senate Distrcit 18:  Contact, Skyler Johnson 573-355-0578

Winnebago County Labor Council 

2211 Oregon St. Oshkosh, WI

Saturday May 21:  10:00 am and 1:00 pm
Sunday May 22:  Noon

 

Senate District 22:  Contact: Justin Geiger, 414-745-4177 or Peter Drummond, 414-333-1606

UAW Local 72
3615 Washington Road, Kenosha
Saturday May 21:  9:00 am
Sunday May 22:   Noon
 

Senate District 30:  Contact: Evan Korshavn, 920-412-7011

GBEA Office
2256 Main Street, Green Bay
Saturday May 21: 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
Sunday May 22: 2:00 p.m.
 

Senate District 32:  Contact, Shawn Phetteplace 608-385-6488
Advancing Wisconsin
402 Copeland Ave, Lacrosse
Saturday May 21: 10:00am and 1:00pm
Sunday May 22: noon

 

Black River Beach Neighborhood Center
1433 Rose Street, La Crosse, WI
Saturday May 21: 11:30 am

"Union Yes" in state’s first academic staff union vote

From the AFT-Wisconsin Press Room:

 

Earlier today, academic staff at the University of Wisconsin-Superior voted 89-5 out of a unit of 174 in favor of union representation through AFT-Wisconsin, a statewide labor federation affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers. The election was the first academic staff union election in Wisconsin’s history.
 
According to Dianna Hunter, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Social Inquiry at UW-Superior, forming a faculty union is about preserving the integrity of higher education.

“I was proud to vote union ‘yes’ in this groundbreaking election, the first for academic staff in the University of Wisconsin-System. At a time when the wellbeing of working people is under attack at many levels, we have decided to work together to negotiate with management, improve the workplace, and increase security for both people and programs.”
 

If enforced, Gov. Walker’s “budget repair” bill would eliminate academic staff and faculty’s right to collectively bargain. Although the bill is currently held up in the court system, Republican lawmakers have indicated that they intend to include its anti-collective bargaining provisions into the state budget—a budget that already calls for drastic funding cuts to the UW System. 
 
According to Jim Miller, Coordinator of Enrollment Research at UW-Superior, union organizing efforts were galvanized by the attacks against public service.

“The recent uncertainties and lack of respect for public employees that have been demonstrated by the governor’s initiatives have certainly contributed to our resolve to create a formal bargaining group.  But these efforts to join together began before the recent turmoil and will continue after the shouting stops and the dust settles."

UW academic staff and faculty were extended the right to collectively bargain in June of 2009. Since that time, faculty at seven campuses – UW-Eau Claire, UW-Superior, UW-La Crosse, UW-Stout, UW-River Falls, UW-Stevens Point, and UW-Green Bay – have voted in favor of collective bargaining representation.

Thousands Stand Together as The Fight Continues

On Saturday May 14, an estimated 20,000 gathered in Madison to stand up for their right to collectively bargain and their right to a fair budget.  Nurses, Teachers, Social Workers, Fire Fighters, Police, Iron Workers, Steel Workers, college professors, Laborers, Electrical Workers, Teamsters, Machinists, students, clergy members and community members stood together in the streets of Madison to send a resounding message to Gov. Walker:  stop the attacks on the middle class.

“This is grassroots stuff,” explained David Zeller a social worker with SEIU Healthcare Wisconsin.  “This is the citizens of Wisconsin standing up to be heard.” 

“We are here on May 14 to proclaim to the administration, to proclaim to the nation and to proclaim to the entire world that this fight is not over.  The people of Wisconsin are as united and as determined as ever," exclaimed Phil Neuenfeldt, President of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO.  "Our voices will not be silenced.  It seems that the only voice we have left, is the voice of recall, and this summer recall we shall.”

Working families have stood together and prevented Scott Walker’s radical plans to strip workers of their rights for three months now.  Now, Scott Walker and his legislative allies are proving they will stop at nothing to push their agenda onto Wisconsin.  In an attempt to circumvent the judicial process they are trying to incorporate the unpopular collective bargaining measures into the state budget. This past weekend thousands spoke out in Madison to say “No!”

“We are here because no matter what kind of security they put on it, this is still our house,” explained Mary Bell President of WEAC.

Ralliers expressed concern that GOP representatives are ramming through their right-wing priorities like corporate deregulation, school privatization, and voter suppression before recall elections can be held this summer.

“It is not just what they are proposing,” explained Randall Bryce, an Iron Worker from Milwaukee who had brought his son to the rally, “but how they are passing it that has people energized.  It is clear the voices and concerns of Wisconsinites are being ignored.  Try as they might to the energy is still here and we are not going anywhere until we are heard.”     

“We have to reclaim our moral outrage, our sense of indignation,” said Mahlon Mitchell, President of the Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin. “We have to keep the pressure on and let them hear us.”

 

“To me standing with Wisconsin is about standing with women, standing with the poor, standing with the workers, standing with the children, standing with the farmers, standing with the disabled.  It is about standing together for our rights and for justice,’ said Kabzuag Vag with Freedom Inc.
 
Speakers included Mary Bell of the Wisconsin Education Association  Council, Leon Burzynski of Association for Retired Americans, former Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, Sen. Jon Erpenbach, Sarah Lloyd of Family Farm Defenders, Alex Hanna of the UW-Madison Teaching Assistants’ Association, Ben Manski of the Liberty Tree Foundation, Mahlon Mitchell of the Wisconsin Professional Fire Fighters Association, Phil Neuenfeldt of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO, Students with Youth Empowered in the Struggle and Kabzaug Vag from Freedom Inc. 

Click here for video footage of the rally.

For pictures of the Fight Continues Rally click here.

In a landslide, UW-Green Bay faculty vote “Union Yes”

From the AFT-Wisconsin Press Room:

 

On May 13, faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay voted 117-2 out of a unit of 167 in favor of union representation through AFT-Wisconsin, a statewide labor federation affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).

The vote occurred despite the introduction of Gov. Walker’s “budget repair” bill that would eliminate academic staff and faculty’s right to collectively bargain. Although the bill is currently held up in the court system, Republican lawmakers have indicated that they intend to include its anti-collective bargaining provisions into the state budget—a budget that already calls for drastic funding cuts to the UW System.

According to David Voelker, an associate professor of Humanistic Studies and chair of the UW-Green Bay History Program, forming a faculty union is about preserving the integrity of higher education. “UW-Green Bay is now the seventh campus in the UW-System whose faculty have voted 'yes' for a union,” stated Prof. Voelker. “Soon, UWGB faculty will have the ability to take collective action to protect and promote quality public higher education in Wisconsin.”

Aeron Haynie, an associate professor of English and Humanities at UWGB, believes that the faculty vote ties in to the burgeoning labor movement in Wisconsin—a movement that has seen incredible momentum since the announcement of Walker’s anti-union bill in February.

“I’m proud to vote for a faculty union at UWGB,” said Prof. Haynie. “As we have seen this past year in Wisconsin, it is vital that working people join together and fight for our rights—our right to make decisions which affect the quality of education here in our state and our right to decent benefits. Working together, as a union, makes our voices stronger.”

UW faculty and academic staff were extended the right to collectively bargain in June of 2009. Since that time, faculty at six other campuses – UW-Eau Claire, UW-Superior, UW-La Crosse, UW-Stout, UW-River Falls, and UW-Stevens Point – have voted in favor of collective bargaining representation.

UW-Superior academic staff will also vote on union representation next week.