Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Blog

Wisconsin AFL-CIO Welcomes President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Plan Outlined in La Crosse Visit

(MILWAUKEE, June 29, 2021) – Stephanie Bloomingdale, President of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO, released the following statement on President Biden’s visit to La Crosse:

“It’s time to go big and bold on revamping America’s infrastructure. Let’s build and put Wisconsinites back to work. President Biden has outlined a vision and secured a meaningful bipartisan infrastructure deal that will build a better future and create millions of good jobs by transforming our nation’s infrastructure. Final legislation must ensure infrastructure jobs have full labor rights and protections and allow no backdoors to privatization.

We urge Congress and the administration to continue to work together to pass long-overdue infrastructure investments. Wisconsin workers continue to call for the rest of the Build Back Better Agenda we voted for which includes the American Families Plan and the Protecting the Right to Organize Act.”

Assembly District 37 Special Election Update!

The Wisconsin AFL-CIO is proud to announce our endorsement of Pete Adams in the July 13, 2021 special election in Assembly District 37. As a union member with the IBEW Local 159, Pete Adams deeply understands the vital role strong unions and collective bargaining rights play in a healthy and just economy. He will bring people together to focus on creating good, union jobs and economic opportunity for all.

Help us get out the vote for our endorsed candidate and fellow union member Pete Adams by joining our special election mobilization program. Sign up to volunteer at wisaflcio.org/mobilize.

Voters in Assembly District 37 will vote on July 13, 2021 to fill an assembly seat that became vacant when former State Rep. Jagler was elected to the state Senate. Request an absentee ballot or lookup your polling location at myvote.wi.gov.

Help elect union member Pete Adams. Join the WI AFL-CIO special election mobilization program at wisaflcio.org/mobilize to make calls and talk with fellow union members about this important election.

Rally with Hufcor Workers to Save Jobs Wednesday June 30

Rally to save Wisconsin jobs! Join IUE-CWA Local 84811 workers for a rally to save good Wisconsin union jobs and stop the Janesville Hufcor plant from closing.

WHAT:  Rally for Jobs with IUE-CWA Local 84811 Workers

WHEN:  2:00 p.m. Wednesday, June 30

WHERE: Hufcor, 2101 Kennedy Road, Janesville

Workers at Hufcor Manufacturing are coming together to demand that their plant stay open after the announcement by Los Angeles-based OpenGate Capital equity firm that they intend to close the plant and ship production and over 150 jobs to Mexico. Workers at the facility proudly manufacture made-in-America room partition dividers for convention centers and other spaces. The Hufcor facility has been in Janesville for over 100 years, and many workers at the facility have over 20 years of service at the plant.

Join fellow union members and members of the community as we rally to save jobs on Wednesday, June 30, at Hufcor in Janesville.

 

IAMAW 1406 Strike Solidarity

On June, 14, 2021 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) Local 1406 went on strike at Federal Industries in Belleville. Workers of IAMAW Local 1406 make food storage and self-service display cases used in retail markets including delis, bakeries, schools, and convenience stores. IAMAW Local 1406 members rejected company contract proposals that attacked personal time, and failed to address inflation and the rising costs of healthcare. IAMAW Local 1406 members are essential workers who have served our communities throughout the pandemic.

Click here to sign a solidarity petition to stand with the members of IAMAW Local 1406.

"It's disturbing how quickly our members went from essential to essentially forgotten by management,” said Alex Hoekstra, Machinists Union District 10 Director. “One day it's heroes work here signs, the next it's picket signs."

The Wisconsin labor movement proudly stands in solidarity with our brothers and sisters of Machinists Union Local 1406 on strike at Federal Industries in Belleville for a fair and just contract. Click here to sign the solidarity petition.

“Affordable healthcare is a fundamental right of each and every working family,” said Wisconsin AFL-CIO President Stephanie Bloomingdale. “The courageous workers of IAMAW Local 1406 are taking a stand and using their collective power to preserve affordable healthcare, meaningful wage increases, and work-life balance. The Wisconsin labor movement stands shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters of IAMAW Local 1406 on strike at Federal Industries.”   

Statement on OSHA’s 2021 Emergency Temporary Standard on Emerging Infectious Diseases

Wisconsin AFL-CIO Statement on OSHA’s 2021 Emergency Temporary Standard  on Emerging Infectious Diseases

(June 14, 2021, MILWAUKEE, WI) – Stephanie Bloomingdale, President of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO, released the following statement on the OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard on Emerging Infectious Diseases announced on June 10, 2021.

“For over a year, American workers have shown up to our places of employment with little to no enforceable federal protections against a deadly and highly infectious disease. Many workers fell ill and died due to workplace exposure to covid-19. On June 10, 2021, OSHA issued a long-overdue Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) on Emerging Infectious Diseases which requires employers in the healthcare industry to take preventative steps to protect workers from infectious diseases in the workplace. This is the first OSHA emergency temporary standard issued since 1983.

While the Emergency Temporary Standard on Emerging Infectious Diseases is a step forward in creating safer workplaces, it’s adamantly clear that more needs to be done to protect workers. We are deeply troubled that millions of workers, including those who have served our communities since day one of the pandemic in grocery, retail, food processing, education, corrections, construction, and manufacturing, are left out of the new OSHA protections.

This pandemic is not yet over and every worker deserves a safe workplace. We must develop and create long-lasting enforceable OSHA standards on infectious disease spread in the workplace so that our country remains better prepared to protect all workers from covid-19 as well as future contagions.”

Union Members Give Back with 2021 Take Kids Fishing Day

Take Kids Fishing Day has returned! Thanks to the efforts of Wisconsin union members, building trades councils, and local labor councils, hundreds of kids in Wisconsin got to experience the joys of fishing over the weekend. Participants learned tips for catching fish firsthand from union members and received a free fishing pole and picnic-style lunch and snacks.

 

The annual Take Kids Fishing Day is sponsored by the Western Wisconsin AFL-CIO, the Greater West Central Labor Council, the Building and Construction Trades Council of South Central Wisconsin, the Western Wisconsin Building and Construction Trades Council, the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance and Humana. National and founding sponsors include Bank of Labor, Carhartt, Provost Umphrey, Plano, Buck Knives, Ullico, Union Insurance Group, AFL-CIO Investment Corporation, Wildgame and Thorogood.

 

Fishing events were held Saturday, June 5 and Sunday, June 6 in Eau Claire, Janesville, La Crosse and Madison. The event is great fun for young fishers and just as rewarding to the union member organizers who get to witness the joy it brings to participants firsthand.

 

“We could not have asked for a more beautiful day for the 9th annual Take Kids Fishing Day in La Crosse,” said Bill Brockmiller, Secretary-Treasurer of the Western Wisconsin AFL-CIO. “This event is not about how many fish you catch, or even if you catch a fish at all, but about the joy of getting together with family and the greater area community to get outside and spend some quality time together outdoors.”  

 

The Building Trades Council of South Central Wisconsin said,  “The Madison Take a Kid Fishing 2021 event was a HUGE success! Thank you to the many volunteers who made this possible. What a great memory these kids now have because of the hardworking women & men in the Union Building Trades.”

 

Greg Erickson President of the Western Wisconsin Building and Construction Trades Council said of the Eau Claire area fishing event, “another beautiful, union-made day on the water. Take Kids Fishing Day is a great time together with union member volunteers who spend the time putting together this community event together to pass along the joy of fishing to the younger generation. Proud of all the union brothers and sisters who make this yearly event possible. It’s a great way to give back to the community and protect Wisconsin’s great outdoors.”

 

These free events are staffed entirely by volunteers from the labor community and are a prime example of the value of introducing youth and their families to a healthy, outdoor pastime and the value of strong unions in our communities.

 

 

 

“Take Kids Fishing Day brings smiles to so many kids. There’s nothing like being a part of someone’s first catch,” said Robert Potter, Business Agent/ Financial Secretary, Heat and Frost Insulators Union Local 19. “It makes all the hard work behind the scenes worth it. It is dedication from our union member volunteers that take the time to separate worms, assemble poles, organize food, and share their angling experience that make this event a safe, fun, and successful endeavor.”

 

“Take Kids Fishing Day is a great way for union brothers and sisters to get together and give back to the next generation,” said Stephanie Bloomingdale, President of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO. “These events help to strengthen ties between local unions, union workers, and the families in our neighborhoods. Because of the labor movement, countless young people in Wisconsin have received their first fishing rod free of charge and have been able to pick up a few tips from union member angler experts while enjoying the outdoors and developing an interest in conserving and protecting our natural resources.”

 

 

Photo credit: Thanks to Kevin Gundlach, President South Central Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO for taking photos at the Madison event.

Wisconsin AFL-CIO Solidarity Statement with IUE-CWA Local 84811 Workers Fighting to Save Jobs and Stop Hufcor Plant Closure in Janesville

(June 4, 2021 MILWAUKEE, WI) -- Stephanie Bloomingdale, President of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO, released the following statement on the announcement by Los Angeles-based OpenGate Capital that they intend to ship production and over 150 Wisconsin jobs to Mexico by closing the Hufcor plant in Janesville. Workers at the facility proudly manufacture made-in-America partition dividers for convention centers and other spaces. The Hufcor facility has been in Janesville for over 100 years. Many workers at the facility have over 20 years of service at the plant.

“What is happening at Hufcor in Janesville is a stark example of an economic system that is rigged against working people. Big-moneyed, out-of-state private equity firms like LA-based OpenGate Capital swoop in and buy local, profitable businesses only to then turn their backs on workers and our local communities by closing down and shipping our jobs out of the country. It’s unpatriotic and OpenGate should be ashamed. 

The men and women of IUE-CWA Local 84811 who have worked at Hufcor for years and in many cases decades are mounting a brave and courageous fight back to save good jobs in Janesville and across our country. Workers of IUE-CWA Local 84811 are taking a stand for the heart and soul of America. Union workers are taking a stand and raising our voice to save the American middle class. The workers of Hufcor and the workers of Wisconsin are the backbone of America. Workers are the engine that drives all economic growth. Unions raise living standards, build our middle class, and we will always fight for good jobs for all.”

Workers at Hufcor Manufacturing in Janesville, WI to Rally in the wake of Announcement of Outsourcing Production to Mexico

Workers and community allies to Demand that OpenGate Capital Equity Firm Keep their Jobs in Wisconsin

Janesville, WI - Workers at Hufcor Manufacturing will come together to demand that their plant stay open after the announcement by Los Angeles-based Open Gate Capital that they intend to ship production and over 150 jobs to Mexico.  Workers at the facility proudly manufacture American-made room partition dividers for convention centers and other spaces.  The Hufcor facility has been in Janesville for over 100 years, and many workers at the facility have over 20 years of service at the plant.

 
“I have 4 young children and a wife that depend on me to keep the power on and the fridge full,” said Jesse Arndt, one of the impacted workers whose job is on the chopping block if OpenGate moves forward with their plans to outsource her job. “If they send our jobs to Mexico, OpenGate is impacting whole families, not just their employees to save a few bucks.”

President of IUE-CWA Local 84811 Tom Casey said, “We will do everything in our power to fight for these jobs. The closing of the Hufcor Janesville plant not only affects these employees but also affects our local suppliers and businesses in the surrounding area. We need to keep good Union jobs in our community. OpenGate Capital is promoting a race to the bottom to exploit low wages in Mexico. It’s a heartless strategy to squeeze profits over people.”

“When corporations desert a community, the hurt ripples across every part of civic life,” observed Roger Bybee, a Milwaukee-based journalist who’s written for decades about plant closings and relocations from southeastern Wisconsin.  “When General Motors closed in Janesville at the end of 2008, the impact on the community was devastating. Agencies responding to mental health crises saw an almost three-fold increase in calls.  Now in 2021, the Janesville community must confront whether it can afford the loss of nearly 200 family-supporting jobs being shipped off to Mexico.”