Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Blog

Labor Panel Breakfast at MacArthur Memorial Week

MacArthur Memorial Week, June 3-7, 2014, Milwaukee, WI.

Join the Milwaukee Area Labor Council and the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO for a labor movement panel discussion and breakfast honoring General Douglas McArthur and his contribution to the labor and peace movements of Australia and the South Pacific. David Black, Professor Emeritus, Curtin University, Perth, West Australia, will led a discussion on Prime Minister Curtin and the Australian labor movement, including how labor helped to win the War in the Pacific.

What: Labor Movement Panel Discussion Breakfast, $12.00. 

When:  9:00 a.m., Thursday, June 5, 2014 

Where: Memorial Hall of the Milwaukee County War Memorial. 750 N Lincoln Memorial, Milwaukee, WI 53202.

For additional information contact Mike Balistreri, 414-491-1488

The War Memorial Center, VCRT MacArthur Forum, Inc., Marquette University and the American Legion Cudworth Post No. 23 have joined forces to present a five-day program that highlights the General’s career as well as his immense impact on the countries of Australia, the Philippines, Japan and South Korea.

Click here  for the complete brochure of events commemorating the 35th Anniversary of the Dedication of the Statue of General Douglas MacArthur and the 50th Anniversary of the General's Death.

Schedule of Events: 

TUESDAY, JUNE 3
WAR MEMORIAL CENTER
* Opening of MacArthur Photo Exhibit
* Welcome: Maj. Gen. Michael Berzowski
* The MacArthur Legacy: James Zobel
* Rotary Luncheon: General Douglas MacArthur and Australian Prime Minister John Curtin: Prof. Emer. David Black
* General MacArthur - World War I, Chief of Staff and West Point: Maj. Gen. Paul Lima and Prof. Louis DiMarco
* Movie: "MacArthur," starring Gregory Peck

WEDNESDAY,  JUNE 4
WAR MEMORIAL CENTER
* Korean War-Inchon, advance and retreat; removal from command and return to U.S.; address to Congress; Milwaukee, Marquette University and MacArthur Square; retirement, advisor to presidents: Prof. Emer. Ray Moore and Prof. Louis DiMarco
* Kiwanis Luncheon; Naval forces in the Pacific in 1941 and today: Eric Wertheim
* Movie: "Emperor," starring Tommy Lee Jones

THURSDAY,  JUNE 5
WAR MEMORIAL CENTER
Labor Panel Breakfast:  Prime Minister Curtin and the Australian labor movement: Prof. Emer. David Black
* The MacArthur-Curtin alliance: Prof. Emer. David Black
* The Philippines - Land and Sea: Creamheld Pepito presiding
* Fighting for MacArthur - Navy and Marine Corps defense of Bataan and Corregidor: Prof. John Gordon
* Behind enemy lines - MacArthur's organized guerrilla resistance; Battle of Leyte Gulf: Creamheld Pepito and Louis DiMarco

FRIDAY, JUNE 6
MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL
* MacArthur in Japan Photo Exhibit
* All day conference on MacArthur's Japanese Constitution; challenges of externally imposed constitutions in the aftermath of civil or external war; lessons learned from MacArthur and Japan, and more recently in the Middle East and North Africa; Moderator: Prof. Peter Rofes; Panel: Profs. Emer. Ray Moore and Kyoko Inoue
and Prof. Louis DiMarco. For complete details and registration information, please visit the Marquette Law School website: http://go.mu.edu/1nTCPk3.
MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM
* Afternoon: Program at conclusion of conference:
"Impact of MacArthur: Consuls of Australia, The Philippines, Japan and South Korea"
* MacArthur through the eyes of Australia, the Philippines, Japan and South Korea: Panel
* Dinner and Reception; "Evening at the Calatrava" - Keynote Speakers: Prof. Emer. David Black and Ambassador Beazley

SATURDAY,  JUNE 7
WAR MEMORIAL CENTER
* Breakfast; Honoring the memory of Jean Faircloth MacArthur and women in the U.S. military: James Zobel and Lt. Gen. John Otjen
* Philippine Cultural and Civic Center Foundation Children's Choir Veterans Park
* Rededication of the statue of General Douglas MacArthur - military ceremony: Maj. Gen. Paul Lima presiding
* "Our Community Salutes" military program; recognition of high school enlistees into the Armed Forces - sponsored by U.S. Army Community Advisory B

For more information, please visit MacArthurMilwaukee.com

Dead Heat

The race for Wisconsin’s next Governor is heating up!  A new poll released today by Marquette University Law School shows Gov. Scott Walker and Democratic challenger Mary Burke tied 46-46 in a dead heat among registered voters.  Wisconsinites are rejecting Scott Walker’s failed economic record, his attacks on worker rights and his penchant for putting the requests of his out-of-state campaign donors above the people of Wisconsin.

In today's poll, a majority of voters stated that they feel that Scott Walker does not care about people like them.  Clearly, Wisconsinites know that Walker works for the millioniaires, not for the middle class.

Wisconsin AFL-CIO endorsed candidate Mary Burke is a political newcomer and job creator who supports raising Wisconsin’s minimum wage and restoring collective bargaining rights in the public sector.  Unlike Gov. Walker, Burke has a successful track record of creating family-supporting jobs at Trek Bicycle.  Burke also worked in tandem with workers, management and community partners to save jobs and reopen a paper mill in Park Falls.  

Today’s poll shows that Wisconsinites are ready for a new governor on November 4, 2014.  Wisconsin currently ranks 35th in the nation in job growth.  Gov. Walker’s partisan agenda of rolling back voting rights, enacting hyper-partisan redistricting lines and attacking worker rights does not create jobs.   Burke has the experience and the vision to get Wisconsin working again by investing in infrastructure, raising workers’ wages and bringing people together to create good, quality jobs.

This race is tied.  Your vote will matter.

Mary Burke cares about people like us.

Workers across Wisconsin Support the ‘Fight for Fifteen’

Working people across Wisconsin applaud the spirit and the courage of the fast food workers in 150 cities who are walking off the job today demanding fair wages and the right to form a union without retaliation. 

“Working families throughout Wisconsin stand in solidarity with the striking fast food workers who struggle to support their families every day. No one should work full time but live in poverty. Fast food executives who rake in multimillion dollar salaries should pay their workers a fair wage,” said Phil Neuenfeldt, President of the Wisconsin state AFL-CIO.

Today’s strike, which features actions across America and six continents, is the first global day of action. Workers in countries like Denmark, Argentina and Japan are walking off the job in solidarity with their counterparts in America. In the U.S., strikes are taking place in more cities than ever before, including first time locations in Philadelphia, Sacramento, Miami and Orlando. In Wisconsin, workers are taking action in Madison, Milwaukee and Wausau. 

“Politicians in Washington D.C. and in Madison can help solve this problem by raising the minimum wage for all workers and indexing it to inflation,” added Stephanie Bloomingdale, Secretary-Treasurer of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO. “Fast food workers deserve to be treated fairly at work and so does every person who goes to work every day and sacrifices to support themselves and their families.”

As it stands, fast food workers depend on $7 billion of annual public assistance because the industry does not offer workers financial security. Fast Food companies across the country have also faced lawsuits in recent month over allegations of systemic wage theft. A poll conducted by Hart Research found that 89 percent of fast-food workers experience wage theft.

 

Fight for $15 Goes Global

On May 15, the Fight for $15 is going global! Workers in every continent where McDonald's operates will take a stand for fair wages and the right to form a union. 

It's time for the fast food giants to treat the people who make and serve their food with dignity and respect!

You can support and follow the workers online (follow #fastfoodglobal) or come out and join us on the streets at any of the events listed below! 

 

5.15.14 Fast Food Strike Events

Milwaukee: Rally at County Courthouse at 11:00 a.m., 901 N. 9th St.

Madison:  7:00 a.m. Taco Bell, 3002 E. Washington Ave

Wausau:  11:30 AM, Hardee's on Stewart Ave, Wausau

 

 

I'm going on strike: do you have my back?

This is a guest blog by Alexxis Davis, a retail worker in Milwaukee.

Last year, fast food and retail workers in Wisconsin made history by walking off their jobs during four strikes in the largest worker action in the history of the fast food industry. We’re leading the call for $15 an hour and the right to form a union without retaliation from our employers and we’re about to make history again.

Join us this Thursday, May 15, as we take to the streets as part of a nationwide strike in 150 cities with solidarity actions in 30 countries.

Do you have our backs?  RSVP for the solidarity rally today! 

Come support workers like me, a young mother who goes to work before my son wakes up and gets home after he’s asleep. I ride the bus nearly three hours a day to get to my $7.25/ retail job. Hundreds of people just like me are working hard to get ahead, but our labor just lines the pockets of rich CEOs. 

Enough is enough! Stand up for all workers May 15. We can win only with your support. RSVP today! 

 

Solidarity Rally for Striking Workers

Thursday, May 15

11:00 a.m.

County Courthouse, 901 N 9th St. Milwaukee

 

150 Americans Die Each Day Due to Workplace Injury or Disease

According to a report released today by the AFL-CIO, 4,628 workers were killed in the United States during 2012 due to workplace injuries. Additionally an estimated 50,000 died from occupational diseases, resulting in a loss of nearly 150 workers each day from preventable workplace conditions.

It is important to note that Gov. Walker and Republican legislators recently passed a law that makes it harder for workers and veterans who develop cancer and respiratory problems due to on-the-job asbestos exposure to receive justice in the courts. 

“A hard day’s work should not be a death sentence,” said AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka. “It is unconscionable that any worker has to choose between life and putting food on the table. When Congress votes to weaken worker protections or defund critical programs and when big corporations marginalize and deemphasize worker safety, they insult the memory of all those workers who have died while fighting to attain the American Dream.”

The report, entitled Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect, marks the 23rd year the AFL-CIO has produced its findings on the state of safety and health protections for workers within the United States. The report shows the highest workplace fatality rates were found in North Dakota, Wyoming, Alaska, West Virginia and Montana, while Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire (tied), and Washington (tied) had the lowest state fatality rates.

"This report is a stark reminder that too many workers don’t make it home from a day on the job," said Wisconsin AFL-CIO President Phil Neuenfeldt.  "The erosion of worker rights by politicians and big corporations will only lead to less safe workplaces.  When workers are free to join together through unions and collectively bargain, they are better able to speak out about dangerous work conditions, unsafe staffing levels or faulty equipment.”  

While national numbers remained steady from 2011, the most alarming statistics come from North Dakota, where the state’s job fatality rate of 17.7 per 100,000 workers is five times the national average, which is 3.4 per 100,000, and is among the highest state job fatality rates ever reported.  Especially alarming is the high fatality rate in North Dakota for those in the mining and oil and gas extraction sector, where 104 out of every 100,000 workers died on the job, more than six times the national average in this industry.

The AFL-CIO’s report also highlights the number of Latino and immigrant workers killed on the job, with Latino workers facing a nine percent higher risk of a workplace death, 3.7 per 100,000 workers, than the national average. Of the 748 Latino workers killed on the job in 2012, 65% were immigrant workers, with the highest fatalities occurring in Texas, California, and Florida.

The report’s disturbing numbers come in the wake of further statistics showing the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) remains underfunded, understaffed, and unable to levy penalties strong enough to deter workplace safety violations. At current levels, it would take federal and state OSHA inspectors an average of 105 years to inspect every workplace within the United States at least once, with South Dakota facing the largest backlog resulting in an estimated 521 years to inspect workplaces.

Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect was released after numerous Workers Memorial Day vigils, rallies, and actions were held across the country, and can be found online here: aflcio.org/death-on-the-job.

Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive Saturday, May 10

Special Delivery this Saturday, May 10!  Wisconsin Letter Carriers, in conjunction with local area food shelters, will collect non-perishable food items at your mailbox.   The National Association of Letter Carriers’ (NALC) 22nd annual “Stamp Out Hunger” food collection is the largest one-day food drive in the nation and just one way union members give back to area communities.  

Letter Carriers collected more than 74.4 million pounds of food last year, bringing the 21-year total to 1.3 billion pounds. All you need to do is collect canned goods and dry food, such as tuna, canned meat, soups, pasta, rice and cereal, and leave them in a bag or box by your mailbox. Your letter carriers will pick them up as they deliver your mail.

Donations are given directly to local food pantries. While most food pantries get the bulk of their donations around Christmas and Thanksgiving, the NALC drive is done during the spring, when many food pantries are struggling. Also, since many school meal programs are suspended during summer months, millions of children are left scrambling to find alternate sources of nutrition and the food banks are a vital resource for families in need.  

Hundreds Gather to Honor Bay View Tragedy Victims

On a sunny Sunday afternoon, hundreds gathered at the Bay View Rolling Mills historical marker on the shores of Lake Michigan to commemorate the seven workers who died fighting for the eight hour workday in 1886.  

 

The annual event pays tribute to the 1,500 workers who marched toward the Bay View Rolling Mills (then the area’s biggest manufacturer) urging workers to join the fight for the 8 hour work day.  The State Militia lined up on a nearby hill with guns poised.  The workers were ordered to stop from some 200 yards away; when they didn’t, the militiamen fired into the crowd, killing seven people.

 

For the fourth straight year, this year’s event featured the popular re-enactment of the Bay View Tragedy performed by the Milwaukee Public Theatre with the Milwaukee Puppet and Mask Theatre as well as music from the Solidarity Singers and folk singer Larry Penn.

Phil Neuenfeldt, President of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO, addressed the crowd connecting the past to current struggles for worker rights, reminding attendees to 'mourn for the dead and fight like hell for the living.'    

The courage and sacrifice of the victims of the Bay View Massacre lives on. It lives on in fast food workers and all those fighting for a living wage; it lives on in those who stand together to stop the separation of families and end deportations; it lives on in those who join together for collective bargaining rights and strong unions which lead to safer workplaces, better wages and stronger communities; it lives on in those who fight for safer roads and better bridges, stronger schools and cleaner air.

Wisconsinites Call for Deportation Relief on May Day

Thousands celebrated International Workers’ Day and May Day in Milwaukee by calling attention to the fight for immigrant and worker rights.  Marchers lifted up the voices of families who are being separated by inhumane and outdated immigration laws. 

Supporters marched to the Milwaukee County Courthouse to call on Sherriff Clarke to end ICE holds and honor the ICE detainer resolution passed in 2012 by the Milwaukee County Board.

Marisa Leza's father was deported in March despite a flood of letters of support from community members asking ICE to use discretion to release him.  

"I'm marching and speaking today because I never imagined the day would come when my dad could be taken away from us.  He was the head of our family, and he is no criminal. He's a hardworking man, a Wisconsin dairy farmer who worked more than 12 hours a day to support all of us. Today I'm marching for my dad, and for all of the broken families in our country.”

Workers also called on President Obama for Executive Action on Deportation Relief.  

"Our families cannot wait another day," says Christine Neumann-Oritz, executive director of Voces de la Frontera. "While House Republicans block efforts to move legalization forward, the President must use his legal authority to stop the suffering now - as he has done for passage of living wage and deferred action for immigrant youth. He can also shut down costly and dysfunctional enforcement programs such as Wisconsin's so-called "Secure Communities", and grant legal status for those who would qualify for immigration reform.”  

Walker's Voter ID Ruled Unconstitutional

Good news for democracy and voting rights in Wisconsin!  On April 29, 2014 a federal judge ruled that Gov. Walker’s voter photo identification law violated both the U.S. Constitution and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and cannot be enforced.  The judge found that the Republican-backed voter ID law, which would have required voters to show a state-issued photo ID when casting a ballot, places an unfair burden on poor and minority voters. 

U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman found that Wisconsin’s voter photo ID requirement violated the equal protection guarantee of the U.S. Constitution because the law unjustifiably burdens eligible voters -- particularly poor and low-income voters who are less likely to have photo IDs or the documents needed to obtain them. Wisconsin’s photo ID requirement was also found to violate the Voting Rights Act because it disproportionally impacts African-American and Latino voters who are less likely to have a photo ID and who also face barriers such as access to transportation, lack of a birth certificate, poverty and fewer area DMVs needed to obtain an ID.  

Scott Walker’s partisan power grab and extreme ideology in enacting voter ID may cost the state of Wisconsin over $1 million in legal fees. 

In a well-constructed legal ruling, Judge Adelman states that Gov. Walker’s law appears to be so discriminatory that it is difficult to imagine how the Legislature could amend the law and remove its discriminatory impact. 

The landmark ruling invalidates the law and means that voters will NOT have to show a photo ID in November’s election.

Earlier this year, Gov. Walker vowed to call a special session to pass a new and slightly varied voter disenfranchisement law that would be just within legal limits.  We strongly oppose this circumvention of the courts and believe that any photo ID law is unjust, immoral and unconstitutional. 

However, on April 30, Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and Senate President Mike Ellis stated that a legislative special session will not be called to pass an additional voter disenfranchisement law. 

It is important to remember that there is no evidence of voter fraud in Wisconsin.  In fact, Judge Adelman concluded that “voter impersonator fraud does not occur in Wisconsin.”  Our democracy is strongest when we encourage Wisconsinites to vote, not place confusing and additional barriers to casting a ballot. 

The right to vote is a constitutionally guaranteed right for citizens in America.  Placing unnecessary and burdensome requirements on eligible voters trying to cast their ballot is wrong.  Republican-backed photo ID laws are nothing more than a political power grab and a blatant attempt to control the electorate by silencing Democratic-leaning segments of voters.