Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Blog

Walker’s $50 Million Doesn’t Sway Union Voters

We were up against Goliath, outspent 8 to 1, and although Gov. Walker’s millionaire and billionaire backers have bought this election – we made our voices heard.  Now, we show a nation that we will never stop fighting for the rights of working people. 

The coalitions, networks and grassroots tactics we have forged over the last 16 months will continue to provide the foundation for fighting back against corporate greed and power. 

An important distinction that many media outlets have failed to discuss is the difference between union households and union voters. 

The AFL-CIO conducted an exit poll of union members which showed that union members overwhelming voted for Tom Barrett.  Here are some of the results:

o    75% of union voters voted for Tom Barrett   
o    76% of union voters felt Scott Walker has divided the state, put wealthy and large corporations first
o    74% of union voters felt out of state spending influenced the election
o    84% of union voters felt out of state spending benefited Scott Walker

These are important figures to remember moving forward.  They show that union members understand the implications of Citizens United, are well education on the issues important to working people and vote in their economic best interest. 

Union voters also showed that we are a force to be reckoned with, comprising 33% of all votes in Tuesday’s election.  And although Gov. Walker was the most well-funded politician in state history, we weren’t fooled by his millions. 

Going forward we are going to continue to advance an agenda for the 99%.  We are going to continue to organize, mobilize and make our voices heard in new and creative ways.  Tuesday’s recall election will be a spring board for a national discussion on Citizens United and the corporate takeover of American democracy.

Brothers and sisters, we all poured our hearts and souls into this election and while we did not recall Scott Walker, we reclaimed the State Senate and proved that working people will stand up and fight for our rights.

Let's GOTV!

At 13 offices across Wisconsin, union members are geting out the vote for working families!  Whether going door to door, making phone calls, receiving messages in the mail, or flyer-ing worksites the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO member to member program is firing on all four cylinders in support of Tom Barrett and Mahlon Mitchell. 

The time is now!  We are in the final days of our historic campaign to recall Scott Walker and restore democracy to Wisconsin.  Together, our grassroots efforts will make the difference on June 5. 

Volunteer offices are open across Wisconsin daily until 8:00 pm on Tuesday, June 5.  Click here to find a location near you. 

At a Milwaukee phone bank Kathy Brenner, a retired Briggs & Stratton Machinists, makes calls to talk about Walker’s worst-in-the-nation job record.

“If we keep Scott Walker in office, we will have no jobs left by the time he gets out,” explained Brenner.  “As Governor, he is pushing backwards policies, like rejecting high-speed rail and making deep cuts to our communities, which cost our state jobs.” 

Janet Bollow, a retired teacher, explains that every person who signed a recall petition needs to get to the polls to vote on Tuesday. 

“People are very disenchanted with the state of affairs in Wisconsin,” said Bollow.  “Scott Walker lied his way into office.  Never once did he campaign on attacking collective bargaining rights.  That was his hidden agenda.  He refuses to compromise, he refuses to listen to the people, his whole leadership style is disrespectful.” 

We need all hands on deck now!  Every door knocked, every phone call made, will make a difference on June 5. 

Sign up for a GOTV shift here, or help make calls from home by clicking here.

750 for a Buck? WTF!

ATTENTION HUNTERS:  Scott Walker wants to take away your hunting rights.  His newly hired Deer Czar from Texas, Dr.James Kroll, advocates privatizing hunting land and selling it at a high price to individual hunters.

Stop Scott walker on June 5 by voting to support Tom Barrett and Mahlon Mitchell.  Polls are open Tuesday, June 5 from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm.  Find your polling location here.

Wisconsin has a proud tradition of freedom to hunt – let’s keep it that way and recall Walker on June 5.

Bill Clinton Fires up Wisconsin Voters

President Bill Clinton energized voters at Pere Marquette Park in Milwaukee Friday morning joining Tom Barrett and Mahlon Mitchell in the final days of the historic recall vote. 

Clinton attacked Scott Walker’s “divide and conquer" leadership approach saying that no elected official can be successful without collaborative cooperation. 

Noting that the Pledge of Allegiance mentions the idea of a nation "undivided under God," Clinton declared, "Every day when a child in Wisconsin says the Pledge of Allegiance, it's a rebuke to the far right's winner-take-all, take-no-prisoners, divide-and-conquer, constant-conflict philosophy of government."

"Ordinarily, I'm against recall elections," Clinton said. "But sometimes it's the only way to change a disastrous course."

Join Bill Clinton in supporting Tom Barrett and Mahlon Mitchell, leaders who will bring our state together to create jobs.  Vote on June 5 and make history!

Join us this weekend to get out the vote as we go door to door and make phone calls. 

Click for volunteer locations.  

Sign up for a shift.

Special Delivery! Wisconsin Recall Mail Headed your Way

If you have been following our blog you know that union members are knocking on doors and making phone calls to talk with fellow union members about why recalling Scott Walker is essential to preserving a strong middle class in Wisconsin.   

What you may not know is that as part of our member-to-member political program, union members are also taking the time to hand-write notes to fellow union members about the upcoming June 5 election.  

This grassroots form of communication is letting union members know how other workers have been personally impacted by Scott Walker’s union-busting attacks on the middle class.

Kari Held, a blind occupational therapist at Milwaukee County Mental Health and member of Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, volunteered her time Saturday to hand-stamp postcards at the Milwaukee Area Labor Council.  

Held works with schizophrenic, bipolar and people with serious and persistent mental illness (S.P.M.I.) at the day treatment center at Milwaukee Mental Health.  

Despite her 22 years of experience working with S.P.M.I. patients, then Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker proposed to eliminate Held's position in 2009.  You can read the full-story in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel here.

“As Milwaukee County Executive, Scott Walker did not have the peoples’ interests in mind,” explained Held.  “He certainly did not have our patients’ interests in mind when year after year he excessively cut mental health services.  Now, as Governor, Scott Walker again does not have the people's interest in mind and is overturning important laws.  He is taking away union rights, he is taking away equal pay rights for women and he is costing Wisconsin jobs.”

Held continued, “I know Tom Barrett will have the peoples’ interest in mind.  He will do more for the people of Wisconsin and more for our mentally ill.  We need to vote Scott Walker out of office on June 5 and elect a true champion for working people, Tom Barrett.”  

Held, alongside her service dog Trista, hand stamped over 1,000 postcards on Saturday.

If you are a union member in Wisconsin, check your mailbox for this special delivery and head to the polls on June 5 to vote for Tom Barrett and Mahlon Mitchell.

If you want to volunteer, click here for list of locations. 

 

Recall in the Rain

Although it was a rainy start to Saturday in much of Wisconsin, there was no stopping recall volunteers from taking to the streets or picking up a phone to talk with fellow union members about recalling Scott Walker, Rebecca Kleefisch and four anti-worker state Senators on June 5.  

In Duluth, Eau Claire, Fond du Lac, Green Bay, Horicon, La Crosse, Madison, Menasha, Milwaukee, Racine, Sheboygan, and Wausau union members were out in full force having one-on-one conversations with fellow Wisconsinites.

Bonnie Pedraza explained that a little rain did not bother her as she grabbed a walk packet from the Milwaukee Area Labor Council.  

A retired nurse from the VA hospital, Pedraza was volunteering with her union Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (WFNHP).  

“I’m here because we need to recall Scott Walker.  If he stays in office, tens of thousands of poor people will lose their health care," said Pedraza.  "Besides for being amoral, in terms Scott Walker should understand, this is not cost effective for our state.”   

Sherry Pearce, an RN, was volunteering to call fellow union members before her p.m. shift, encouraging all she spoke with to vote for Tom Barrett on June 5.   

“I support Tom Barrett because he will stand up for Wisconsin.  He will stand up for our nurses and for health care rights. Tom Barrett will be an advocate for working people,” said Pearce.    

Maryan Torres explained that “as a Milwaukee County nurse Scott Walker has taken away my right to collectively bargain with my employer and that is why I am working to recall.  We have lost our contract, we have lost our voice at work and we have lost our ability to speak out on behalf of our patients to improve their care.”  

John Behote, a painter with International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) D.C. 7 from Oak Creek, hit the streets to talk with fellow union members with John Jorgensen, also a painter. 

“I want to recall Scott Walker because we need jobs," said Behote.  "Under Scott Walker, Wisconsin is dead last in job creation.  We need Tom Barrett because we need more jobs.”  

To join in our efforts, click here and find your nearest volunteer location.  

Offices will be open Memorial Day and everyday through June 5! Hours are 9:00 am to 8:00 pm Monday through Saturday and noon to 7:00 p.m on Sunday.

Vote to reclaim Wisconsin.  Vote Barrett & Mitchell on June 5.  For more photos of recall action click here.  

Volunteer to Reclaim Wisconsin this Weekend

The time is now!  We need all hands on deck in the final days of our historic grassroots campaign to recall Scott Walker and reclaim Wisconsin.  Can you volunteer this weekend to get-out-the-vote for working families? If so, stop into one of our recall locations listed by county below. 

Hours are Monday through Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m and Sunday, noon to 7:00 p.m.

 

Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington & Waukesha – 633 S. Hawley Rd, Milwaukee 53213

• Contact – Jenissee Volpintesta – 262-364-6751

 

Racine, Kenosha, Walworth, Rock – 1840 Sycamore Ave, Racine 53406

• Contact – Justin Geiger – 414-745-4177

 

Dane, Jefferson, Dodge, Columbia, Sauk, Iowa – 1602 S. Park St, Madison 53715

• Contact – Greg Neil – 608-556-9521

 

La Crosse, Vernon, Crawford, Richland, Monroe, Jackson, Trempealeau – 1307 Market St, La Crosse 54601

• Contact – Andy Thompson – 715-456-4113

 

Eau Claire, Clark, Chippewa, Dunn, St. Croix, Pierce  – 2233 Birch St, Eau Claire 54703

• Contact – Andy Thompson – 715-456-4113

 

Marathon, Rusk, Taylor, Price, Oneida, Lincoln – 318 S 3^rd Ave, Wausau 54401

• Contact  – Scott Wright – 920-450-2121

 

Brown, Kewaunee, Door, Oconto, Marinette – 1570 Elizabeth St, Green Bay 54302

• Contact – Greg Hinds – 920-540-2309

 

Calumet, Manitowoc, Sheboygan, Fond du Lac, Winnebago, Waupaca, Outagamie – 1244A Midway Rd, Menasha 54915

• Contact – Greg Hinds – 920-540-2309

 

Douglas, Bayfield, Ashland – 2002 London Rd Suite 99, Duluth, MN 55812

• Contact – Judy Hack – 715-392-3598

 

Sheboygan, Manitowoc  –

• Contact – Greg Hinds – 920-540-2309

Wood, Portage –

• Contact – Scott Wright – 920-450-2121

Member Voices: Why I Support Barrett & Mitchell

The following is a guest blog post from International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers member Jerome Schiek, who is supporting Tom Barrett and Mahlon Mitchell on June 5.  

 

Brothers and Sisters,

I am not going to mince any words nor beat around the bush. Here it is. We got caught sleeping. In 2010 we were asleep. No guilt. No shame. We all had a lot on our plates. We were asleep and maybe just a bit complacent. Not anymore. 

Are you awake now? I am.Thanks to the brave 14 Democrats who found it impossible to go along with injustice. I am awake. Thanks to the thousands who showed up at the Capitol steps. I am awake. Thanks to the fervor of the volunteers collecting recall signatures. I am awake. Are you?  

Because of the thousands of heroes across this beautiful state of ours we are awake and we have been given a second chance. That wonderful gift called a second chance.  And when we go to the voting booth in June what are we going to be thinking? I know what will be in my mind. 

I will be voting for the countless people that have benefited from our right to bargain collectively. Yes, I said right. Something that cannot be legislated away. You can not buy it because it is not for sale. It can’t be traded. It can’t be taken. It has already been bought and paid for with the blood of organizers that fought before we were born. 

On June 5, I will be thinking of all the minorities given equal representation by organized labor. I will be thinking about the weak and disabled whose jobs have been protected by organized labor. I will be thinking of all the retirees living comfortably in the final phase of their life. I will be thinking of the men and women at work who can look forward to the weekend off and to a bit of security.

I will be thinking of all the kids who dream of Disneyworld and SixFlags because their Moms and Dads can have time off and the money to afford a trip and a car to drive.   Yes, I will be thinking of the right to bargain collectively. I will be thinking of all the labor leaders from the past 75 to 100 years who fight and died for our rights. 

Brothers and Sisters throughout America’s Dairyland think. We are all awake now. Think. Let’s take advantage of our precious gift - a second chance. Make a difference and vote on June 5. Search your soul and Vote.                 

               

Jerome Schiek                 38 yr Member in good standing-I.A.M. 

Ringing to Reclaim Wisconsin

A new phone bank has opened up on the second floor of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO at 6333 W. Bluemound Road, Milwaukee. You can stop in to volunteer anytime between 9:00 am and 8:00 p.m. to do your part to reclaim Wisconsin on June 5.

Don’t live in Milwaukee? You can find a statewide list of volunteer locations by clicking here. Most locations are open from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm Monday through Saturday and noon to 7:00 pm on Sunday.

The Milwaukee phone bank is abuzz with talk of Gov. Walker’s union-busting, worst-in-the-nation jobs record, John Doe corruption probe and plot to “divide and conquer” Wisconsin workers. Volunteers are calling union homes in support of Tom Barrett for Governor and Mahlon Mitchell for Lieutenant Governor.

Chris Czubakowski, a postal worker from Wauwatosa and member of A.P.W.U. Milwaukee Local 3, sees this election as a fight to protect middle class workers.

“I could go on for hours with people I call about why we need to recall Scott Walker,” said Czubakowski. “But since everyone has busy lives I usually stick to talking about Scott Walker’s attacks on workers, his attacks on the next generation with his cuts to education and how recalling Gov. Walker is about preserving a strong middle class for Wisconsin.”

 

 

You can view more photos of the phone bank at the Wisconsin AFL-CIO here.

Help Recall Walker without Leaving Home

ALEACTION ALERT: Click here to be one of the first to use our brand new "Friends and Neighbors" tool.

Recently, we shared with you a video of Gov. Scott Walker revealing his plan to divide and conquer Wisconsin’s working families.

Fortunately, Gov. Walker underestimated the historic opposition from you and hundreds of thousands of other Wisconsinites who worked together in unprecedented ways to stand up to his policies that have hurt working families and our communities.

And, it is going to be those same grassroots efforts of people like you talking to their friends and neighbors until Election Day that will show Walker he cannot divide and conquer us. That’s why we are excited to give you the first opportunity to help us test and provide feedback about a great new online tool we are piloting, called the Friends and Neighbors (FAN) program, to connect with people you know about the recall elections.

Click here now to sign up for free and start using the new FAN tool to make calls, send personalized mail and other messages to help us recall Walker on June 5 all from your computer.

Walker and other extreme politicians who are facing recalls may have millions of dollars and the backing of extreme, out-of-state special interests groups. But they don’t have our ability to reach out to people and talk to them about what is at stake on June 5.

And, with the free FAN tool, it makes it even easier for you to connect with the people you know and other Wisconsinites about why we must recall Walker, Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch and Senators Scott Fitzgerald, Van Wanggaard, and Terry Moulton.

Click here now to be one of the first to test out this great new tool and tell us what you think.

Walker was wrong last year when he thought he could divide and conquer us. Let’s show him in these final weeks leading up to the recall elections on June 5 that Wisconsin is more united than ever and ready to take our state back.

We also have phone banks and canvasses locations running around the clock all across the state. Click here for a list of locations where you can volunteer.