Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Blog

Joe Biden Meets with Union Members at Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry in Manitowoc

Joe Biden just stepped off the stage in Manitowoc where he detailed his plans to rebuild our country with good union jobs, prevailing wage, and by revitalizing our American manufacturing with ‘Buy American’ standards.

We need leaders who will prioritize good jobs and a strong middle class. Join union members in mobilizing like never before to elect Joe Biden this November.

Get involved with our Labor 2020 program at https://www.wisaflcio.org/mobilize

Joe Biden visited with members of United Steelworkers Local 125, USW Local 301, and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 516 today as part of his focus on American manufacturing and keeping products made in America. USW and IAMAW members at Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry in Manitowoc make a variety of custom aluminum cast products including large-scale specialty products for businesses and every day products for consumers like pots, pans, pressure cookers and kitchen equipment.

“Joe Biden gets it,” says Mike Bolton, United Steelworkers District 2 Director. “Biden understands our issues. He knows we cannot have a strong economy without strong unions and good jobs available for working people. Biden will end the policies that incentivize shipping our jobs overseas. He has a robust plan to Build Back Better with worker power, fair wages, and good union jobs.” 

Join union members as we make calls to turn out the union vote, help fellow union members request absentee ballots, and prepare to vote safely on November 3.

Join our mobilization efforts at wisaflcio.org/mobilize today. Election Day is just around the corner!

“We are proud to welcome Joe Biden to a union shop today in Manitowoc,” said Alex Hoekstra, Directing Business Representative of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 10. “Joe Biden has a record of supporting America’s workers. He has a plan to prioritize good jobs and fair wages for all.”

“Wisconsin workers can compete with anyone in the world when we have a fair and level playing field,” said Dennis Delie, Secretary-Treasurer of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO. “With Joe Biden as President, we know we can count on policies that protect, preserve, and grow our American manufacturing and American middle class with good jobs that so many of our families in Wisconsin and across our country rely on.”

Get involved today to help Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and pro-worker candidates up and down the ballot at wisaflcio.org/mobilize

“Union members are ready to get to work and mobilize like never before to elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as our next President and Vice President,” said Stephanie Bloomingdale, President of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO. “Joe Biden continues to show his commitment to Wisconsin’s working people. Biden will fight for a fair economy that works for all. Union members are talking with friends, family, and co-workers about November 3. Union members are mobilizing to work the polls, help other union members request and return absentee ballots, and get the word out to prepare now for safe voting on November 3.”

WATCH LIVE AT 2:15 P.M. Monday September 21

Joe Biden is visiting Manitowoc today where he will meet with union members at Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry. Wisconsin union members are proud to welcome Vice President Joe Biden to the state of Wisconsin and to the Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry in Manitowoc. The union men and women of the United Steelworkers Local 125 and USW Local 301 and the International Association of Machinist and Aerospace Workers Local 516 make this foundry thrive and produce a variety of made in America custom aluminum cast products from tank intakes and exhaust pipes to pots and pans and even electric beer can sealers.

TUNE IN: You can watch the event live starting at 2:15 p.m. CST on Monday, September 21^st at: http://joebiden.com/live

Joe Biden knows that when we bet on American workers, we win and that the only way to revive our economy is with a strong middle class that is union made.

We look forward to welcoming Vice President Biden to Wisconsin today. Watch his remarks live from Manitowoc HERE.

Tell Senator Johnson: Workers Deserve Action

Since the beginning of the global pandemic, Wisconsin workers have shown up to get the job done, and power our communities through. Workers deserve safe workplaces with an OSHA standard on infectious disease as well as support and investments so we can stay safe on the job and keep our communities healthy.

Under President Trump, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) refuses to issue an Emergency Temporary Standard on infectious disease which would provide clear guidelines and enforceable standards to protect workers from contracting COVID-19 on the job. This is unacceptable.

This spring, our own Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), together with Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) introduced The COVID-19 Every Worker Protection Act to require OSHA issue an Emergency Temporary Standard to establish a legal obligation for all workplaces to implement infectious disease exposure control plans to keep workers safe. Senator Baldwin’s bill would have OSHA issue a standard within 7 days to cover all U.S. workers, including workers in health care, manufacturing, food processing plants, warehouses, and grocery stores. The Every Worker Protection Act includes anti-retaliation provisions so workers can speak freely about unsafe workplace conditions without fear of retribution.

Click here to send a letter to Senator Ron Johnson urging his support of the COVID-19 Every Worker Protection Act.

Working people continue to call for Senate action on the HEROES Act, a comprehensive COVID-19 relief bill grounded in America’s Five Economic Essentials. The HEROES Act would help protect workers with additional personal protective equipment; fund our post office, schools and local governments; continue enhanced unemployment insurance for those out of work; keep workers on payrolls to avoid mass layoffs; and expand health care coverage.

The HEROES Act has stalled in the Senate for months while working Americans continue to weather the hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic fallout. Workers deserve relief. Senator Tammy Baldwin proudly supports the HEROES Act, but Senator Ron Johnson has yet to express support.

Click here to send a letter to Senator Ron Johnson urging his support of the HEROES Act. It is past time for Senate action.

Protecting workers is the only way forward. Through strong workplace protections, safety measures and investments in working people, we can continue doing our job safe from virus exposure and help keep our communities healthy.

 

50 Days

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The road to the White House runs through Wisconsin.

We are just 50 days away from one of the most important elections in our lifetime. Working people are essential voters—we must make our voices heard on November 3 and vote for candidates who have working people’s interests at heart, up and down the ballot.

Start planning how you will cast your ballot now and join our Labor 2020 program to help mobilize union voters like never before.

Voters have options to cast their ballot in our democracy. Check out the Wisconsin AFL-CIO Voter Guide to learn about voting by mail, in-person early voting, and of course how to vote safely vote on Election Day.

Click here to check your voter registration. If you need to register to vote visit myvote.wi.gov or your municipal clerk’s office to get started.

If you want to vote by mail, don’t wait. Request your absentee ballot today at myvote.wi.gov. Voting my mail is safe and easy.

Help democracy, volunteer to be a poll worker. As coronavirus continues to impact Americans across the country, there has been a staggering decrease in the number of people who are able to work the polls. The AFL-CIO is partnering with Power the Polls to recruit poll workers to ensure a safe, fair election for all voters. Sign up here to help staff polling places.

​If you haven’t already, sign up to join our virtual phone banks to talk with union voters about the importance of this election at wisaflcio.org/mobilize.

The Wisconsin AFL-CIO is proud to endorse Joe Biden for President and Kamala Harris for Vice President as well as working family champions for Congress and the state legislature. Click here to view our list of endorsed candidates. In Wisconsin, our state races are vital as we protect the veto power of Gov. Evers. Wisconsin Republicans are just three seats away from having the two-thirds super-majority control needed to override Gov. Tony Evers’ veto in both the Assembly and state Senate.

Working people want to go to work to good jobs, with fair pay and good benefits, where we are free to negotiate for better wages, safer workplaces and fairer treatment. And we want to come home from those jobs safely to our families after every shift. We want a fair and just economy that works for all. The labor movement is fighting for a better life for all of America's working people. We expect our elected leaders to do the same and advance legislation that builds a fairer economy and a more just society for everyone.

On November 3, let’s make our voices heard.

 

Kamala Harris Meets with Union Members in Milwaukee on Labor Day

Senator Kamala Harris met with union members in Milwaukee earlier today as she toured an IBEW Local 494 training facility in Wauwatosa. U.S. Senator Kamala Harris, who is running to be our next Vice President with Presidential candidate Joe Biden, heard from IBEW members and training instructors about the skills and training needed for the next generation of workers to meet the demand for the jobs of tomorrow. Pictured above is Senator Harris with Michele Robinson, IBEW Local 494, who is explaining the training and continuing education apprentices receive. Pictured below Senator Harris hears from Chris Terry, JATC Apprenticeship and Continuing Education Instructor, about the training apprentices receive at the transformers and motors lab.

Dean Warsh, Business Manager/ Financial Secretary of IBEW Local 494, led the tour which included visits to the lighting controls lab, the transformers and motors lab, and the low voltage information and technology lab. Wisconsin AFL-CIO President Stephanie Bloomingdale joined Senator Harris for the tour and highlighted the great work of union members in building our middle class and powering our communities through the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“We are honored to have the next Vice President of the United States, Senator Kamala Harris, visit a union training facility in Wisconsin for the IBEW Local 494 this Labor Day,” said Stephanie Bloomingdale, President of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO. “When unions are strong, America is strong. This Labor Day, as we celebrate and honor all the working people whose hard work and dedication make our country run, we know we can build back better with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in the White House. Union members are ready to get to work to elect Biden and Harris who will support working people with an economic plan that prioritizes the needs of working families and the creation of good jobs for all.”

Join our Labor 2020 campaign to elect pro-worker candidates this November at wisaflcio.org/mobilize

Register to vote and request your absentee ballot this Labor Day at myvote.wi.gov

By electing politicians who will fight for America’s working class and uplift the labor movement, we can keep making real progress in the fight for a fair economy and a just society

A 2020 Labor Day Message from President Bloomingdale

Happy Labor Day!

Today, I have a special Labor Day editorial published in Wisconsin’s CapTimes.

Click here to read and share the op-ed.

The National AFL-CIO is out with an exciting new television ad this Labor Day that features Wisconsin union members.

Click here to view the video and see if you can spot your fellow brothers and sisters.

And don’t miss today’s special Labor Day Live event with Vice President Joe Biden today at 3:15 p.m. CT on the AFL-CIO Facebook page. RSVP here. Workers from around the country will be asking questions and hearing directly from Joe Biden. AFL-CIO President Trumka will moderate the conversation.

Brothers and sisters, as we honor the achievements of working people this Labor Day, we must give special recognition to those serving on the front lines during this pandemic. And as we grieve the deaths of over 187,000 Americans--many of whom contracted the virus on the job--we must also acknowledge that it did not have to be this bad. Over 1,153 Wisconsinites who have died from and over 80,000 have tested positive for Covid-19.

The Covid-19 pandemic has clearly demonstrated that the work done every day in America, quietly and without fanfare, is truly essential to our collective well-being. Six months ago, too many people took for granted the men and women behind the wheel of the buses getting workers to their jobs or the truckers keeping goods flowing throughout our economy; the healthcare workers who care for us and the meatpackers, grocery store, and food processing workers who make sure fresh food is available at the grocery store whenever we need it.

When the pandemic hit, workers stepped up, often without the personal protective equipment they needed, and carried on, shouldering the additional burden of knowing after a long day’s work, they might be bringing a deadly virus back home to their families.

It is not enough to put out a yard sign thanking our front lines heroes. We must make sure we protect working people on the job every day. To ensure that we’re never again caught without sufficient personal protective equipment, we must put Americans to work manufacturing these products in this country. We must enact and vigorously enforce regulations that make our workplaces safer. This type of enforcement has come to a virtual halt under the Trump Administration.

During this crisis, Donald Trump has chosen to point fingers and deny responsibility rather than take concrete action to keep our essential workers safe. The Trump Administration actively stopped an OSHA infectious disease standard and still to this day refuses to issue an OSHA standard on the virus.

Joe Biden has a plan to build back better out of this crisis and to restore full union rights. The stability of our American economy rests with the middle class, and the middle class is built and sustained by labor unions. For working families, union membership remains the surest path to economic security and a more just and fair society for all.

In these challenging times, we remain inspired by all of our union members and essential workers who have stepped up to keep our communities safe. We remain inspired by organizing efforts like those spearheaded by the workers of the Milwaukee Art Museum (IAMAW Local 66) and Colectivo Coffee (IBEW Local 494) who are joining together and organizing a union for dignity and respect. And we are proud of our Union Mask Brigade here in Wisconsin which has stepped up to sew hundreds of handmade masks for front line working people who need it. In the face of adversity, we are seeing the incredible resilience of working people.

Like all crises, this pandemic will someday be behind us. In the meantime, we must work to ensure that it leaves more than shattered lives and destruction in its wake. Let this pandemic serve as a catalyst for a more just society for everyone. And let a newfound awareness of the critical role played by working Americans guide us toward meaningful action.

In less than two months, voters will choose the trajectory of post-pandemic America. Joe Biden has challenged us to work for more than a return to the status quo and “build back better.” In his nomination acceptance speech, he said that vision includes an active role for newly empowered labor unions. This Labor Day, as we reflect on the essential contributions so many American workers have made throughout the pandemic, there is no better way to say thank you than to make this vision a reality.

In Solidarity,

Stephanie Bloomingdale

President of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO

Union Mask Brigade Delivers Masks in Kenosha to Kick Off Labor Day

To kick off Labor Day weekend, the Union Mask Brigade delivered homemade face masks and face masks provided by the National AFL-CIO saying “Union Members are Essential Workers” to United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1473 frontline grocery store workers at two Pick N Save locations in the City of Kenosha. Through the togetherness and solidarity spirit of the Union Mask Brigade, we support working people in Kenosha. The Union Mask Brigade shows that when our government fails, working people will step up.

Join the Union Mask Brigade and get involved with our worker-powered efforts to get workers PPE today at unionmaskbrigade.org.

UFCW Local 1473 members have been working around the clock in grocery stores and food processing plants around the state to keep shelves stocked, customers content, and our families fed despite significant challenges and increased safety risks from COVID-19.

“Thank you to all the volunteers of the Union Mask Brigade for turning sewing skills into solidarity,” said UFCW Local 1473 President John Eiden. “Since day one of the coronavirus pandemic, UFCW workers have been speaking out and standing together to push for needed safety and COVID-19 protections on the job. We will continue to fight for safe work places and for social, economic, and racial justice for all. This week we continue to call on our nation’s grocery companies to reinstate hazard pay for all essential grocery workers.”

“The Union Mask Brigade is a collective of union members who are donating their time and sewing talent to get fellow workers virus protection,” said Stephanie Bloomingdale, President of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO. “UFCW members have showed up day in and day out to keep our families fed at grocery stores and food processing plants around the state. We are proud to deliver masks in Kenosha as we continue to call for safety and support for all working people.”

To learn more about the Wisconsin AFL-CIO Union Mask Brigade, visit unionmaskbrigade.org.

Workers make this country run and Americans know it. That’s why new 2020 research from Gallup released this just week shows union approval at 65%, the highest since 2003.

This Labor Day weekend, we thank workers who make our country strong. This year, more than ever, we celebrate the sacrifices working people are making to power our communities through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Celebrate workers, celebrate solidarity. Join the AFL-CIO for a Labor Day conversation with Vice President Joe Biden at 3:15 p.m. CST on Monday, September 7. RSVP here. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka will moderate the discussion and questions will be asked by rank and file union members across the country. Click here to view more events and online Labor Day celebrations.

 

Labor Day 2020

This Labor Day, working people are celebrating union solidarity safely as come together to say “Workers First. Vote Union.”

As we continue to help working people through the interwoven crises of the coronavirus pandemic, its economic fallout, and long-standing structural racism, many local labor councils are sponsoring food drives, important virtual conversations, and other events as we build strength for workers in 2020 and beyond.

Click here to find a Labor Day 2020 event near you.

The National AFL-CIO will be hosting a series of online virtual events starting September 2 and continuing until Labor Day on September 7. View the schedule at LaborDayLive.org

 

Labor Day 2020 in Wisconsin

Green Bay:  The Greater Green Bay Labor Council is hosting a food drive on September 7 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Green Bay Labor Temple, 1570 Elizabeth Street. Drop off non-perishable food items at the Labor Temple or make a cash donation to buy gift cards.

Marathon County: The Marathon County Central Labor Council has purchased a radio ad to honor and thank workers to celebrate Labor Day. Keep an ear out to hear the radio spot!

Milwaukee:  The Milwaukee Area Labor Council will host a virtual Labor Day event on September 7 at 9:00 a.m. to commemorate the sacrifices and contributions of organized labor. Follow the Milwaukee Area Labor Council Facebook page for videos, pictures, and history at facebook.com/mkelabor.

Madison: Help students who are homeless in the MMSD Transition Education Program (TEP) by donating personal safety/hygiene items like hand sanitizers (wipes and pumps) and face masks in youth and adult sizes or basic school supplies like glue sticks, flash cards of any kind, non-permanent/washable markers, colored pencils, pocket folders and composition books. Contact AFL-CIO Community Services Liaison Ann McNeary for delivery/drop off/pick up of donations by email at [email protected] or 608-246-4355. In honor of Labor Day, contribute to the National Association of Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive by going to nalc.org/food selecting your state and choosing a food bank in your area to contribute to.

Western Wisconsin:  The Western Wisconsin AFL-CIO will go live on Facebook for a short Labor Day program on September 7 at 10:00 am.

Greater West Central Area Labor Council:  On Labor Day, the Greater West Central Area Labor Council will continue to support the National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 728 Stamp Out Hunger 28th annual food drive. Corey Grotte, NALC Branch 728 president, accepted a check from Phil Swanhorst, GWCALC president, to help local communities in this years’ virtual donation drive. Donations are accepted at nalc.org/food. 

Fox Valley:  This past Saturday, the Fox Valley Area Labor Council supported the St. Joseph Food Program with a food drive. Non-perishable food items were collected and will be delivered to the St. Joseph food bank to celebrate Labor Day.

 

Take Action:

In addition to the events above, you can take action for workers this Labor Day with the action list below:

➔PASS THE HEROES ACT:  We continue to call for the Senate to act on the HEROES Act, the coronavirus relief bill passed by the House in May. Call Senator Ron Johnson at 866-832-1560 and ask him if he supports the HEROES Act. The HEROES ACT will help fund our post office, extend enhanced unemployment insurance for our those out of work, enact an OSHA emergency standard for infectious disease, support vital public services, release funds to get workers PPE and more. It’s been over 105 days since the House passed the HEROES Act. It’s time for the Senate to act.

 

➔SIGN UP TO VIRTUAL PHONE BANK:  Sign up to get involved with our Labor 2020 union member outreach program. Join our virtual phone banks at wisaflcio.org/mobilize to help register new union voters, help voters request and return absentee ballots, learn about early voting options, and educate on our endorsed candidates.

 

➔JOIN THE UNION MASK BRIGADE: Working people continue to step up and pitch in to get fellow workers virus protection. Volunteer sewers are busy making homemade masks while other brigade members are donating supplies, offering to deliver masks, sharing patterns with friends and family and more. Join at unionmaskbrigade.org

 

➔REGISTER TO VOTE, REQUEST ABSENTEE BALLOT:  Labor Day comes just 57 days away from what could be the most historically important election for working people. By electing politicians who will fight for America’s working class and uplift the labor movement, we can keep making progress in the fight for a fair economy and a just society. This November, it’s crucial we get to the ballot box to elect Joe Biden as the next president of the United States. Register to vote and/or request your absentee ballot at myvote.wi.gov.

 

This Labor Day, we honor and recognize America’s working people and come together to say “Workers First, Vote Union.” In the face of this unprecedented pandemic, it’s important now more than ever to continue to join together as one united labor movement for a workers first recovery with safe workplaces and social, economic, and racial justice for all.