Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Blog

Working Families Build Solidarity, Comradery on Labor Day

Across Wisconsin union members, community members and working families alike came together to celebrate labor and honor the workers who make our country strong.  Working people are the backbone of our economy and their contributions to society are especially reflected upon each Labor Day. 

In Eau Claire, Fond du Lac, Green Bay, Janesville, Kenosha, La Crosse, Madison, Marinette, Menasha, Milwaukee, Neenah, Oshkosh, Racine and Wausau, Wisconsinites enjoyed parades, car shows, picnics and good times with friends and family.

Keisha Hollis, a Communications Workers of America local 4603 member from Milwaukee explains, “being a part of Laborfest gives you a sense of togetherness and that is what Wisconsin workers need.   Sometimes people just see us as fighting for our own causes but as working people we are part of the community and we will always fight for the greater good.  If we don’t have unions everything from wages and living standards will start to go downhill, fast.” 

Kenosha Laborfest 2012 honored Jeff Weidner, president of the Kenosha Professional Fire Fighters Association Local 414, as Labor Person of the Year. Bucket truck rides, pony rides and the moon walk kept all the Kenosha union members entertained throughout the Labor Day festival.

In Wausau, Nancy Stencil was honored as Citizen of the Year and in La Crosse, parade marshall, Dale Anderson, President of ATU Local 519, kicked off a ten-block family-friendly parade to Copeland Park where kids games, face painting, and other activities were enjoyed.

In Eau Claire, working families held a solidarity walk followed by a rally and picnic at Phoenix Park Riverfront Terrace. 

Meg Kruger, Working America member, was on hand at Laborfest in Milwaukee and detailed why she came out to support working people and their unions.

"Unions fought for the 8 hour workday, the weekend, child labor laws, and benefits," said Kruger.  "They didn't just fight for these for themselves, they fought for it for all of us, so that we could all have a better life and they continue to fight for all of us so our communities can be stronger and everyone can have a fair shot at the American dream."

Beer, brats and music were enjoyed as Labor Day participants looked ahead to the November 2012 elections and the need to re-elect President Barack Obama. 

 

Local Media Coverage

• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Union members and supporters march, rally on Labor Day

• WISN Channel 12, union members focus on Presidential Election this Labor Day

• WSAW, Union Members Honor Country's Workers at Wausau Labor Day Parade

• Fox 11 Green Bay, Labor Day picnic at Bay Beach park

• Eau Claire Leader Telegram, Labor council rallies over workers' rights

• Wisconsin State Journal, Chat at LaborFest picnic heavy on politics

• Green Bay Press Gazette, Brats, politics on the menu at labor picnic
  

• Racine Journal Times, Unions rally at LaborFest

 

(Top Center Photo:  IBEW members line up to march through downtown Milwaukee. Left photo:  Corn roast at the Oshkosh Labor Day picnic.  Photo Credit:  Greg Hinds.  Right Middle Photo:  Wausau Labor Day Citizen of the Year Nancy Stencil. Photo Credit:  Scott Wright. Bottom Right Photo:  Children get pulled in wagon at Milwaukee’s Laborfest.  Photo Credit:  Karen Hickey)

We all prosper when workers are respected and recognized

In case you missed it in Sunday’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, here is a Labor Day message by Wisconsin AFL-CIO President Phil Neuenfeldt. 

This Labor Day, we recognize the working people who keep Wisconsin and America strong. That's pretty much all of us, whether we're employed or looking for work.

We are proud, we are patriotic and we believe that if you work hard and play by rules, you get ahead. We believe in an America where all workers are treated with respect and dignity.

The teacher's classroom is wired by the electrician, whose car is serviced by the mechanic, whose home is protected by the firefighter, whose kids are treated by the nurse, who works in the hospital built by ironworkers and laborers, who drive on streets patrolled by police and kept clean by sanitation workers. And on it goes - a dynamic, interdependent system that forms the bedrock of American society, the middle class.

This system rests on hard-won rights brought to us by America's union movement. When workers have the right to organize, wages and safety standards are raised for everyone in our community, strengthening the middle class. That means we all win, because the real job creators in our society are working families whose demand for goods and services drives our economy.

On Labor Day, we reflect on the workplace standards set by America's union movement. The weekend, the eight-hour workday, safe working conditions, maternity leave and for many of us - but still not all - vacation days, paid sick leave and a livable wage.

The union movement built the middle class. Today, we remain a vital institution to provide checks on corporate power and greed.

In Wisconsin and across our nation, workers' rights are under assault by politicians who call for ever-greater tax cuts for the rich, paid for by gutting programs that support our most vulnerable citizens. These politicians want to take our country in a different direction altogether.

In the vision advanced by the Republican presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, his running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan and Wall Street-driven politicians, the rules are rigged. They get ahead by gaming the system, regardless of the consequences for the rest of us. They reward companies that send jobs overseas with tax cuts and incentives.

They extend the Bush tax cuts for the richest Americans and force the middle class to pick up the tab by ending Medicare and Social Security as we know it. They cut education, infrastructure and other basic services for American families. They lay off teachers and firefighters. They accelerate the vicious cycle of downgraded jobs and lower wages, which produced roaring inequality and crashed our economy in 2008.

Never has there been a starker contrast between two competing visions for our country's future. The choice between building a ladder to the middle class for all of us and a secret staircase to wealth for Wall Street and the 1%.

As we celebrate Labor Day, let's take a moment to reflect on who we are as a people and what's at stake. America prospers when the contributions of working people who are the pulse of our economy are recognized, respected and rewarded.

America prospers when workers enjoy basic rights: the right to full employment, the right to organize to have a voice at work, the right to full participation in the electoral process, a quality education and a secure and healthy future.

Labor Day Celebrations!

Enjoy your Labor Day weekend at celebrations in Eau Claire, Fond du Lac, Green Bay, Janesville, Kenosha, La Crosse, Madison, Marinette, Menasha, Milwaukee, Neenah, Oshkosh, Racine and Wausau. Unless otherwise stated, events will take place on Monday, September 3.  See below for a complete list of times and locations.

Eau Claire:  Labor Day Picnic at Phoenix Park, Riverfront Terrace.  Solidarity walk will begin at 10:30am on the corner of Gray Street and S. Farwell. Short program at 11:00am followed by picnic and prizes from noon until 3:00pm. 

Fond du Lac:  Labor Day Parade and Picnic at Lakeside Park on Oven Island.  The Fond du Lac Labor Day Parade begins at 11:00am. Route follows Rees and Main Streets to Lakeside Park.  Picnic, 1:00pm to 5:00pm. 

Green Bay:  Labor Day Picnic, 11:00am to 4:30pm, Bay Beach Amusement Park.

Kenosha:  Laborfest, 91st. St. & 22nd Ave.  The annual Kenosha Laborfest features booths from all labor organizations in the Kenosha area.  Raffle prizes, beer tent and activities for the whole family. Rain or Shine! 

Janesville:  Laborfest, September 1st, 2nd and 3rd at 1795 Lafayette St.  Music, rides, bike show, craft show, mud volley ball, car display, parade and more! http://www.laborfest.org/

La Crosse: The Labor Day celebration starts with a ten-block family-friendly parade at 10:00am beginning at the intersection of Gillette Street and Kane Street. Followed by a celebration at Copeland Park with free games for kids, face painting, and other activities.

Madison:   Annual Laborfest celebration at South Central Federation of Labor, 1602 S. Park St.  Madison, 12:00pm to 5:00pm.

Marinette:  Labor Day Picnic, Marinette City Park, 12:00pm-5:00pm. 

Milwaukee: Labor Day Parade & Laborfest.  March starts at 11:00am at Zeidler Union Square Park and continues to Summerfest Grounds.  Laborfest will run from noon until 5:00pm.

Neenah/Menasha:  Labor Day Parade and Picnic.  The parade will begin at 10:00am at Curtis Reed Square in Menasha. It will be followed by a picnic celebration at the Neenah Labor Temple, 157 S. Green Bay Rd, Neenah, 54956.

Oshkosh:  Labor Day Picnic and Car Show at South Park in Oshkosh.  Event runs 11:00am to 5:00pm. 

Racine: Laborfest, 12:00pm to 5:00pm, Franksville Park, 9700 Northwestern Ave, corner of Highway K and H, Caledonia.

Wausau:  Labor Day Parade begins at 4:00pm on the corner of W. Wausau Ave and ends at the Wausau Labor Temple, 318 South 3rd Ave.  There will be a food drive collecting non-perishable food items and cash donations to be donated to the Neighbors Place.

 

Have a great Labor Day!

Join Martin Sheen in thanking a worker today!

No matter what you do, work binds us together and connects us all. We depend on one another’s work. It’s how we build, create, teach, re-wire, heal and grow what’s important.

To recognize that, we’re launching an initiative in partnership with the national AFL-CIO that will make it possible for everyone to go that extra mile to let someone in your life know how much they appreciated.

Click here to share your thanks with our new, easy-to-use tool that allows you to send video or e-card messages to the people whose work helps make your life better.

Every day is an opportunity to recognize the hard work of others.  Whether it is your bus driver, newspaper delivery person, the police person who keeps you safe, or the person who cuts your hair, we're lucky enough to come into contact with incredible workers every day.

On behalf of everyone at the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO, and the hundreds of thousands of workers we’re proud to represent: thanks for the work you do. It means the world to us.

I bet you can think of plenty of workers in your life who deserve thanks—the teachers who inspire your children, the firefighters who keep us safe, the nurses who heal our wounds, or the electricians who keep the lights on. It might be workers you sometimes forget about—the waitresses who served your dinner, the accountants who worried about your taxes so you didn’t have to or the mail carriers who got your package there in time for your mom’s birthday.

We want everyone to know their work matters. Say thanks to the workers in your life today:

http://go.aflcio.org/thankyou2

Working People Celebrate Labor Day Statewide

 
Wisconsinites celebrated Labor Day at car shows, picnics, parades, solidarity walks and festivals across the state to honor the working men and women of Wisconsin.  

This year’s Labor Day saw an increased level of solidarity as workers continue to come together with community members, students and people of faith like never before to fight the unprecedented political attacks waged by politicians who are determined to put corporate interest above the local needs of communities and middle class Wisconsinites.

Julie Clark, a high school Spanish teacher in the Milwaukee Public School system was at Milwaukee’s annual Laborfest celebration:

“This is a great family friendly event to celebrate working people.  We come every year but it is even more important this year that we stand strong and stand together.  Teachers are here and will continue to put their students first and do what’s best for the education of our state’s children.” 

The streets of Wausau were packed with thousands of parade watchers as the Marathon County Labor Council hosted the annual Wausau parade.  Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Phil Neuenfeldt and President of the Wisconsin Professional Fire Fighters Association, Mahlon Mitchell, were in Wausau to march alongside their brothers and sisters in the Northwoods.  Local children dressed up in Halloween costumes for the annual costume contest. 

In downtown Milwaukee an estimated 10,000 marched along Wisconsin Avenue to the Summerfest grounds at Maier Festival Park.  Like many Labor Day celebrations across the state brats, hotdogs and union made beer were plentiful.  Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Stephanie Bloomingdale was in attendance with her two sons. 

In Eau Claire union and community members held a solidarity walk before the annual Labor Day picnic at Phoenix Park.  The solidarity march began from 5 different locations and came together at the park.  Canned goods and non-perishables were collected for the area’s hungry in order to give back to the community. 

Politics were on display this year as many parade marchers held Blue Fist "Stand with Wisconsin," “Support Middle Class Workers,” “I am a teacher,” “Recall Walker,” “I Love my Public Schools,” and “Jobs Now” signs and t-shirts.  These messages reflect the poor choices Gov. Walker and Republican politicians have made to scapegoat middle class workers for an economic crisis they did not create. 

Moving forward one thing is clear:  Wisconsinites want politicians to put politics aside and focus on creating and sustaining family-supporting jobs for our middle class. 

 

To learn about the history of Labor Day, visit: http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/laborday.htm

 

The Fond du Lac County Labor Council; the Fox Valley Area Labor Council; the Greater West Central Area Labor Council; the Greater Green Bay Area Labor Council; the Kenosha AFL-CIO Central Labor Council; the Marathon County Central Labor Council; the Marinette Central Labor Council; the Milwaukee Area Labor Council; the Racine AFL-CIO Council; the Rock County Central Labor Council; the South Central Federation of Labor; the Western Wisconsin AFL-CIO; the Winnebago County Labor Council; and the Wood County Central Labor Council each hosted local Labor Day events.

For pictures of statewide Labor Day events visit the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Labor Day 2011 collection by clicking here.

A Labor Day Message from the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO

The following is a Labor Day message from Phil Neuenfeldt, President of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO:

 

1. Labor Day is a time to recognize and celebrate the hardworking men and women who make our country great.

While we honor working men and women everywhere, we pay tribute to the union movement. The labor movement not only brought us the weekend, child labor protections and a safe work environment, but unions provide a necessary check on unbridled corporate greed and the power of corporate executives.

A check on corporate power is needed as the wealthiest 1% of the nation consolidates our country's wealth. Income inequality in America is growing at an alarming rate, especially for African-American and Hispanic households.

It's clear that our politicians are putting corporate profits above people. Wisconsin recently passed a budget that not only calls for devastating cuts to education and health care but raises taxes on the working poor while giving millions in tax giveaways to corporations.

This is not the way forward.

To move forward, we need to invest in us, Wisconsinites, as workers with education, training and infrastructure. We need to restore not only shared sacrifice but also shared prosperity. Let's close the unpatriotic tax loopholes for corporations and the super-rich so that everyone pays his or her fair share to fix the deficit.

To recover from economic distress our state needs not only more jobs, but good jobs, with living wages, workplace rights and freedom to organize labor unions.

We need to continue to take to the streets. Forty-eight years ago last week, a quarter of a million people took to the streets of Washington D.C., for the March on Washington for Jobs and Justice.

This year, hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites took to the streets for the same issues - family-supporting jobs, economic justice, a dignified work environment, the right to collectively bargain with your employer and a fair economy.

When we saw voter suppression laws, undemocratic redistricting maps, attacks on unions and an unpatriotic budget, the people of Wisconsin came together in an unprecedented show of solidarity.

We took to the streets, to the courts and to the ballot box to protect the middle class. While we may not have won every battle, we sent a strong message to Madison and to Washington: Attacks on democracy will not go unanswered.

On Labor Day, we celebrate all that we have accomplished and look ahead to the fight for fairness and economic equality.

This Labor Day we continue the movement that has been re-energized and reawakened and commit to fight for the rights of all workers, locally and globally.

This fight is for you.

Wisconsin Labor Day Events

View the list below to find a Labor Day event near you!

Fox Valley / Neenah-Menasha

10:00 am parade, Milwaukee Street, Menasha

Parade Route starts in Menasha on Milwaukee Street to Main Street down Tayco Street to Neenah Commercial Street and turns on Wisconsin Avenue ends at the intersection of Church and Main Street.

Fox Valley Area Labor Council Annual Labor day Celebration  

 11:00 am -3:00 pm Neenah Labor Temple 157 S Green Bay Road, Neenah

LIVE MUSIC BEAKER STREET 11:00 A.M. - 3:00 P.M. LITTLE VITO & THE TORPEDOES 3:00 P.M. - 7:00 P.M. Corn Roast, Paddlewheel, Beverage & Food Tents, Huge Crafts & White Elephant Sale. FACE PAINTING by BEST FRIENDS BADGER BOUNCERS

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Kenosha Laborfest 

Noon to 7:00 p.m. St. Therese Picnic Grounds, 9005 22nd Ave

This is the annual Kenosha Laborfest featuring booths from all labor organizations in the Kenosha area. Exceptional variety of food vendors at reasonable prices and free kids activities. Raffle prizes, beer tent and activities for the whole family. Rain or Shine!

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Marinette Labor Day Picnic
Noon to 5:00 p.m.,.  City Park, Marinette

We will have food, beer, and a first class blues band (Kilborn Alley Blues Band- http://www.kilbornalley.com/) to celebrate solidarity. The local police and firefighters will also be having events for children. Show up and join the fight. 

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Greater Green Bay Labor Council Annual Labor Day Family Picnic

11:00 AM - 4:30 PM, Bay Beach Park

Food and Refreshments, Rides, Raffles, Music, Bingo, Games for the Kids.  Click here for flyer and agenda.

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Oshkosh Labor Day Picnic and Car Show 
11:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.  South Park, Oshkosh

The Winnebago County Labor Council will be hosting the Annual City-Wide Labor Day Picnic and Car Show in South Park in Oshkosh Wisconsin.  Along with the picnic we will be having our 11th Annual Antique and Classic Automobile Show all day in the park

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Wausau Labor Day Parade 
4:00 parade W. Wausau Ave between 1st And 3rd Ave

Grand Marshal Donna Seidel Rep from the 85th Assembly District.  Citizen of The Year John Spiegelhoff AFSCME.  Labor Day Parade Food Drive: We will be collecting non-perishable food items and cash donations. Donations will be given to the Neighbors Place. (Look for vehicle and staff at the end of the parade or drop off at the Labor Temple parking lot.) 

Wisconsin Rapids Area - Labor Day Celebration

11:00 AM – 6 PM, Robinson Park, Wisconsin Rapids

Live Music – Rumours 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM, Southbound 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM, Food & Beverage Tents, Free Children’s Rides/Games, Heavy Equipment Display, Raffle and Bingo!  Please join us!

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Milwaukee Labor Day Parade & Laborfest
11:00am Zeider Union Square Park. Summerfest grounds Noon to 5:00 pm

Wisconsin’s largest Labor Day celebration.

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La Crosse Labor Fest

10:00 to 2:30 p.m. north end of Copeland Park.  Parade begins on North Side of La Crosse

The Western Wisconsin AFL-CIO Labor Day Parade begins at 10 a.m. on the North Side of La Crosse.  Labor Fest runs from 10 a.m. until approximately 2:30 p.m. at the north end of Copeland Park.

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Eau Claire

Greater West Central Area Labor Council Labor Day Walk, Rally and Picnic.  Walks from 4 locations around the city of Eau Claire to Phoenix Park in beautiful down town Eau Claire begin at 10AM.  Rally at Phoenix Park 11-Noon. Picnic, music, and prizes 12-3 PM. Raffle for $ with proceeds to “Feed My People” in West Central Wisconsin.  

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Fond du Lac Labor Day Parade and Picnic
11:00 am – 5:00 pm, Oven Island

The Fond du Lac Labor Day Parade begins at 11:00am followed by a picnic at Lakeside Park in Oven Island until 5:00 pm. 

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Madison LaborFest

12:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Madison Labor Temple, 1602 S. Park St.

Annual Labor Day Celebration. Two bands, food & drink, kids activities, display tables, Solidarity Roll Call

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Racine County Labor Fest

Noon to 5:00 pm, Franksville Park, 9700 Northwestern Ave

Through the generosity of the tavern league, local unions, and their members food, beer, and soda are free. Games for the children, antique auto show, and political speeches. The three annual awards will be presented by 2:00 PM.  Franksville Park, 9700 Northwestern Ave., Franksville, WI 53126.  Click here for flyer.