Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Blog

Act 10 Impact: La Tonya's Story

Gov. Walker’s Act 10 is having a devastating, long-term economic impact on workers across Wisconsin. It is estimated that the ripple effects of Act 10 and Gov. Walker’s first biennial cost Wisconsin 18,000 jobs.

While Gov. Walker’s backwards policies are slowing Wisconsin’s economy, his political ambitions are getting in the way of doing right by Wisconsinites.

Watch and share La Tonya’s story which is just one example of how Act 10 is hurting workers, the economy and the well-being of Wisconsin.

June 1: March for a Slice of Justice (Updated)

On June 1, 2012, pizza workers at Palermo’s Pizza in the Menomonee Valley walked off the job for better wages, safe working conditions and the right to a union.  Since then, Palermo's has refused to meet with workers.  Recently, OSHA has cited Palermo's for 8 safety violations and a workplace accident in May resulted in a worker losing three fingers. 

One year later, workers want the owners of Palermo’s, the Falluca brothers, to know that they’re not done fighting for justice and they won't quit until they sit down at the table to negotiate a resolution to their dispute. 

RAIN OR SHINE join strikers and their loved ones on Saturday, June 1, 2013 for an 18-mile March for a Slice of Justice.  Share the Face Book event page!

The march will begin with a sendoff rally at 8:00 a.m. at Palermo’s at 3301 W. Canal St., and end with an 8:00 p.m. candlelight vigil at Palermo's owner home. 

It’s a long march from Palermo’s in Milwaukee to the owner’s home in Mequon, but it’s also been a long fight. We encourage you to take part at any point of the day that works for you. 

March Route, Rest Stop Locations and Approximate Timing (UPDATED 5/29) 

•    Start at 3301 W. Canal St. (8:00AM)
•    3.4 mi REST STOP #1: Fond Du Lac @ W. Burleigh @ N. 36th St. (10:00AM)
•    6.1 mi REST STOP #2: Fond Du Lac  @ N. 72nd St. (11:45AM)
•    10.0 mi REST STOP #3:  Maple Tree Elementary School, 6644 N. 107th St. (2:15PM)
•    12.0 mi REST STOP #4:  Popuch Park, N. 107th @ Donna Dr. (3:45PM)
•    16.5 mi REST STOP #5:  Pigskin Inn, 10631 W. Freistadt Rd. (6:30PM)
•    VIGIL:  Meet at Rest Stop #5 to walk the last 1.5 miles with Palermo's workers, or catch a ride in a shuttle to the vigil site. There is no parking at the vigil site.

 

**Remember to wear comfortable shoes, bring snacks and water to stay hydrated/nourished, and be prepared with sun and rain protection***

Sign the Petition to Save the Postal Service

On April 24, Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) launched a “We the People” petition on the White House website. The congressman’s goal is to get President Obama to act to save the Postal Service. We can save American jobs by preserving delivery standards and ending the unfair mandate to aggressively pre-fund future retiree health benefits.

Sign the petition.

Recently, the White House quadrupled the number of signatures needed to trigger a response—to 100,000—and it imposed shorter time limits for collection of signatures. The deadline for this petition is THIS Friday, May 24, and thanks to letter carrier activists, more than 24,000 Americans have already signed DeFazio’s petition. 

Stand in solidarity with letter carriers and postal workers by signing and sharing the petition today!

Here’s how to sign the petition

1.            Click the petition link

2.            On the “We the People” petition web page, click CREATE AN ACCOUNT or SIGN IN. (If you have an account, sign in and skip to Step 6.)

3.         Enter your e-mail address, name and ZIP code.

4.         The website will then send you an e-mail message. Open it and click the link provided to activate your account.

5.         Once your account is activated, click this link again to go to the petition page.

6.         Click SIGN THIS PETITION.

Immigration Bill Update

This month, the Senate introduced an 867-page bill that details its plan on immigration. Those 867 pages represent the dreams of aspiring American families and the interests of millions more working families around the country. And there’s a lot packed in there that matters to America’s workers, including fair wages, on-the-job safety and the ability for all of us to find good jobs.

Here’s what you need to know about the bill:

•    The bill creates a new system for workers to come into the United States, called the “W Visa” program. With this new system, a bureau would be created to monitor the labor market and workers would have “portablity” to leave abusive jobs. This new system finally would make the process of workers coming to this country manageable and it would protect new American workers by holding employers accountable. We will fight tooth and nail to be sure this program is included in the final bill.

•    Right now, the bill doesn’t do enough to protect workers in H1-B (temporary worker) programs. These programs are a blueprint for abuse, where workers live in despicable conditions for low wages, lured by the promise of a green card that will never materialize. We’ll be fighting to make changes to the bill to strengthen protections to ensure workers don’t get locked into a vicious cycle of temporary jobs. Big tech companies are highly invested in this portion of the bill, so they’re throwing a lot of money at it—but we’re going to keep fighting to ensure no worker is exploited in this country.

•    It’s critical that any bill has a realistic, speedy road map to citizenship for all of the 11 million Americans-in-waiting. The Senate has a 10-year path for most workers, and gave DREAMers a much shorter road map. We’ll be fighting to preserve the clear road map to citizenship and want to make sure corporations and their Republican friends don’t strip away workers’ rights.

Fight for $15 and a Union Spreads to Milwaukee as Fast Food Workers Strike in 5th Major U.S. City

Milwaukee fast food workers took action last Wednesday calling attention to poverty wages and poor working conditions.  Hundreds of workers from fast food and retail stores including Burger King, McDonald’s, Popeye’s and Dollar Tree walked off the job in solidarity in the fight for $15 an hour and a union. 

Tessie Harrell, a mother of six who has worked at Burger King for five years explained, “If we don’t stand up today we are always going to be on the downfall.  We work hard for $7.25 and we are standing together to say we are worth more.  We need to pay our bills; we need to take care of our children.  I’m not just out here for me.  I’m out here for all of us to speak for the people who are too afraid to speak for themselves.” 

Workers were joined by faith leaders and community supporters in a day of action to speak out for income inequality and living wages for all workers. 

Reverend Willie Brisco, Milwaukee Inner-city Congregations Allied for Hope, reassured workers that God was on their side as they took action Wednesday.  “This is not a political issue, this is a moral issue.  What you are doing today is economically sound, spiritually sound, and morally sound.”

Rev. Brisco referenced scripture Deuteronomy 24:14:  "You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your countrymen or one of your aliens who is in your land in your towns.

Community members and religious groups walked striking workers back to work on Thursday to ensure workers were not retaliated against for their protected action. 

Nationwide Movement for a Living Wage Strikes Milwaukee

Inspired by recent workplace actions in New York City, Chicago, St. Louis and Detroit, low-wage workers in Milwaukee joined the nationwide movement for a living wage Wednesday by walking off the job. Workers are calling for a wage increase and the right to form a union free from employer harassment or retaliation. 

Hundreds of workers walked off the job at places like McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Old Country Buffet and Popeye's.  Workers are being joined by community supporters and religious groups throughout the day and plan to march from the Milwaukee County Courthouse to downtown Milwaukee at 4:30 p.m. this afternoon.   

Visit http://raiseupmke.org/ for updates and to join the fight! 

“The Wisconsin State AFL-CIO is proud to stand in solidarity with striking fast food workers whose actions today are calling attention to income inequality, worker exploitation, and the right to a living wage and to a union,” said Phil Neuenfeldt, President of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO.   “The economy is bouncing back but workers are not seeing their fair share of the economic gains.  We’re here to say ‘raise up the wage’ -- a living wage helps the entire community by solidifying the middle class and creating a virtuous cycle of growth.” 

“Many low-wage workers are forced to hold-down multiple jobs in an attempt to feed their families and often rely on government assistance to make ends meet, all while working full-time for some of the most profitable companies in the world,” said Stephanie Bloomingdale, Secretary-Treasurer of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO.  “This isn’t right.  Today, these workers are saying ‘enough’ and taking brave action to stand up for economic justice, the American Dream, and a better life for millions of service-sector workers across the nation.” 

According to the National Employment Law Project, low-wage jobs have grown nearly three times faster than better paying jobs since the end of the Great Recession.  This trend furthers income inequality in the United States and forces many families into poverty.  

Grinding to a Halt

Anti-worker politicians in Washington and their corporate donors are striking at the rights of workers. Again.

They’re threatening to shut down the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the independent agency that protects workers’ rights, by holding up President Barack Obama’s nominations to the Board.

If the NLRB nominees aren’t confirmed, thousands of workers—who are waiting for the Board’s decisions in key workplace cases—won’t get their cases decided.

Tell your senators to confirm President Obama’s NLRB nominations to make sure workers’ rights are protected.

Extremist lawmakers have held multiple hearings attacking the NLRB for doing its job. In 2011 alone, they introduced 25 bills and amendments to defund the board, weaken workers’ rights to free and fair union elections, and undermine the board’s enforcement authority.

This attempt to score cheap political points with deep-pocketed special interests has real consequences for all of us. Working families have suffered enough, and this will kill one of the few protections they have left.

The NLRB has been critical in standing up for the rights of all working families. CEOs have too much power as it is. Let’s not let them grab any more.

Milwaukee Fast Food Workers on Strike

Below is an important message from Stephanie Sanders, a McDonald's Worker from Milwaukee who joined hundreds of retail and fast food workers who walked off the job this morning in Milwaukee. 

Today, fast food and retail workers in Milwaukee went on strike. We're fighting for a living wage, $15 an hour, and for the right to form a union without retaliation. As people who know what it's like to struggle to make ends meet, my coworkers and I were inspired by other walkouts in New York, Chicago, St. Louis, and Detroit - and like them we're taking action to fight for a better life.

Stand with the us.
 
Roughly 65 percent of the jobs added since the recession have been low-wage ones, and - unfortunately - the Economic Policy Institute projects that one-in-four workers will be in low-wage jobs by 2020. Fast food and retail outlets are the new factory floors, and like thousands of workers before us, we are organizing to demand better pay and conditions.

Join the worker uprising sweeping the country.
 
Companies like McDonald's make billions while workers like me struggle to get by on $7.25. By taking a stand for ourselves, we're laying the groundwork a more prosperous future for Milwaukee. We all deserve a good job - please support those of us fighting to make our's better.

Immigration Meeting this Saturday in Milwaukee

Do you have questions about the immigration legislation working its way through the U.S. Congress?  Are you wondering how to join the fight for immigrant rights and all working people?  If so, please join a coalition of worker and community groups for a very important meeting on the immigration reform bill this Saturday, May 18.

 

WHAT:  Junta Informativa de Inmigración

WHEN:  12:00 p.m., Saturday, May 18

WHERE:  Hayes Bilingual School, 971 W. Windlake Ave, Milwaukee, WI, 53215

 

There will be a host of guest speakers to discuss where the bill stands, how it will impact workers, pending amendments and ways you can get involved in the movement for citizenship for millions of aspiring Americans. 

Here are some quick facts on immigration from Media Matters:

• Credible studies show that our immigration system is so dysfunctional now that by reforming it, we would generate over $1.4 trillion in economic growth and boost Americans' personal incomes by nearly $800 billion.
• In fact, in recent years, the metropolitan areas with the fastest economic growth also had the greatest increases in immigrant workers.
• Research clearly shows that immigrant workers help grow the economy overall, leading to lower unemployment and higher wages for those of us already here.
• Even with highly skilled workers, higher immigration increases the demand for workers, stimulates investment, and promotes specialization for many workers already in the labor force.

What you Need to Know About Gov. Walker’s Failed Jobs Agency: WEDC

The people of Wisconsin deserve better.  While Gov. Walker and the GOP focus on things like attacking public employees, electronic insurance bills, changes to Food Stamps, residency rules, crane game deregulation and rent-to-own agreements, Wisconsin is slipping further and further behind the rest of the nation in terms of job creation. 

Despite a blistering audit by the Legislative Audit Bureau which found an unaccountable, mismanaged jobs agency which repeatedly broke state law and lost track of millions of taxpayer dollars, Gov. Walker and the Wisconsin GOP are acting like nothing is amiss with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation or WEDC. 

Creating the jobs agency was one of the first acts of Gov. Walker and the Republican controlled legislature in 2011.  WEDC was created by privatizing part of the Department of Commerce. The WEDC scandal and failure reflects directly on Gov. Walker and his administration.

Here are some highlights from the audit

•    WEDC “did not have sufficient policies to administer its grant, loan and tax credit program effectively, including some statutorily required programs”

•    In its first year of operation “WEDC did not monitor the amounts spent on each of its programs inpart because it was unfamiliar with its accounting system and did not establish accounting policies and procedures”

•    WEDC did not follow up with organizations to see if jobs were created

•    WEDC did not require financial statements from organizations who received taxpayer assistance

•    WEDC gave awards to ineligible projects and businesses

•    WEDC awarded nearly $1 million to multiple businesses for job creation and employee-training before they had signed their contracts with the state

•    Previously, the Department of Commerce had two employees making over $100,000 a year. WEDC has eight.

•    Seventeen of WEDC’s 90 employees received “merit awards” totally $59,500

•    Four staffers were paid $23,000 for moving expenses

•    5 WEDC employees were given gift cards totally $425

•    40 gifts from businesses and corporations were given to WEDC employees totally $55,000

•    Staff used agency credit cards to buy Badger Football season tickets, alcohol, and iTune gift cards

Read our previous post on WEDC here.  View local media cover in the Dunn County News,  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel,  and the Tomah Journal.