Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Blog

Where’s the jobs? Walker’s State of the State Must Address Weak & Uneven Economic Recovery

Fast Facts:  Wisconsin ranks 37th in nation in job growth, 45th in job growth prospects and 48th in new business start-ups.

Workers want to know where Gov. Walker stands on his campaign promise to create 250,000 badly needed jobs for the state of Wisconsin. Too many Wisconsinites are unemployed or stuck in low-wage, part-time jobs relying on food stamps and friends and family to make ends meet. 

"Gov. Walker should be laying the foundation for long-term fiscal health by investing in worker training programs, infrastructure, and education to ensure that every Wisconsinite has access to a long-term family-supporting job with decent benefits," said Phil Neuenfeldt, President of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO.  "Wisconsin needs to grow our economy from the middle out by raising the minimum wage, investing in working families and getting the unemployed back to work." 

It is expected that Gov. Walker will tout tax plans including changes in state withholdings so an individual gets more money back on each paycheck but less on their end-of-the-year tax return.

“Gov. Walker is using a tax shell game to cover-up his failed economic record,” explains Stephanie Bloomingdale, Secretary-Treasurer of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO.  "Instead of token tax stunts that fool no one, we should invest in our future, in our children’s schools, in our roads and bridges, in small businesses and large manufacturers so that we can create good jobs."

Gov. Walker:  it’s time to put the long-term health of Wisconsin ahead of scoring political points for your next election.  Wisconsin is still waiting for the 250,000 jobs.

What do you want to see Gov. Walker address in his State of the State speech scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on January 22?  Tweet us with the #WIsots hashtag on Twitter or leave a comment on Face Book.

Hundreds Turn Out For Job Recruitment Event in Madison

Labor, management and community came together in Madison on Thursday to train workers, promote job openings and create good jobs in the local community.  The Building and Construction Trades Council of South Central Wisconsin partnered with the Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership (WRTP/BIG STEP) and was supported by the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO and the South Central Federation of Labor for a skills training and recruitment event for an upcoming construction projects.  

Members of the South Central Building Trades were on hand to provide information on apprenticeships, journey worker opportunities and the varies skills needed for bricklayers and allied crafts, electricians, elevator constructors, heat & frost insulators, iron workers, laborers, operating engineers, cement masons, painters and allied crafts, plumbers, sheet metal workers and sprinkler fitters.  The Trades Council supplies professional, skilled and experienced manpower to contractors to suit their needs on a continuing basis providing solid career opportunities for thousands Wisconsinites in the process.  

"Building Trades Unions have a long history and culture of quality training through apprenticeship and continuing education. Our training programs are developed and managed through partnerships with our contractors to provide the highest skilled workforce to ensure that we are able meet the expectations of our industry and our customers," said Steve Breitlow, President of the Building and Construction Trades Council of South Central Wisconsin. “Also, union trades men and women earn a family supporting wage, health insurance benefits and a pension. By working together our members and contractors produce safe building projects that come in on time and are cost effective. The recruitment event with WRTP/BIG STEP in Madison opened the door for men and women looking for work in the community to join us on the job.”  

WRTP/BIG STEP is a non-profit workforce development organization whose mission is to assist Wisconsin’s manufacturing and construction industries in developing a skilled, competitive, and diverse workforce.  Supported by public, private, and philanthropic investments, WRTP/BIG STEP works with the employers and unions to identify potential workforce needs and implement efforts to recruit and develop current and future workers, through education, training, mentorship, and leadership development.  WRTP/BIG STEP is recognized as workforce development leader, and a central partner to the growing the economy.

WRTP/ BIG STEP often partners with local unions such as the Building Trades, Steelworkers or Machinists to provide industry-specific job training.  

“What happened in Madison on Thursday was an example of union, contractor and community partnerships coming together to ensure that workers have information for upcoming projects that will provide good, family-supporting jobs in the community and boost the local economy,” said Rhandi Berth, Vice President of WRTP/BIG STEP.  “We had attendees from youth to highly skilled journey workers.  When all of us work together – unions, employers and community – workers win, companies win and the local economy gets a needed boost.”  

The Wisconsin State AFL-CIO along with the South Central Federation of Labor used outreach networks and member organization to help promote the recruitment event so that workers were aware of this unique job recruitment and job training opportunity.  

For more information on upcoming events visit WRTP/BIG STEP at http://wrtp.org/.  

Stop the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Fast Track Today

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a devastating trade policy that would cost Wisconsin jobs and lower working conditions for workers worldwide, is being rammed through Congress in an alarming way. 

Last week, fast track authority for the TPP was introduced.  Fast track limits legislative review and debate, requiring Congress to vote the deal up or down without amendments. Once approved, the TPP would actually require changes in local law where it conflicts with the terms of the agreement.

In twenty years NAFTA has cost American workers 700,000 jobs.  How many jobs are we going to lose with the Trans-Pacific Partnership?  The public deserves the necessary time to debate and fully understand the ramifications of this massive trade deal. 

Click here to send a letter to your member of Congress.  Tell them to get TPP off fast track today.

Since 2010, negotiations have been taking place for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a huge, NAFTA-style deal involving the United States and the governments of Australia, Brunei, Chile, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam. Negotiations are being conducted in secret, with little opportunity for citizens to see what is being proposed and agreed to.  Everything from labor standards, food safety, environmental standards and human rights will be rolled back and dismantled if the TPP passes.  

While the public has been shut out of negotiations, recent WikiLeaks disclosures suggest corporate lobbyists have been given free access and are in fact assisting the U.S. Trade Representative in the TPP drafting process. Details of what’s being negotiated in our names are hard to come by, but critics have suggested that TPP goes far beyond tariff reduction and trade promotion, giving unprecedented power to corporations and undercutting citizens’ ability to enact and preserve consumer, labor, and environmental protections.

We need full public disclosure and time to debate this bill. Click here to contact your representative in opposition of TPP fast track today.

Unions, United Way Team Up for Winter Blanket Drive

Wisconsin union members have teamed up with local labor councils and area United Way branches to collect blankets and bedding for homeless shelters and those in need this winter. 

Blanket drives are currently underway in Green Bay and Milwaukee.  

The 2014 Blanketing Brown County Drive is running now through Thursday, January 28.  You can drop off new or used blankets, sleeping bags and bedding at Green Bay Metro Fire Stations, Green Bay Library branches and Shopko stores. 

You can also drop off blankets at the Green Labor Temple, Green Bay Education Association office, IBEW Local 158 hall, Ashwaubeneon Public Safety, Bay Lakes United Educators and the Brown County United Way.  

The Blanketing Greater Milwaukee drive kicks-off January 20 and runs through January 31.  Drop-off locations include the Milwaukee Area Labor Council, any Milwaukee Fire House and the United Way of Greater Milwaukee.

Please spread the word and donate if you can!  Together, we can make a difference in our community and help those in need have a safe and warm winter.

 

Note:  Used blankets must be washed before donating.  

3 Myths About Buying American-Made Debunked!

Myth #1: “It’s too difficult to find products that are made in America or union-made”

Sure, finding American made and union-made products requires a little more effort than it did, say, 50 years ago when the vast majority of products were produced in the US and by union labor.  

However, what most people don’t realize is that the little bit of effort is in fact very little. Thanks to the internet, Google, and some great websites, it’s become easier than ever to find great American and union-made products.

You can find a database of Wisconsin made products at http://buywi.org. 

Another great example is the Labor 411 directory at www.labor411.org. It has over 4,700 American and union products and services listed in easy-to-browse categories. And it includes the name of the union, and local number when available, so that you can know who made the goods.

A great resource to consult is the unions themselves. Check out --

UNITE HERE! Hotel Guide: This page provides the definitive union hotel directory, so that you can sleep better knowing that your dollars are going to support good union hotel jobs.

UAW Union Vehicles List: If you’re looking to buy a car, make sure to check out this UAW list of cars made by union members.

UNITE HERE! New England Joint Board: This is a great resource for finding quality - and great looking - American and union-made clothing, brought to us by hardworking members in New England.

Myth #2: “American and union-made products are expensive”

Nothing could not be further from the truth.

When you think of Miller Lite, Budweiser, Entenmann’s, Milkbone dog biscuits, and Ford Focus, do you think “expensive?”  Of course not.

There are thousands of affordable and competitively priced American and union-made products out there. 
Sure, you’ll sometimes save a little by buying foreign, sweatshop-made items. But is it worth it?

We believe the answer is a strong no. The savings are often trivial compared to the fact that buying non-American, non-union supports unconscionably greedy companies who have turned their backs on the American worker and the American economy.

Myth #3: “It doesn’t matter whether or not I buy American and union-made”
Each time we purchase a product, we are voting with our wallets. Those companies who receive our hard-earned dollars, flourish. While those who don’t, go bankrupt. Without consumer purchases, companies simply cannot exist.

When we buy American and union-made, we are supporting companies who provide good middle class jobs at home. We are voting for them to grow, while not supporting companies who exploit cheap, non-union labor overseas – often paying them a horrible wage with no benefits. 

And spending our dollars here at home also helps to grow the local economy because companies in the U.S. spend money locally and their employees spend money locally. When we buy products from companies overseas, the economic activity goes overseas too. Check out the power of your dollar at 'Why Buy Wisconsin?' section at http://buywi.org/. 

This is a crosspost from Labor 411.

Construction Project Recruitment Session Madison

Calling all qualified, experienced construction workers or individuals pursuing a career in the construction industry to attend an informational recruitment event about job training and work readiness programs offered by WRTP/BIG STEP and the Building Trade Council of South Central Wisconsin.

The Building Trade Council represents bricklayers and allied crafts (tile setters), electricians, elevator constructors, heat & frost insulators, iron workers, laborers, operating engineers, operative plasterers and cement masons, painters and allied crafts (painters, drywall finishers, glazers), plumbers, roofers, sheet metal workers, sprinkler fitters and steamfitters.

Recruitment Event Details

• THE EDGEWATER HOTEL PROJECT
• 9:00 AM THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2014
• LABOR TEMPLE 1602 S. PARK STREET MADISON 53715
• ROOMS 201A, B & C
• RSVP 414-342-9787

Please pass this information along to all interested parties. Share the event flyer by clicking here. The labor movement and the business community are working together to train workers and provide good jobs to local communities across Wisconsin.

Good Jobs Green Jobs Conference in D.C

It’s that time again!

The 2014 Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference is taking place February 10-11 in Washington, D.C. at the Washington Hilton Hotel.

Good Jobs, Green Jobs is the Conference where jobs and the environment meet and will feature dynamic keynote speakers, informative workshops, and opportunities to network with people from around the country making a difference in their communities tackling climate change and creating jobs.

This year’s Conference is focused on repairing the systems Americans rely on every day — to get us back and forth to work, supply our power, keep us safe from floods when storms rage, make sure we can call the police and fire during emergencies, and the institutions where our children learn.

America’s infrastructure is breaking down and we need a plan to fix it. The American Society of Civil Engineers gives the systems we rely on every day a “D+” grade. Repairing these vital systems will safeguard our communities from the impacts of climate change, reduce inefficiencies and thereby the carbon pollution that drives climate change, and create quality, family-sustaining jobs for American workers. Repairing America can also repair America’s workplaces. 

Join thousands of business and community leaders, union members, and environmentalists at Good Jobs, Green Jobs 2014— February 10-11, 2014 at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. — and take up the call to Repair America

Don’t forget, you can also get a special, discounted rate on your room at the Washington Hilton if you reserve your spot now.