Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Blog

Walker Takes Aim at Civil Service

Wow, it didn’t take long for Scott Walker to continue his attacks on Wisconsin’s working people. Just days after Scott Walker deserted his Presidential bid because his union-busting message was rejected by American voters, he is back to attacking workers by supporting legislation to destroy Wisconsin’s landmark civil service laws, impacting over 30,000 workers and the public they serve.

Wisconsin has a proud tradition of fairness, openness and impartiality in our civil service system that allows for hiring based on skill and merit, not political connections. We believe that people should be hired based on what they know, not who they know. Currently, numerous safeguards are built in to the system to ensure integrity and public trust. A bill drafted by Sen. Roger Roth (R-Neenah) and Rep. Jim Steineke (R-Kaukauna) calls for the destruction of Wisconsin’s long standing, landmark civil service laws.

These changes to our civil service system open the flood gates for political payback and favoritism. The GOP plan will no longer requirement government employees to take a test to prove their knowledge. This will allow Scott Walker and his buddies to hire their friends, relatives and political cronies. The move promotes corruption and malfeasance in hiring of governmental personnel.

Changes to our civil service law include:

• Removing entrance exams for new job applicants and replacing them with a resume only based system;
• Giving hiring authority to the Department of Administration, a direct extension of Walker’s office;
• Extending the probationary period for new hires from 6 months to two years.
• Changing the layoff process from seniority-based to subjective performance analysis.

Remember, Scott Walker never once mentioned changing the civil service system while campaigning for Governor and he even touted its importance while defending Act 10. Since taking office in 2010, Gov. Walker has repeatedly eroded workers’ rights, wages and protections in the both the public and private sector. Gov. Walker’s record is clear: he does not have the best interests of workers in mind.

Do you trust Scott Walker to hire the best, most qualified person for the job?

Stripping working people of their rights and rigging the system so it is easier to hire candidates with political connections does nothing to help Wisconsin.

Walker Suspends Presidential Campaign

On Monday, Scott Walker announced that he is suspending his Presidential campaign and dropping out of the 2016 Republican Presidential Primary.

 

Since jumping into the race last July, Gov. Walker has relentlessly touted his union-busting background in stump speeches and media appearances all across the country -- promising to implement on a national level the anti-worker agenda he brought to our state. Walker’s policies -- stripping workers of their rights to collectively bargain, passing right to work legislation that lowers wages, ending prevailing wage requirements that protect construction workers on the job, even opposing a minimum wage -- may reflect the wishes of his billionaire donors, but it is crystal clear that the vast majority of American voters know they are no substitute for effective public policy.

 

The American people have unmistakably rejected Scott Walker’s anti-union brand. Once Scott Walker doubled down on anti-worker policies that have failed to create jobs and opportunity in Wisconsin, his poll numbers hit rock bottom. Americans understand that in order to restore balance to our economy and sustain a thriving middle class we need unions.

 

Citizens have said ‘no thank you’ ‘good-bye’ and ‘good riddance’ to Scott Walker and his union-busting campaign. Scott Walker didn’t realize that in America, we believe that working people have the right to come together, join together and negotiate with one voice for fair wages, decent benefits and a better life.

 

Now that Walker’s national ambitions have crashed and burned, we call on Governor Walker to move beyond the myopic anti-worker agenda that brought him his fifteen minutes of fame and get back to the job he was elected to do -- create real opportunities for the people of Wisconsin. 

America Rejects Scott Walker’s Union-Busting

“The American people have unmistakably rejected Scott Walker’s anti-union brand,” said Phil Neuenfeldt, President of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO.  “Scott Walker doubled down on anti-worker policies that have failed in Wisconsin and his poll numbers tanked.  Americans understand that in order to restore balance to our economy and sustain a thriving middle class we need unions.”

 

“America has said ‘no thank you’ ‘good-bye’ and ‘good riddance’ to Scott Walker and his union-busting campaign,” said Stephanie Bloomingdale, Secretary-Treasurer of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO.  “Scott Walker didn’t realize that in America, we believe that working people have the right to come together, join together and negotiate with one voice for fair wages, decent benefits and a better life.  Now that Walker’s national ambitions have crashed and burned, we call on Governor Walker to move beyond the myopic anti-worker agenda that brought him his fifteen minutes of fame and get back to the job he was elected to do -- creating real opportunities for the people of Wisconsin.”  

Walker's Dangerous National Platform

Unions provide a necessary check on corporate power and greed and bring balance to our economy. Can you imagine a world without unions? Who is left to fight to save our jobs from being shipped overseas? Who is left to push for better working conditions, wages and work-life balance? Will our children have a shot at a good job that provides for their family? This is the world that Gov. Walker and his campaign funders want.

 

As Gov. Walker’s Presidential poll numbers plummet, our Governor is recommitting to pushing failed public policy that hurts working people and threatens the health of our nation’s entire middle class. While it’s clear that Gov. Walker is grasping at straws in a desperate attempt to please his billionaire backers that want to silence workers, it doesn’t make his declaration to union-bust and eliminate worker agencies at the national level any less disturbing.

 

Scott Walker’s new labor proposals – nationwide Right to Work, repealing federal prevailing wage laws, dismantling the National Labor Relations Board and enforcement agency, eliminating union rights for federal workers – are radical and dangerous. Walker is fading in the polls, but the people who fund his campaign, like the Koch Brothers and other corporate special interests, are pushing hard for this platform.

 

Gov. Walker and his funders want to roll back a century’s worth of worker protections and rights. As wages stagnate and income inequality grows, weakening union rights is the last thing our country needs. In America, we believe that working people have the right to come together and join together through unions to collectively bargain over workplace issues such as wages, benefits and safety standards. The ability of workers to come together through unions saves lives, lifts millions out of poverty, and strengthens our middle class.

 

Make no mistake, having a union on the job is life-changing. It allows workers to have a decent shot at the American Dream; it curbs discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation or religion; oftentimes it means decent healthcare when family members face serious illness; a union contract provides economic stability for the working class – meaning many families are able to take a vacation or help send their kid to college as well as patronize small businesses in their community. A union contract provides dignity and respect for all who labor.

 

Scott Walker’s campaign bankrollers may want to crush the middle class, but Americans recognize that unions are fighting for a better life for all workers.

Speaking Out to Stop Wage Theft

Imagine clocking in on your time card week after week with extra hours, you didn’t make it to your daughter’s soccer match or son’s cross country meet. You’ve sacrificed because the holidays are coming up and you’re behind on bills. Now, weeks later as you look at your paycheck you quickly realize thatyou’ve been shorted many hours of your hard-earned wages. If you don’t have a union representative or shop steward, what is your next move? How do you hold your boss accountable without jeopardizing your job? Too many workers, especially low-wage workers, face with this situation.

 

Wage theft, which is the failure to pay workers the wages owed to them, has become rampant and is of grave concern to the Wisconsin labor movement. Wage theft occurs when employers pay their works less than the minimum wage, don’t pay workers for overtime when it is required, force workers to work off the clock, short workers hours on pay day and or fail to pay an employee at all.

 

Make no mistake, wage theft is a crime.

 

Thankfully, Democratic lawmakers in Madison are stepping up and working to combat this growing epidemic. In February, Senator Bob Wirch (D-Kenosha) introduced Senate Bill 5, a bill designed to curb wage theft and support victims of this crime. On Tuesday, September 16, the Senate Committee on Labor and Government Reform held a hearing on SB 5.

 

The Wisconsin AFL-CIO was there to support the bill and urge Senators to put aside partisan politics and support SB5.

 

The Wage Theft Bill protect workers, levels the playing field for responsible businesses and supports stable families and communities. 

 

Wage theft affects families. When work is not paid, families become unstable. Wage theft means less food is put on the table, rent or mortgage payments become burdensome, necessary clothing for children is not purchased, backpacks are tattered and empty as required back-to-school items are foregone, bills are not paid, and families have less money to spend in the local economy.

 

Wage theft affects other employers. When unscrupulous businesses have lower labor costs because they steal from their workers, it makes it difficult for law-abiding businesses who pay workers for their labor to compete in the market place.

 

Important reforms SB 5 will make:

• First, it requires employers to issue employees the terms & conditions of employment in writing. Thiswill inform workers of their pay, anticipated hours, and conditions of employment. It will give workers the information that they will need to accurately determine whether or not they’ve been a victim of wage theft.
• Second, SB 5 increases the statute of limitation. This will allow workers more time to deal informallywith their employers before making a complaint with the state.
• Third, it will increase penalties for employers who steal from their workers.
• Fourth, SB 5 will require businesses to disclose delinquent wage theft judgements when applying for licenses or registrations with the State. This will remove the veil so that taxpayers will know which businesses steal from workers.

This bill is about ensuring fairness. When you work, you should be paid the wage you've earned and are owed. Stealing workers’ wages is criminal behavior. Increasing workers' legal rights to their hard-earned pay is common sense legislation.

Wisconsin to Benefit from New Department of Labor Grants for Apprenticeship Programs

The Wisconsin AFL-CIO applauds the Department of Labor for awarding millions of dollars in grant money to support registered apprenticeship programs across the country.

 

The AFL-CIO Working for America Institute partners with Jobs for the Future, a national workforce intermediary, the Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership and labor-management intermediaries to expand and enhance apprenticeship for production workers in the manufacturing sector in 8 states, including Wisconsin. This project will replicate the Industrial Manufacturing Technician (IMT) hybrid manufacturing apprenticeship in partnership with unions and their employers. It will promote the growth of the manufacturing sector and advance the skills of production workers.

 

“We are proud of the professional skills that Wisconsin union apprenticeship programs provide to workers,” said Phil Neuenfeldt, President of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO. “Apprenticeships are an important pathway to jobs that provide working people with wages to sustain a family. As we look at innovative ways to combat income inequality and to raise wages for all workers, apprenticeship programs should be at the center of that discussion.”

 

The apprenticeship grants are part of a larger push by the Obama Administration to highlight the need for affordable, quality career and education choices for students and workers.

Working Families Celebrate, Reflect on Labor Day

 

From La Crosse to Racine, Wausau to Milwaukee, and all across Wisconsin, working families came together to celebrate working people and honor the contributions to society of all who labor. This Labor Day, local labor councils together with the Wisconsin AFL-CIO and community partners held parades, picnics and celebrations around the state to honor the achievements of Wisconsin’s working people.

In the spirit of the holiday, Wisconsin workers gathered to honor the everyday people of Wisconsin who not only work hard to provide a better life for their families and keep our communities strong, but who are also driving local and national movements to build an economy based on worker values. On Labor Day, union members renewed the call for raising wages, fair scheduling, paid leave and a balanced economy that works for all. 

Union members also reflected on what it means to be union. 

Mike Gonzales, a safety advocate trainer at Hoffmaster Group Inc. and member of USW 2-169  from Oshkosh, explained "the union means good wages and benefits to help support our families. It's helping us achieve a piece of the American dream---a good house, a car that we can drive. I've been with the Union a proud 29 years. It's all about the people and fairness." 

Judy Gatlin, from Eau Claire, and proud member of AFSCME 1914, stated, "to me, staying engaged and active in a labor union means I have sisters and brothers who share my values of lifting up all workers to safety and dignity at work.  In a union work-site, workers are closer to earning a living wage and more likely to have health insurance and other benefits which keep families strong and who, in turn, keep their communities strong.  Labor unions promote inclusiveness and fairness, giving all workers earning and benefit opportunities. Together, workers are always stronger."

Mark Pirlot, SMART 18 from Green Bay, connected a strong union movement to a strong middle class: 

"Because we are union we have wages, benefits and health insurance. If workers don't join together through unions, we don't have a strong middle class. Unions protect our jobs and wages. If it weren't for the union's support of the community, we'd be in a lot of trouble. The job of a union is to help people and give back."

Bernie Faust, a retired UAW Local 291, from Oshkosh who worked at Rockwell International reflected on what a difference having a union job made in his life:

"Being part of the union means everything to me and my family. I am 83 years old and I could work to my last dying day and never repay the union for all it’s done for me. Thousands of people organized for Labor, we're celebrating them today."

Ellen Parker, an AFSCME retiree from La Crosse, had a life-saving union story: "The main thing has been the health insurance.  I had a family member with a significant health issue that required a kidney transplant, it was covered by my union-negotiated insurance.  Without that, he would not have lived through the problem. We had vacations, benefits, and sick leave.  None of that would be possible without the union."

Despite partisan political attacks, Wisconsin workers are recommitted to building a vibrant and active union movement that lifts up communities and fights for the rights of all workers.  Working people are the backbone of our nation and need to be recognized as such, both in word and deed.  On Labor Day, Wisconsin workers are doubling down on rebuilding a balanced economy that works for all the people, not just the wealthy and well connected.  

Celebrating Working Families Fighting for a Better Tomorrow

This Labor Day we recognize the incredible achievements of Wisconsin’s working people and celebrate all those who make our country run. We honor the value unions bring to the economy by providing a needed check on corporate greed and providing a pathway for millions into our middle class. Many of us will celebrate this weekend with barbecues, parades and other types of family events. But this is also a time to truly consider what strengthens our families and take a look at how failed public policies have diminished working peoples’ ability to sustain a good living and created an economy that is increasingly out of balance.

 

Working people are the backbone of our economy and need to be recognized as such, both in word and deed. Too often, working people have taken a back seat to corporate interests that put profits above the pursuit of a better life. Many hardworking people are frustrated because despite our sweat, our sacrifice and our innovation, too many struggle to support our families.

 

In Wisconsin, out-of-state corporate interests are pushing an agenda that seeks to exacerbate the economic imbalances that make it hard for working people to live better lives. Policies like repealing prevailing wagestandards, taking away collective bargaining rights from public employees and enacting Right to Work laws lower wages for all workers and further weaken our middle class.

 

It doesn’t have to be this way.

 

Born from struggle and driven to find solutions, the labor movement is fighting back to correct this economic imbalance, and these efforts have captured the attention of everyone from the President to the Pope. We are determined to counteract economic imbalances that harm working people because we know they did not come about by chance. They have been the result of failed public policies and a rise in political and corporate attacks on working people.

 

Simply put, it is time to change the rules.

 

This Labor Day, working people are united under the banner of Raising Wages because America should have an economy of shared prosperity that lifts all families up and strengthens our nation. By strengthening union rights, raising wages, providing for paid sick days, paid maternity leave and equal pay for equal work, we can empower working people to not just survive, but thrive.

 

On Labor Day, let us refocus on doing what is best for our families, our communities, our state and our nation. This Labor Day, let’s celebrate working families, because we are ready to speak up together, change the rules and bring lasting economic balance to our economy so that every family can pursue the American Dream and work for a better life.

Dane County AFSCME members donate back-to-school packs

A report from AFSCME Wisconsin Council 32

 

When they went back to school this week, many children whose families are being served by Dane County social services carried with them backpacks full of school supplies thanks to area AFSCME members.

AFSCME members who work for Dane County, the city of Madison and other area cities and school districts raised more than $2,000. This was used to provision more than 120 backpacks with still more in the works for children who work directly with Dane County Social Workers.

For more than 15 years, area AFSCME members have put together back-to-school backpacks. For the past three years, AFSCME members have worked directly with the Dane County Social Workers, with Sue DeBuhr of Local 2634 soliciting requests from social workers. The requests were then filled, meaning that backpacks could be specifically tailored to meet the needs of individual students.

This is the first year that the seven area AFSCME units representing employees of Dane County, Municipal and School Districts of Dane County and the City of Madison have worked together on this project.

Noting that other community programs also help kids who need school supplies, Local 720’s Dorothy Ward said AFSCME members wanted to make a real difference for families already facing special challenges.

“We felt the need to give back to our own clients and to help children in the city of Madison and in other Dane County school districts,” said Dorothy Ward.