From Miami to Los Angeles, Union Summer Interns Made a Difference
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When the 45 AFL-CIO Union Summer 2011 interns are asked what they did for their summer vacation, they won’t have any stories about lounging on the beach or backpacking through Europe. But the will tell about making a real difference in people’s lives and about how much that involvement has contributed to their sense of social justice.
The five interns who worked in Charlotte, N.C., can show the video they created showing how they began building a community coalition from scratch, including a creative and funny segment showing how they had to crisscross the city trying to track down the president of the local NAACP.
The Milwaukee contingent will be able to describe how they helped recall two Republicans who support Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s anti-union agenda and how they had to deal with being cursed at and followed by people who opposed their efforts.
Wis. State Rep. Facing Recall Now Tied to Effort to Plant Fake Dems in the Election
This just out from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:
Seems Wisconsin state Sen. Dan Kapanke—who this week declared his fear of workers in his district because they likely will vote to recall him—has a campaign manager who took part in a meeting discussing whether to plant “fake” Democratic candidates in the state’s recall elections. Kapanke and five other Republican state legislators are facing recall elections after voting this spring to slash collective bargaining rights for public employees. From the JS:
A secretly recorded meeting of La Crosse County Republicans last week showed they discussed running a spoiler candidate against Democrat Jennifer Shilling in an effort to delay the recall election of Sen. Dan Kapanke. The move, they said, would give Kapanke more time to campaign and force Dems to spend more cash.
“If we have six weeks or…10 weeks, the timing of it is not a concern for us,” Kapanke campaign manager Jennifer Harrington said. “We’re not in the business of candidate recruitment. We’re focused on the campaign. Any conversations are happening outside of this campaign.”
Tens of Thousands March for Workers’ Rights, Immigration Reform
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Across the country, tens of thousands marched and rallied May 1, May Day, to call for national immigration reform and to support all workers’ rights. Just as we did on April 4, working people declared: “Somos Unos—Respeten Nuestros Derechos” or “We Are One—Respect Our Rights.”
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka told a crowd of about 100,000 in Milwaukee that “May Day is our day to stand together shoulder to shoulder for immigrant and worker rights.”
Gov. Scott Walker…has declared war on Wisconsin workers and, like you did before, you joined in a peaceful protest to say “No! No!” We reject the idea that America can no longer be a great nation and that we’re too broke to treat people fairly. We reject the notion that America can’t be the land of shared prosperity.
The crowd marched 2.5 miles across Milwaukee chanting, “this is what democracy looks like,” “sí, se peude,” “Walker eschuca estamos en la lucha” and “Wisconsin no es Arizona.”
Read Trumka’s entire speech here and click here to read more about the Milwaukee march.
Educators Asked to Leave Walker Press Conference on Education?!
This is a cross-post from the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO by Karen Hickey in AFL-CIO Field Communications.
Stan Johnson, Sid Hatch and Mike Langyel were surprised when they were asked by Gov. Scott Walker’s staff representatives and the Milwaukee police department’s professional performance division to leave a press conference this afternoon on education reform.
I wanted to hear first hand what the governor had in plan for education reform since these changes will directly affect the Milwaukee teachers,” said Stan Johnson, executive director of the Milwaukee Teachers Education Association.
We heard there was going to be an announcement about education; we wanted to be able to understand the details of that plan so we went to the conference, only to be asked to leave by one of Walker’s staff and the Milwaukee police.
Wisconsin Court Upholds Milwaukee Paid Sick Leave Law
More than two years after Milwaukee voters overwhelmingly passed a paid sick leave city ordinance, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals today upheld the law and lifted an injunction an employer’s group was granted in June 2009.
But Republican state legislators are backing a bill that would prevent Wisconsin cities and towns from establishing their own paid sick leave laws. Dana Schultz, lead organizer for 9to5, the National Association of Working Women, says:
Milwaukeeans have made their decision on paid sick days, and now the courts have upheld their vote. The State Legislature should not be trying to rob voters in Milwaukee and cities across the state of their basic right to local decision-making on sick days or any other laws….It’s time for the State Legislature to stop its attacks on hard-working families and get to work on policies that will help create jobs and grow our economy.
Walker’s Bill Killing Bargaining Rights ‘Unconstitutional’
Milwaukee City Attorney Grant Langley says Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s bill, which includes taking away public employees’ bargaining rights, is unconstitutional because it would interfer with local autonomy.
This from the Milwaukee BizTimes:
In a letter to Milwaukee Alderman Joseph Dudzik, Langley stated, “… in our judgment, the courts would find the statue unconstitutional on three grounds: first, that it unconstitutionally interferes with and intrudes upon the city’s home-rule authority over its pension plan; second, that given certain vested rights or benefits that have accrued to employees currently in the plan, the statute would constitute an unconstitutional impairment of contract rights under the state and federal constitutions; and third, given these same vested rights or benefits, the proposed statute would violate the due process clauses of the state and federal constitutions because it would abrogate the terms and conditions of the Global Pension Settlement.
AFSCME’s Next Wave Diving into Labor 2010
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Karen Hickey of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO lets us know that young AFSCME members in Wisconsin kicked off their statewide Next Wave conference last week by knocking on thousands of doors in Milwaukee.
After a morning of community service, some 150 AFSCME members from around the state took to the streets to talk to union members about the importance of the fall elections. AFSCME’s Next Wave conference brings together young union members who represent the next generation of union leadership.
The day’s events ended with a rally of more than 300 workers outside of the Milwaukee County Courthouse. In a show of solidarity, members from other unions stood with AFSCME to highlight Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Walker’s record of slashing essential services as Milwaukee County executive. The rally countered attacks on public employees who have become a staple of conservative campaigns.
For more on the Wisconsin Next Wave conference, click here.
Labor Day Wrap: It’s Time for Jobs
While AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka was in Milwaukee Labor Day with President Obama and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler traveled throughout California, taking part in three Labor Day celebrations. In Los Angeles, she told an enthusiastic crowd at the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor ’s Labor Day breakfast:
There’s nothing wrong with good jobs in America. There’s nothing wrong with trade that creates jobs—instead of killing them.
At Detroit’s massive Labor Day parade and rally, AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Arlene Holt Baker told the more than 50,000 participants we must use our votes to ensure that jobs are created:
For the next 57 days [until the election], the labor movement is going to be hard core about politics—the politics of change and not the politics of “No.” What we’re working for is jobs—jobs and the future.
Rep. Gwen Moore Energizes Milwaukee Labor Volunteers
Karen Hickey, Wisconsin AFL-CIO political field communications assistant, sends us this report.
Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) joined more than 150 union members at a recent labor walk in Milwaukee to thank volunteers for their hard work this election. We went door to door to talk with union members in support of Wisconsin State AFL-CIO endorsed candidates Sen. Russ Feingold (D) and gubernatorial candidate Tom Barrett (D).
Says Penny Amos-Sikora, Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 998 legislative director:
Rep. Moore really energized the participants. She reminded us that big changes are never quick and easy, but we are making progress on issues like healthcare and job creation because union members are engaged in politics. Even when the pace of improvements is frustrating, we have to hang onto and strengthen working family majorities, not just in the federal government, but in state and local government, too.
2,000 City Workers Ratify Pact with Milwaukee—and More Bargaining News
AFSCME members ratified a new contract with the city of Milwaukee, and more news from the “Bargaining Digest Weekly.” The AFL-CIO Collective Bargaining Department delivers daily, bargaining-related news and research resources to more than 1,200 subscribers. Union leaders can register for this service through our website, Bargaining@Work.
SETTLEMENTS
AFSCME, City of Milwaukee: Members of AFSCME Council 48 ratified a new contract with the city of Milwaukee. The 2,000 city employees agreed to a pay freeze for 2010 and 2011 in return for a no-layoff guarantee.
