Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Blog

Janesville Residents Respond to Paul Ryan's RNC Speech

                                                                                                                                                         

As channel 3000 reports, Paul Ryan’s address to the Republican National Convention is getting mixed reviews in his hometown of Janesville where former autoworkers are shocked by his misleading comments surronding the GM plant.

"Paul Ryan is pointing the finger at President Obama and saying it's his fault -- it's not. It's Paul Ryan's (fault). He did not do his job. He hasn't done his job in the 14 years he's been in office," said Dave Vaughn, vice president of UAW Local 95.

"I was a little taken back. It made me jump out of my chair," said David Krapf, a former worker at Lear Corporation, a GM supplier. "To use it for political gain, and to lie in front of the whole nation, I just couldn't believe it," Krapf said.

Roxann Bessel Slowey spent 24 years at GM. The mother of five and Rock County native said Ryan has neglected Janesville.

"I can honestly say I haven't seen a whole lot that he's actually done for Janesville or for Rock County," Slowey said.

Watch the full report above.

Labor Day Celebrations!

Enjoy your Labor Day weekend at celebrations in Eau Claire, Fond du Lac, Green Bay, Janesville, Kenosha, La Crosse, Madison, Marinette, Menasha, Milwaukee, Neenah, Oshkosh, Racine and Wausau. Unless otherwise stated, events will take place on Monday, September 3.  See below for a complete list of times and locations.

Eau Claire:  Labor Day Picnic at Phoenix Park, Riverfront Terrace.  Solidarity walk will begin at 10:30am on the corner of Gray Street and S. Farwell. Short program at 11:00am followed by picnic and prizes from noon until 3:00pm. 

Fond du Lac:  Labor Day Parade and Picnic at Lakeside Park on Oven Island.  The Fond du Lac Labor Day Parade begins at 11:00am. Route follows Rees and Main Streets to Lakeside Park.  Picnic, 1:00pm to 5:00pm. 

Green Bay:  Labor Day Picnic, 11:00am to 4:30pm, Bay Beach Amusement Park.

Kenosha:  Laborfest, 91st. St. & 22nd Ave.  The annual Kenosha Laborfest features booths from all labor organizations in the Kenosha area.  Raffle prizes, beer tent and activities for the whole family. Rain or Shine! 

Janesville:  Laborfest, September 1st, 2nd and 3rd at 1795 Lafayette St.  Music, rides, bike show, craft show, mud volley ball, car display, parade and more! http://www.laborfest.org/

La Crosse: The Labor Day celebration starts with a ten-block family-friendly parade at 10:00am beginning at the intersection of Gillette Street and Kane Street. Followed by a celebration at Copeland Park with free games for kids, face painting, and other activities.

Madison:   Annual Laborfest celebration at South Central Federation of Labor, 1602 S. Park St.  Madison, 12:00pm to 5:00pm.

Marinette:  Labor Day Picnic, Marinette City Park, 12:00pm-5:00pm. 

Milwaukee: Labor Day Parade & Laborfest.  March starts at 11:00am at Zeidler Union Square Park and continues to Summerfest Grounds.  Laborfest will run from noon until 5:00pm.

Neenah/Menasha:  Labor Day Parade and Picnic.  The parade will begin at 10:00am at Curtis Reed Square in Menasha. It will be followed by a picnic celebration at the Neenah Labor Temple, 157 S. Green Bay Rd, Neenah, 54956.

Oshkosh:  Labor Day Picnic and Car Show at South Park in Oshkosh.  Event runs 11:00am to 5:00pm. 

Racine: Laborfest, 12:00pm to 5:00pm, Franksville Park, 9700 Northwestern Ave, corner of Highway K and H, Caledonia.

Wausau:  Labor Day Parade begins at 4:00pm on the corner of W. Wausau Ave and ends at the Wausau Labor Temple, 318 South 3rd Ave.  There will be a food drive collecting non-perishable food items and cash donations to be donated to the Neighbors Place.

 

Have a great Labor Day!

Join Martin Sheen in thanking a worker today!

No matter what you do, work binds us together and connects us all. We depend on one another’s work. It’s how we build, create, teach, re-wire, heal and grow what’s important.

To recognize that, we’re launching an initiative in partnership with the national AFL-CIO that will make it possible for everyone to go that extra mile to let someone in your life know how much they appreciated.

Click here to share your thanks with our new, easy-to-use tool that allows you to send video or e-card messages to the people whose work helps make your life better.

Every day is an opportunity to recognize the hard work of others.  Whether it is your bus driver, newspaper delivery person, the police person who keeps you safe, or the person who cuts your hair, we're lucky enough to come into contact with incredible workers every day.

On behalf of everyone at the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO, and the hundreds of thousands of workers we’re proud to represent: thanks for the work you do. It means the world to us.

I bet you can think of plenty of workers in your life who deserve thanks—the teachers who inspire your children, the firefighters who keep us safe, the nurses who heal our wounds, or the electricians who keep the lights on. It might be workers you sometimes forget about—the waitresses who served your dinner, the accountants who worried about your taxes so you didn’t have to or the mail carriers who got your package there in time for your mom’s birthday.

We want everyone to know their work matters. Say thanks to the workers in your life today:

http://go.aflcio.org/thankyou2

Palermo’s Action Updates

Community members and striking workers will gather at Costco in Grafton at 950 Port Washington Road from 4:00pm to 6:00pm this Thursday, August 30, for an informational picket.   Activists and workers in more than 20 cities are participating in a national week of action outside Costco stores this week to encourage Costco to follow through on their commitment to resolve this issue in the right way for its workers and customers.  Costco is the largest retailer of Palermo products.

Come join the picket line this Friday, August 31 at 1:30pm outside Palermo’s Pizza in Menomonee Valley to encourage Palermo’s CEO, Giacomo Fallucca, to hold a productive meeting with AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka. President Trumka is meeting with Fallucca Friday afternoon in Washington, DC.

Cities participating in the National Days of Action include:  Los Angeles, CA, San Jose, CA, Seattle, WA, Houston, TX, Miami, FL, Chicago, Il, Pittsburgh, PA, Philadelphia, PA, Madison Heights, MI, Middleton, WI, Grafton, WI, Pewaukee, WI, San Antonio, TX, El Paso, TX, Austin, TX, Minneapolis, MN, Gary, IN. 

Say No to the Romney Economy

Join us for a Gameday Tailgate Against the Romney Economy in Green Bay.

When:  4:30 pm, Thursday, August 30

Where:  Whitney Park, Green Bay
              Corner of Bodart St. and Jackson St. (across from Greyhound Station)

For additional information please call (920) 664-5736

 

Working Families Kick Off Massive Grassroots Campaign Ahead of the Republican Convention

Last weekend, across the country, working families kicked off the national 2012 grassroots canvassing efforts to talk to their friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers about the radical Romney/Ryan agenda that will outsource jobs, end Medicare and raise taxes on middle class families to give tax cuts to millionaires.  

In Wisconsin, volunteers went door to door in Eau Claire, Kenosha, Green Bay, Madison, Milwaukee, Racine, Wausau and Waukesha.

In total, working families talked to people at 640,000 homes in 23 states.  And for the first time ever Workers’ Voice partnered with MoveOn.org Political Action for canvassing.

The Canvass Leaflets & Mail Piece Will Highlight:

•    Outsourcing- The Romney/Ryan plan would send 800,000 jobs a year overseas by giving companies incentives to outsource. Romney is considered a “pioneer” of outsourcing – he sent thousands of jobs overseas as CEO of Bain Capital.

•    Tax Cuts for the Wealthy - The Romney/Ryan plan would raise taxes on the middle class by $2,000 to pay for an average of $250,000 in tax cuts for millionaires.

•    Ending Medicare – The Romney/Ryan plan would gut Medicare, costing families thousands of dollars in additional premiums while lowering the quality of care.

•    Jobs Lost - The Romney/Ryan plan would result in America losing 4.1 million jobs in the next three years.

6 Truths Ryan Won’t Tell You About His District

This is a cross-post from Wisconsin Jobs Now.

 

1.  Ryan’s district contains the cities Racine, Beloit, Mount Pleasant, Janesville, and Kenosha which, out of 32 metro areas, have the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th highest unemployment rates in Wisconsin.

 

2.  The Janesville and Eau Claire areas had the state’s largest one-month increase in the unemployment rate among metro areas in June.

 



3.  Over a quarter of the people that live in Rock County (which contains Ryan’s hometown Janesville) work outside the county – with 7.3% forced to work outside the state.

 

4.  Personal income growth in Rock County was barely 30% over 10 years, lower than both the state (43.3%) and the nation (53.9%).

 



5.  Rock County’s Per-Capita-Personal-Income ranks 24th lowest in Wisconsin, and, of that income, government assistance (Social Security, unemployment, welfare, etc…) accounts for almost a quarter (23.1%) of the total. This is significantly higher than the national (17.5%) and Wisconsin (18.4%) averages. This means that if Ryan has his way and slashes the federal safety net he’s significantly cutting the income of the people in Janesville (including retirees, students, welfare recipients, and Medicare and Medicaid recipients) making it harder for his constituents to make ends meet.

 



6.  Almost a fifth (18.9%) of people in Racine county live below the poverty line which is almost double the statewide average (11.6%).

All in for Tammy Baldwin!

 

While Republican primary candidates for Senate were focused on who would give away the most money to millionaires and billionaires while cutting health care and other services for the rest of us, there was one candidate focused on the issue that matters: creating good paying jobs for the rest of us.

That candidate is Tammy Baldwin.  Now that the bitter Republican primary has ended, Workers' Voice is immediately jumping in to educate working people on how Tammy Baldwin is the only candidate who will focus on jobs.

Watch out for a new ad (one version above) which will be targeting middle class families in Wisconsin.  It will also be completely wrapping the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel website starting Tuesday morning. 

The selection of the Baldwin race was part of the Workers' Voice program that's let our members decide how we should allocate our resources. 

Workers' Voice seeks to connect and empower all working families, both union and non-union, on issues that are important to working people by harnessing cutting edge technology and old fashioned energy. 

Romney-Ryan Ticket: Leaving America's Middle Class Behind

Phil Neuenfeldt, President of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO had the following reaction to the announcement of the Paul Ryan-Mitt Romney November 2012 Presidential ticket:

 

“Mitt Romney made his fortune by outsourcing jobs and kicking American workers to the unemployment line.  Now, he has chosen Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate, providing further evidence that Romney’s goals are to help the rich get richer by hollowing out America’s middle class.  As Congressman, Paul Ryan has done nothing to create or protect jobs for his home district.

 

Whether its outsourcing jobs, ending Medicare as we know it, raising taxes on the middle class or putting higher education out of reach for millions of students by cutting Pell grants, the Romney-Ryan plan will have a devastating impact on America’s working families.  Barack Obama and Joe Biden are fighting to make sure that every American has a fair shot at the American dream.  Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are plotting to take our economy down a destructive path by catering to the top 1% and leaving the rest of us behind.” 

 

Here are 12 things you should know about Vice Presidential Candidate Paul Ryan from ThinkProgress.org.

 

(Image via One Wisconsin Now)

Milwaukee Area GOTV Efforts for August Primary

Please join us for the upcoming August 2012 Primary Election Get Out The Vote effort.  The primary is Tuesday, August 14.  A list of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO endorsed candidates can be found by clicking here. 

We will be going door to door and phone banking, speaking on the importance of electing state officials who will be champions for Wisconsin’s working families and who will fight to protect our union rights.

We will be focusing our efforts on:

• Assembly District 10 Candidate: Rep. Sandy Pasch
• Assembly District 11 Candidate: Mandela Barnes
• Assembly District 7 Candidate: Daniel Riemer
• State Senate District 6 Candidate: Nikiya Harris

Where: Wisconsin State AFL-CIO, 6333 W Blue Mound Road

• Phone bank: 2nd Floor
• Door canvass staging: first floor lobby

When:

Saturday, Aug. 11th 10am-12, 12-2pm, 2-4pm

Sunday, Aug. 12th 12-3pm

Monday, Aug. 13th 5-8pm

Tuesday, Election Day Aug 14th 10am-polls close at 8pm