Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Blog

Honoring Martin Luther King Jr.

Today we honor and celebrate the extraordinary life of Martin Luther King Jr. His courage, leadership, and ultimately his sacrifice, helped transform America and usher in a new era of civil rights. He died fighting for the rights of workers, traveling to Memphis to support striking AFSCME sanitation workers on April 3rd, 1968; the following day he was assassinated.

But the progress he achieved – we achieved – is being threatened and attacked by those opposed to equality. They view the record turnout from minorities, women, and young people as a threat to their political power. They know that strong unions are the last obstacle remaining between them and their unchecked greed. They will continue to attack all of the progress and protections that we’ve fought for over the past few decades.

These latest attacks are “right to work” laws. Martin Luther King Jr. said of right to work laws, “In our glorious fight for civil rights, we must guard against being fooled by false slogans, such as ‘right to work.’ It is a law to rob us of our civil rights and job rights. Its purpose is to destroy labor unions and the freedom of collective bargaining by which unions have improved wages and working conditions of everyone…Wherever these laws have been passed, wages are lower, job opportunities are fewer and there are no civil rights.”

As it did half a century ago, Martin Luther King Jr’s wisdom provides us with a path forward. He understood that your right to form a union and collectively bargain with your coworkers is a fundamental pillar of the fight for equality. As he said himself, “The Labor Movement was the principal force that transformed misery and despair into hope and progress.”

So today, as we remember Martin Luther King Jr, we are also reminded of the challenges we continue to face as we strive to achieve his dream. Together, we’ll continue fighting for the rights, equality, and opportunity for all Americans, including the right of all Americans to join a labor union.

Scott Walker's 'State of the State' Address

Last night, Governor Walker delivered his fifth State of the State speech. While much of his agenda continues to be at odds with the priorities of Wisconsin’s working families, we were pleased that he did not use the speech to push so-called “Right-to-Work” legislation. Although he’s supported the idea in the past, more recently he has indicated that he does not think this should be a priority at this time. As we remain vigilant in our monitoring of any movement toward this unnecessary and destructive legislation, we are committed to finding common ground on issues impacting the people of Wisconsin in this upcoming session.

These include investment in new infrastructure. The need to address our neglected roads, bridges, railways, etc., should not be a matter of partisan debate. Rebuilding Wisconsin’s infrastructure will create new, good-paying jobs and improve quality of life for all Wisconsin citizens. Democrats and Republicans should be able to come together to address this urgent need.

Governor Walker also discussed his proposal for eliminating and consolidating multiple state agencies. We could support smart reductions in bureaucracy that improve service at a lower cost to taxpayers, but we are concerned that this approach could also eliminate important regulations that keep workers safe in the workplace, and protect consumer rights and public safety.

A major legislative priority outlined in the Governor’s speech was a school accountability bill that will force failing public schools to become privatized charter schools. While we need accountability in our schools, it’s important to make sure all schools are treated equally and held accountable to the same standards. In the past, we have seen the rhetoric of “reform” used mainly to attack unionized teachers and give for-profit operators the chance to make money on students’ backs. Wisconsin – and Milwaukee in particular – has seen numerous attempts to attack public education through that strategy. We believe every student in our state deserves access to a quality, public education. Where it has been embraced, school privatization has not yielded the desired educational outcomes. We’ll continue to fight for policies rooted in results rather than ideology.

Governor Walker also talked about his tax plan. His plan focuses on property taxes, although he failed to provide specifics on the impact of any proposed tax cuts given the state’s grim $2.2 billion budget deficit. As the Governor and the legislature consider changes in the tax code, they must be guided by the principle of fairness. Previous tax cuts have often been weighted to mostly help those at the top, resulting in the large budget deficits that our state faces today. Smart tax relief should be targeted at those who truly need it, while making sure those who are doing best pay their fair share.

Finally, and unfortunately, Governor Walker didn’t address some of the other challenges facing middle-class families. For example, he continues to reflexively oppose all federal funding, which means we will continue to miss out on the opportunity to get our federal taxes back on many transportation projects and to pay for healthcare access for those who need it. That means Wisconsin tax dollars benefit people in other states while we get worse transportation options and higher healthcare costs. This is simply bad public policy.

Wisconsin continues to face many challenges. Working families lack sufficient opportunities to get ahead. In the coming legislative session, Wisconsin needs a pro-worker agenda that puts the middle class first, prioritizes public education, expands access to health care, and safeguards your rights in the workplace.

While there are areas of potential common sense cooperation, yesterday’s State of the State speech reminds us that we cannot let up in our efforts to protect the economic well-being of working Wisconsinites. We will continue to keep you updated throughout the legislative session and encourage you to stay engaged with your elected representatives to make sure they put working families first.