Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Blog

ALERT - Stop Attack on New Overtime Regulations

UPDATE:  The Overtime delay bill passed Wednesday, September 28, at 10:14 p.m. The vote was 246 – 177, with 8 non voting. The Wisconsin breakdown was along part lines with Republicans voting yes and Democrats all voting NO, with Rep. Paul Ryan absent. 

 

Take action now to protect overtime regulations that are set to help millions of American workers. Congress is expected to vote THIS AFTERNOON on H.R. 6094, a bill introduced by Rep. Walberg of Michigan to delay by six months the implementation of the Labor Department’s new overtime regulations, which are scheduled to take effect in December, 2016.

TAKE ACTION NOW: Email Congress and tell them to vote NO on H.R. 6094. Workers deserve fair wages and overtime rights.

The recent updates in overtime protections are long overdue and will bring a much-deserved boost to the paychecks of tens of thousands of hardworking Wisconsinites who are putting in long hours. The new overtime rules set to take effect in December raise the salary threshold from $455 a week ($23,660 a year) to an estimated $913 a week ($47,476 per year) in 2016.

For approximately 12.5 million workers, this new regulation is the most effective way to raise wages, create jobs, and restore the 40-hour work week.

Don’t let Congress stand in the way of your paycheck.

TAKE ACTION: Email Congress now to protect overtime for America’s workers.

Having experienced decades of wage stagnation and uncompensated overtime, workers should not have to wait a day longer for the protection the new regulations will provide.

October Blitz!

It’s time for an October Voter Contact Blitz! Labor 2016/Working America Coalition volunteers are gearing up for a HUGE weekend of talking with neighbors about the 2016 Elections.

Anyone who volunteers for a 3-hour shift will get a chance to win Packers tickets!

WHEN:           Saturday, October 1 -- 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

                        Sunday, October 2 -- 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

WHERE:           Statewide Labor 2016 Volunteer Locations (click here to find nearest location)

 

The Packers have a bye week. No football game this weekend means more time to talk with voters about why working families are supporting Hillary Clinton, Russ Feingold, Tom Nelson and pro-worker candidates for state office.

Join us for one 3-hour volunteer shift and you will be entered into a drawing for two tickets to the Green Bay vs. Houston Game on December 4, 2016 in Green Bay.  Every shift completed earns another entry for tickets (maximum of 4 entries for the weekend).  

Fall in Wisconsin generally means three things: Packers, beautiful fall leaves, and Elections! Don’t miss your chance to get involved with our political program this weekend. You’ll be making a difference for working families on Election Day -- added bonus, a chance to win free Packers tickets!

City of MKE Early Vote Guide

Spread the word! City of Milwaukee residents can now vote early, casting their in-person absentee ballot, starting Monday, September 26, and running through Saturday, November 5.

Early voting will be held at three locations, the Zeidler Municipal Building at 841 N Broadway, Midtown Center at 5700 W Capitol Pkwy, and Forest Home Library at 1432 W. Forest Home Ave.

Click here for a 2016  Fall General Election In-Person Absentee Voting Schedule

Hours --

ZEIDLER MUNICIPAL:

Sept. 26 - Oct. 21: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Already registered voters can enter at 744 N. Market for express line.  

Oct. 23 to Nov. 4: Extended hours from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., weekdays.

Weekend voting will be offered from noon to 5:00 p.m. on Oct. 15, 22, 23, 29, 30 and Nov. 5 and from noon to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday October 23 and October 30.

MIDTOWN CENTER and FOREST HOME LIBRARY:

Weekdays Oct. 10 to Oct. 2:  Hours are 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

From Oct. 23 to Nov. 4: Extended hours, 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Weekend voting will be offered Saturday and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.

Get your vote in early! Your union has voted to support Hillary Clinton and Russ Feingold for their commitment to raise wages, protect union rights, stop bad trade deals like the TPP and create jobs for Wisconsinites.   Find a list of statewide union-approved candidates here. Stop in to volunteer at one of our Labor 2016/Working America canvass and phone bank locations and be the difference for workers on Election Day.

Help Us Stop Trump This Weekend

Election Day is less than 50 days away and you can be the difference for working families by volunteering your time to talk with voters on the issues that matter most to Wisconsin families – raising wages, creating jobs, paid family leave for both fathers and mothers, and protecting the freedom to come together in the workplace to collectively bargain for a better life.

Around the state, Labor 2016/Working America volunteers are having one-on-one conversations about strengthening our middle class by electing Hillary Clinton, Russ Feingold, Tom Nelson and pro-worker state senators and representatives this November. Join volunteers this weekend and be the difference on Election Day.

Stop by one of our volunteer locations this Saturday, September 24, starting at 10:00 a.m. to get started!

 

Labor 2016/Working America Canvass and Phone Bank Locations

Wisconsin AFL-CIO (Phone Bank)

6333 W Bluemound Rd

Milwaukee, WI, 53213

 

Milwaukee Area Labor Council (Canvass)

633 S. Hawley Road

Milwaukee, WI, 53214

 

Madison Labor Temple

1602 S. Park Street #212

Madison, WI, 53715

 

UAW 72, Kenosha

3615 Washington Road

Kenosha, WI 53144

 

Racine Labor Temple

1840 Sycamore Avenue

Racine, WI 53406

 

Eau Claire Labor Temple

2233 Birch Street

Eau Claire, WI 54703

 

Wausau Labor Temple

318 S. 3rd Avenue

Wausau, WI 54401

 

IBEW Hall, Wisconsin Rapids

220 Johnson St

Wisconsin Rapids, WI, 54495

 

Stevens Point Office

1052 Main St #205

Stevens Point

 

USW District 2, Menasha

1244A Midway Road

Menasha, WI 54952

 

WEAC Region 3, Green Bay

1136 N. Military Avenue

Green Bay, WI 54303

 

UAW Local 291, Oshkosh

1118 High Avenue

Oshkosh, WI 54901

 

ILA Hall, Superior

424 Tower Avenue

Superior WI 54880

 

When we walk and talk with each other it makes a difference on Election Day. Donald Trump is no friend of workers. He supports anti-worker legislation like “Right to Work” that lowers wages and crushes worker rights. He supports outsourcing jobs by having his clothing, bedding and more made overseas in countries were labor rights are weak and working conditions can be dangerous.

It’s time to come together to stop Trump. Join us this weekend!

AG Schimel Trying to Deny Workers Overtime

Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel has signed onto a lawsuit along with 20 other states suing the Obama Administration in order to stop new overtime protections that would help 80,000 Wisconsin workers. The overtime protections raise the salary threshold for mandatory overtime from $455 a week ($23,660 a year) to an estimated $913 a week ($47,476 per year) in 2016.

“Attorney Brad Schimel is once again standing in the way of better wages and workplace rights for Wisconsin workers,” said Phil Neuenfeldt, President of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO. “The recent updates in overtime protections are long overdue and will bring a much-deserved boost to the paychecks of tens of thousands of hardworking Wisconsinites who are putting in long hours.”

“Brad Schimel and Scott Walker need to stop carrying the water of their corporate campaign funders and start protecting the paychecks of Wisconsin workers,” said Stephanie Bloomingdale, Secretary-Treasurer of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO. “By suing to stop the new overtime regulations from protecting workers, AG Schimel is putting himself squarely on the side of corporate CEOs who want to continue to deny the overtime pay working men and women deserve.”

Labor 2016/Working America Canvass and Phone Bank Locations

Working people are ready to be the difference on Election Day.  When workers are united, there's no political force more powerful.  Between now and November 8 volunteers will spend thousands of hours on the phones, at the doors and at worksites having personal conversations about the importance of electing Hillary Clinton, Russ Feingold, and members of the state legislature who will fight for better wages, stronger union rights and to stop bad trade deals that outsource our Wisconsin jobs.  

 

Stop in to make phone calls or go door-to-door today!  

 

Labor 2016/Working America Canvass and Phone Bank Volunteer Locations 

 

Wisconsin AFL-CIO

6333 W Bluemound Rd

Milwaukee, WI, 53213

 

Milwaukee Area Labor Council

633 S. Hawley Rd

Milwaukee, WI, 53214

 

Madison Labor Temple

1602 S. Park Street #212

Madison, WI, 53715

 

UAW 72, Kenosha 

3615 Washington Road

Kenosha, WI 53144

 

Racine Labor Temple

1840 Sycamore Avenue

Racine, WI 53406

 

Eau Claire Labor Temple

2233 Birch Street

Eau Claire, WI 54703

 

IAMAW District 66

1307 Market Street

La Crosse, WI 

 

Wausau Labor Temple

318 S. 3rd Avenue

Wausau, WI 54401

 

IBEW Hall, Wisconsin Rapids 

220 Johnson St

Wisconsin Rapids, WI, 54495

 

Stevens Point Office

1052 Main St #205

Stevens Pt

 

USW District 2, Menasha 

1244A Midway Road

Menasha, WI 54952

 

WEAC Region 3, Green Bay

1136 N. Military Avenue

Green Bay, WI 54303

 

UAW Local 291, Oshkosh 

1118 High Avenue

Oshkosh, WI 54901

 

ILA Hall, Superior 

424 Tower Avenue

Superior WI 54880

Walker's Shady Cash Grab

Wow. Thanks to courageous and thorough investigative reporting from The Guardian, which received a leak of thousands of John Doe documents, the public can finally see the extent to which Gov. Walker coordinated and fundraised for third party conservative groups like the Wisconsin Club for Growth during the 2011 and 2012 recall elections.

You can view leaked documents and the full Guardian Story here.

The leak reveals that Scott Walker targeted super-rich millionaires and billionaires, many from out-of-state, and asked them specifically to help him out by donating to Wisconsin Club for Growth.  By donating to Wisconsin Club for Growth, instead of Scott Walker’s election campaign, donors could avoid campaign contribution limits and their donations could remain private, shielded from public scrutiny.  

Sign our petition to tell Scott Walker that this short of shady cash grab has no place in Wisconsin politics.

The collaborative network was set up to drown out the voices of average citizens and aid state lawmakers facing recall elections, prop up David Prosser running for Supreme Court Justice, and help Scott Walker facing a recall.

The amounts raised are staggering. We’re talking checks for tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, and even millions of dollars.

The leak raises legitimate concerns about the influence of corporations and the super-rich on our democracy. One example exposed in the leak is that manufacturers of lead paint donated $750,000 to Walker’s chosen third party groupand shortly thereafter Scott Walker and GOP legislators changed state liability laws to favor lead paint manufacturers, shielding them from being held accountable for poisoning children.  

Scott Walker’s action are corrupt and without a shred of ethics. Tapping billionaires for his favorite third party group and then returning the favor with policy paybacks changes should alarm every person even those who voted for him.

Join our petition to tell Scott Walker to stop drowning out the voices of Wisconsinites with out-of-state corporate cash.

As the labor movement, we will continue to serve as a check to corporate power and greed in the workplace and in our democracy. Together, we will continue to hold Scott Walker accountable to the people of Wisconsin.

Call Congress to Stop the TPP

Take action to stop the Trans-Pacific Partnership TODAY. Join the national call-in day to raise your voice to stop this bad trade deal that will cost Wisconsin workers job.

Call-in Number: 855-712-8441

The TPP isn’t some faraway risk; it’s a clear and present danger. Backers of the deal recently put Americans on notice that the deal could come up for a vote in Congress during the “lame duck” period between the election and the start of the year. In other words, TPP-backers want to wait until few are paying attention, and many outgoing members of Congress have nothing to lose.

Today, workers across the country are telling Congress that the TPP—negotiated in secret behind closed doors and behind our backs—doesn’t deserve a vote. If it does get one, that vote better be NO.

It only takes a few minutes. Call 855-712-8441 today and tell them that bad trade deals like the TPP exasperate the outsourcing of good Wisconsin jobs.

Modeled after past trade agreements that have already cost us millions of American jobs, the TPP would make it even easier for corporations to ship jobs overseas. It would lower wages by pitting Americans against workers making 65 cents an hour in countries like Vietnam.

Tell Congress to stand up for America’s workers and stop the TPP. Call 855-712-8441 today.

Union-Approved Candidates for 2016!

Working people are ready to elect representatives who will fight to raise wages, strengthen union rights and help revive our middle class. Working people in Wisconsin want an economy that works for all of us, not just the wealthy. Wisconsinites want legislators who will prioritize economic opportunity, and a more stable economy with the creation of good, long-term jobs.

Union members from throughout the state are ready to work hard and work together to ensure that working family candidates, and in turn an agenda that puts jobs and workers first, are successful on election day.

 

Mark your calendars now, Election Day is Tuesday, November 8, 2016. 

 

The Wisconsin AFL-CIO has endorsed the following candidates for 2016 elections.

Federal
President		Hillary Clinton
US Senate		Russ Feingold
WI 02		Mark Pocan
WI 04		Gwen Moore
WI 06		Sarah Lloyd
WI 07		Mary Hoeft
WI 08		Thomas Nelson
State Senate
SD 02		John Powers
SD 04		Lena Taylor
SD 06		LaTonya Johnson
SD 10		Diane Odeen
SD 12		Bryan Van Stippen
SD 14		Brian Smith
SD 16		Mark Miller
SD 18		Mark Harris
SD 22		Robert Wirch
SD 24		Julie Lassa
SD 26		Fred Risser
SD 30		Dave Hansen
SD 32		Jennifer Shilling
Wisconsin Assembly
AD 01		Lynn Utesch
AD 04		Tony Lee
AD 05		Sam Kelly
AD 07		Daniel Riemer
AD 08		JoCasta Zamarripa
AD 09		Josh Zepnick
AD 10		David Bowen
AD 12		Fred Kessler
AD 14		Chris Rockwood
AD 16		Leon Young
AD 17		David Crowley
AD 18		Evan Goyke
AD 19		Jonathan Brostoff
AD 20		Christine Sinicki
AD 21		Jack Redmond
AD 25		Ronald Kossik
AD 28		Jeff Peterson
AD 29		Scottie Ard
AD 30		Scott Nelson
AD 31		Clinton Anderson
AD 32		Christine Welcher
AD 33		Brandon White
AD 37		Jordan Turner
AD 38		Scott Michalak
AD 39		Jim Zahn
AD 40		Dmitri Martin
AD 42		George Ferriter
AD 43		Don Vruwink
AD 44		Debra Kolste
AD 45		Mark Spreitzer
AD 46		Gary Hebl
AD 47		Jimmy Anderson
AD 48		Melissa Sargent
AD 49		Jesse Bennett
AD 50		Art Shrader
AD 51		Jeff Wright
AD 52		Paul Czisny
AD 54		Gordon Hintz
AD 55		Bob Baker
AD 56		Mariana Stout
AD 57		Amanda Stuck
AD 60		David Pelikan
AD 61		Amee Janus
AD 63		Andy Mitchell
AD 64		Peter Barca
AD 65		Tod Ohnstad
AD 66		Cory Mason
AD 67		Dennis Hunt
AD 68		Howard White
AD 70		Mark Holbrook
AD 71		Katrina Shankland
AD 72		David Gorski
AD 73		Nick Milroy
AD 74		Beth Meyers
AD 75		Joe Huftel
AD 76		Chris Taylor
AD 77		Terese Berceau
AD 78		Lisa Subeck
AD 79		Dianne Hesselbein
AD 80		Sondy Pope
AD 81		Dave Considine
AD 85		Mandy Wright
AD 86		Nancy Stencil
AD 87		Elizabeth Riley
AD 88		Noah Reif
AD 89		Heidi Fencl
AD 90		Eric Genrich
AD 91		Dana Wachs
AD 92		Chris Danou
AD 94		Steve Doyle
AD 95		Jill Billings
AD 96		Alicia Leinberger

Labor 2016 Volunteer Opportunities!

Join Labor 2016 volunteers this weekend as we knock on doors canvassing and make phone calls at phone banks in support of union-approved candidates like Hillary Clinton, Russ Feingold, Tom Nelson and more!  Grassroots people power is our tool to educate and motivate voters on the issues that matter to working families.  Issues such as raising wages, strong union rights, family leave policies, investment in infrastructure and stopping bad trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership.  

Our volunteer locations will be rocking around the state from now until Election Day on November 8.  Contact your Service Area Organizer today to find out how you can get involved!

 

Wednesday, September 14

What:              Canvass and Phone Banking

Time:              10:00 AM – 7:00 PM

Location:        Wisconsin AFL-CIO, 6333 West Bluemound Road, Milwaukee

RSVP:            Emily Mueller, 414-745-8343, [email protected]

 

 

Thursday, September 15

What:              Canvass and Phone Banking

Time:              10:00 AM – 7:00 PM

Location:        Wisconsin AFL-CIO, 6333 West Bluemound Road, Milwaukee

RSVP:            Emily Mueller, 414-745-8343, [email protected]

 

What:              Canvass and Phones

Time:              4:00 PM – 7:00 PM

Location:        Eau Claire Labor Temple, 2233 Birch Street, Eau Claire

RSVP:            Andy Thompson, 715-831-3353, [email protected]

 

 

Friday, September 16

What:              Canvass and Phone Banking

Time:              10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Location:        Wisconsin AFL-CIO, 6333 West Bluemound Road, Milwaukee

RSVP:            Emily Mueller, 414-745-8343, [email protected]

 

Saturday, September 17

What:              Canvass and Phone Banking

Time:              10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Location:        Milwaukee Area Labor Council, 633 South Hawley, Milwaukee

RSVP:            Emily Mueller, 414-745-8343, [email protected]

 

What:              Canvass

Time:              10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Location:        IBEW Racine Hall, 1840 Sycamore Ave, Racine

RSVP:            Craig Smith, 317-223-6100

 

What:              Canvass

Time:              10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Location:        UAW 72, 3615 Washington Road, Kenosha

RSVP:            Craig Smith, 317-223-6100

 

What:              Canvass and Phone Banking

Time:              10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Location:        Madison Labor Temple, 1602 South Park Street, Suite 212, Madison

RSVP:            Justin Geiger, 414-745-4177, [email protected]

 

What:              Canvass

Time:              10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Location:        Eau Claire Labor Temple, 2233 Birch Street, Eau Claire

RSVP:            Andy Thompson, 715-831-3353, [email protected]

 

What:              Canvass and Phone Banking

Time:              10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Location:        Wausau Labor Temple, 318 South 3^rd Avenue, Wausau

RSVP:            Sabrina Johnson, 715-572-5660, [email protected]

 

What:              Canvass

Time:              10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Location:        WEAC Region 3 Office, 1136 North Military Avenue, Green Bay

RSVP:            Wendy Strout, 262-385-8473, [email protected]

 

What:              Canvass

Time:              10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Location:        USW District 2, 1244 Midway Road, Menasha

RSVP:            Wendy Strout, 262-385-8473, [email protected]

 

What:              Canvass

Time:              10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Location:        UAW 291, 1118 High Ave, Oshkosh

RSVP:            Wendy Strout, 262-385-8473, [email protected]

 

What:              Canvass

Time:              10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Location:        ILA Hall, 424 Tower Avenue, Superior

RSVP:            Judy Hack, 218-391-6116, [email protected]