Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Blog

Hardhats to Helmets: Military Veterans Rebuild the World Trade Center

Helmets to Hardhats connects military veterans to careers in construction. Many of those vets have been on the job at 4 World Trade Center, where the final steel beam was hoisted by union members yesterday for the first skyscraper at the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.  Watch their story here: 

"Bring Jobs Home" Campaign Kicks off in Milwaukee

The UAW and AFL-CIO affiliates held the first of several nationwide events launching their “America Wants to Work” mobilization campaign today near Master Lock’s flagship factory, which brought back production jobs from China last year.

UAW Local 469 members at Master Lock saw a beacon of hope when newly negotiated contract language between the union and company brought jobs back from China in 2011 – something workers would like to see become a trend in American manufacturing.

“The return of solid, middle-class jobs to Milwaukee was huge for us, especially in this economy,” said Ron McInroy, director of UAW Region 4, which covers Wisconsin, who spoke at the news conference held at UAW Local 9’s union hall in West Allis, Wis.

“Master Lock provides a great example of what we can achieve when we work together to invest in America and American workers,” McInroy added.

“For the first time in 15 years, our plant is running at full capacity,” said Local 469 President Mike Bink, who also spoke. “While we’ve made significant progress at our plant, we recognize that we still have a ways to go to get American’s back to work.”

The mobilization will also focus on the Bring Jobs Home Act, a legislative package introduced by Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., that would eliminate tax breaks allowing companies to deduct expenses associated with moving operations overseas, while still encouraging them to assist displaced workers. It would also provide a tax credit to corporations that bring jobs back to the United States.

Click here to email your Congressperson in support of the Bring Jobs Home Act.

Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis. (2nd District), who is running for Senate this November, also spoke at the news conference.  She explained that for decades in Wisconsin they have had too many middle-class jobs going overseas.

“We need to stop rewarding companies that ship jobs overseas and start rebuilding American manufacturing through targeted tax cuts for companies that keep jobs here in the United States,” added Baldwin, who has represented Wisconsin since 1999 and is a 2012 candidate for the U.S. Senate. “That’s why I support Sen. Stabenow’s Bring Home Jobs Act, which would end tax benefits for firms that move jobs or businesses overseas.”

The Bring Home Jobs Act is expected to be voted on in early July when Congress convenes after the Independence Day recess.  In the spirit of the Fourth, we need to bring the jobs home. 

6 Million Jobs Lost

In the last decade alone 50,000 manufacturing sites have been closed and 6 million American jobs have been lost due to outsourcing.

It is time to end the policies that reward corporations with taxpayers’ money while they ship production, jobs and innovation overseas. Wall Street bankers and CEOs have filled their pockets while the rest of us have picked up the pieces.

This month and beyond, working families across the country will call on lawmakers and corporations to bring good jobs home and invest in America again, instead of shipping away our future. 

On Friday, at the UAW Local 9 Hall, Rep. Tammy Baldwin and UAW Region 4 Director Ron McInroy will join local UAW members to highlight the need to bring American jobs home.  Master Lock, whose employees are members of UAW local 469, recently insourced jobs, bringing good American jobs back from China. 

This mobilization focuses on the Bring Jobs Home Act, a legislative package introduced by Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., that would eliminate the tax break allowing companies to deduct expenses associated with moving operations overseas, while still encouraging them to assist displaced workers. It would also provide a tax credit to corporations that bring jobs back to the United States.

Click here to send an e-mail in support of the Bring Jobs Home Act to your Congressperson.

The bill is expected to be voted on in early July when Congress convenes after the Independence Day recess.

It’s time we brought good jobs home and made new our commitment to Made in America.

Celebrating Union Labor at Milwaukee Construction Project

The AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust (HIT), in cooperation with the Milwaukee Building and Construction Trades Council (BCTC), hosted a lunch last week at the construction site of The Moderne to honor the union workers who are building this 30-story residential tower in downtown Milwaukee. 

The HIT is providing $42.4 million of union pension capital to help finance construction of the $56.7 million project. The union-built Moderne will have 203 rental units and over 7,300 square feet of ground-floor commercial and retail space as well as above-grade parking. Work on the project is expected to generate more than 320 jobs for members of Milwaukee’s building and construction trades unions.

Lyle Balistreri, President of the Milwaukee BCTC, joined workers at the construction site. “I’m proud that it’s union pension dollars that are making this project possible, putting hundreds of our members on the job while giving our community an economic boost,” he said.

 At the lunch, HIT Director of Labor Relations Rod DuChemin thanked the project’s union workforce.  “Like all projects in which the HIT invests, the construction work at The Moderne is being done 100% union,” he told attendees.  “This event is to say ‘thank you’ for the skill and professionalism you bring to this and every job every day.”

Others on hand for the event included Marlyn Spear, Chief Investment Officer of the Building Trades United Pension Trust Fund (Milwaukee and Vicinity) and a HIT board member.  “I’m very pleased that the HIT is investing in construction of The Moderne,” she said.  “This is a sound investment that strengthens the HIT portfolio, and it is also bringing much-needed jobs, housing, and development to downtown Milwaukee.”

The project’s developer is Barrett Visionary Development, and J.H. Findorf & Son is the general contractor.

The Moderne is one of more than 40 projects financed by the HIT around the country under its Construction Jobs Initiative, launched in mid-2009 to help counteract massive job losses. Having surpassed its initial goal of creating 10,000 jobs in less than two years, the HIT has raised the goal to creating 15,000 jobs by year-end 2012.  To date, the HIT and its subsidiary Building America CDE have created over 13,400 union construction jobs nationwide through the Initiative. 
 

About the HIT

The AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust (HIT) is a fixed-income investment company registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. It manages over $4.4 billion in assets for more than 350 investors, which include union and public employee pension plans. The HIT invests primarily in government and agency insured and guaranteed multifamily mortgage-backed securities. 

The HIT is one of the earliest and most successful practitioners of socially responsible, economically targeted investing, with a 45-year track record that demonstrates the added value derived from union-friendly investments.  The investment objective of the HIT is to provide competitive returns for its investors and to promote the collateral objectives of constructing affordable housing and generating employment for union members in the construction trades and related industries.  Since its inception, the HIT has invested over $6.3 billion to finance more than 102,500 units of housing nationwide, generating over 70,000 union jobs. 

 

More information is available on the HIT’s website, www.aflcio-hit.com.

 

(Photos:   Milwaukee Business Journal, Daily Reporter, Urbanmilwaukee.com)

It's Time to Bring Jobs Home

Take a look at this startling infograph:  In the last decade, the U.S. has closed more than 50,000 factories and lost 6 million jobs due to outsourcing.  Let’s stop rewarding companies who send jobs overseas and bring our jobs home.

 

Walker’s $50 Million Doesn’t Sway Union Voters

We were up against Goliath, outspent 8 to 1, and although Gov. Walker’s millionaire and billionaire backers have bought this election – we made our voices heard.  Now, we show a nation that we will never stop fighting for the rights of working people. 

The coalitions, networks and grassroots tactics we have forged over the last 16 months will continue to provide the foundation for fighting back against corporate greed and power. 

An important distinction that many media outlets have failed to discuss is the difference between union households and union voters. 

The AFL-CIO conducted an exit poll of union members which showed that union members overwhelming voted for Tom Barrett.  Here are some of the results:

o    75% of union voters voted for Tom Barrett   
o    76% of union voters felt Scott Walker has divided the state, put wealthy and large corporations first
o    74% of union voters felt out of state spending influenced the election
o    84% of union voters felt out of state spending benefited Scott Walker

These are important figures to remember moving forward.  They show that union members understand the implications of Citizens United, are well education on the issues important to working people and vote in their economic best interest. 

Union voters also showed that we are a force to be reckoned with, comprising 33% of all votes in Tuesday’s election.  And although Gov. Walker was the most well-funded politician in state history, we weren’t fooled by his millions. 

Going forward we are going to continue to advance an agenda for the 99%.  We are going to continue to organize, mobilize and make our voices heard in new and creative ways.  Tuesday’s recall election will be a spring board for a national discussion on Citizens United and the corporate takeover of American democracy.

Brothers and sisters, we all poured our hearts and souls into this election and while we did not recall Scott Walker, we reclaimed the State Senate and proved that working people will stand up and fight for our rights.

We Fight On

One day longer, one day stronger.  Thank you for your dedication, hard work and solidarity in this fight -- a struggle which is far from over.

Though Walker was shielded with a flood of secret corporate cash, Wisconsin made its voice heard. While we came closer to recalling Walker than many expected, we ended up coming just short.

The work we did together was about much more than just this one election.

We laid the groundwork for a powerful movement to push back against extremist policies everywhere. Messages of solidarity and support have been pouring in from around the country and around the world.  Our energy and momentum has inspired working people from all walks of life to stand together in solidarity in unprecedented ways.

We have marched together in the snow and the sleet.  We have knocked doors and made phone calls in the rain and the sunshine.  We are proud that we have created a new, energetic, broad-based movement for working people that is defying the odds.

A movement that will continue to change, grow and adapt to best represent all working people of Wisconsin.

Today we come together in solidarity and strength.  So many of us poured our hearts and souls into this election and while we did not recall Scott Walker, we reclaimed the State Senate and proved that working people will stand up and fight for our rights.

Thank you immensely for all your efforts.  I know thousands of you knocked doors, made phone calls, leafleted work sites, stamped postcards and talked with your family, friends and neighbors on the issues important to working people.  Your efforts were not in vain.  They provide the organization and grassroots infrastructure necessary to fight back against Citizens United and corporate power in politics.

We take great pride in the unprecedented grassroots effort that mobilized hundreds of thousands of people across the state in defense of economic justice. We look with hope toward a future in which the movement that we have created continues to resist the “divide and conquer” agenda that Scott Walker and his billionaire ideologue backers want to force on Wisconsin and America.

Though dark clouds may temporarily obscure the horizon, we stand together, united in solidarity.

We Will GOTV Until the Polls Close!

For Sandy Jacobs and Leigh Ullman, members of the Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, dedication and commitment to a better future for Wisconsin motivated them to volunteer for the final push of GOTV door knocking. Both went door to door in a neighborhood in Bayview to talk to residents about the importance of voting for Tom Barrett and Mahlon Mitchell in today’s recall election.
 
Jacobs is a retired occupational therapist who believes, “This election is for everyone.”
          
“It’s for my children, my grandchildren, and for our society. Scott Walker has not just taken away union rights, he has taken away a lot from everyone in the state of Wisconsin.”
 
Ullman, a social worker, agreed and stressed the difference between the principles of Governor Walker and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett:
 
“Scott Walker does not talk to anyone unless they buy a seat at the table.  He is the hand-maiden of the Koch Brothers.  When Tom Barrett is elected he will get down and take to all the people and get input on what needs to be done to help our state create jobs.”
 
As they canvassed the area, they met Milwaukee Area Technical College nursing student Shannon Smith who was upset with Walker’s policies and said she would be supporting Tom Barrett at the polls:
 
“In particular, I am upset with the environmental legislation Scott Walker has passed which has not been getting enough media attention.  I also think Tom Barrett will support health care for all Wisconsinites which Scott Walker has not.”
 
The on-the-ground volunteer efforts of working people like Jacobs and Ullman has helped to keep this race a dead heat in spite of Walker’s substantial funding advantage.
 
Ullman credits this to the “movement of working people” who have taken up the fight to reclaim their democracy from out-of-state corporate interests and billionaires:
 
“People are energized to vote.  Lots of members are out canvassing because of their commitment and dedication.  We all have other stuff we could be doing, but this is too important to not get involved because this is how we make a difference.” 
 
Thanks to the grassroots movement in Wisconsin, we’re seeing amazing turnout across the state. In such a close race, every vote counts, so make sure you get out and vote today by 8PM.
 
We can and will make history today. Help us GOTV for Tom Barrett and Mahlon Mitchell. After you cast your ballot, you can volunteer at any of our locations until 8PM tonight.

Together, we will recall Scott Walker and move Wisconsin toward a better future.

Vote Today & Make History

Today is the Day.  Let’s make history.  Let’s make sure that all of our friends, neighbors, relatives and co-workers get to the polls today to vote for Tom Barrett & Mahlon Mitchell.   

Polls are open from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm.

To confirm your polling location click here:  http://www.ownyourvotewi.com/

If you experience any problems at the polls call 1-866-OUR VOTE (1-866-687-8683)

 

You can register to vote at your polling location today.  If you are registering at the polls you will need proof of residency such as a utility bill, pay check, or lease.  If you moved 27 or less days before Election Day, you can vote at the polling location for your old Wisconsin address. 

 

At the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO we are supporting candidates who will bring our state together to create jobs while protecting essential worker rights and freedoms. 

We are supporting: 

 

Tom Barrett – Governor
Mahlon Mitchell – Lieutenant Governor 
Lori Compas – Fort Atkinson, Horicon, Beaver Dam, Juneau
John Lehman – Racine
Kristen Dexter – Eau Claire, Chippewa Falls
Donna Seidel - Wausau

Together, let’s reclaim Wisconsin by recalling Scott Walker & Rebecca Kleefisch.  After you vote please help us with our get out the vote efforts. 

We will be working until polls close at 8:00 pm.  Click here for a list of locations where you can volunteer. 

 

Rev. Jesse Jackson and Local Faith Leaders GOTV in Milwaukee

Reverend Jesse Jackson joined a cross-denominational coalition of local faith leaders for a Monday morning GOTV push in downtown Milwaukee. They stressed the importance of everyone going to the polls on June 5 and connected the historic significance of tomorrow’s vote to the history of the struggle to win voting rights for all citizens in this country, reminding the crowd that “good people fought and died for this right.”

Bishop C.H. McClelland of the Holy Cathedral Church of God in Christ told voters:

“One vote can make the difference between victory and defeat. Every vote counts… The leadership of our state must care about all of our state.

We need leadership that will build bridges, not walls.”

McClelland spoke about the ongoing GOTV efforts that have been going on in Milwaukee neighborhoods including door knocking and mobilizing vans to take voters to the polls, saying that the people of Milwaukee needed to “exercise your right and your responsibility” to vote on Tuesday.

Bishop Darrell Hines of the Christian Faith Fellowship cited several examples from history and from the scriptures to show how people have won against great odds when they came together, telling the crowd that they must say with one voice, “We want a change!”

 

 

Reverend Jesse Jackson came to the podium to encourage students and other new voters to utilize Wisconsin’s same day registration law and make sure their voices are heard on Tuesday.

“In Alabama, we fought for the right to vote. Today we fight to retain the right to vote.”

In his closing remarks, Jackson empowered voters to “vote our hopes and not our fears” and to come out in full force tomorrow to vote Tom Barrett and Mahlon Mitchell into office.

 

You can volunteer for GOTV efforts across the state by clicking here to find the volunteer office closest to you.