Wis. Workers Blast Gov. Walker’s Budget
Wisconsin State AFL-CIO field communications coordinator Karen Hickey sends us this report.
The extreme cuts to essential services proposed by Gov. Scott Walker will damage Wisconsin residents and communities for generations to come.
Not only are his massive cuts to education and vital services harmful to the state’s future, they place an unfair burden on Wisconsin’s nurses, teachers, first responders and other public service providers.
Sue Monthey of SEIU Healthcare Wisconsin said:
We understand that the state faces significant challenges. That is why we have agreed to accept all the financial concessions demanded by the governor in his budget repair bill.
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.
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.
Trumka: AFL-CIO Strongly Committed to Diversity
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| At the AFL-CIO Diversity Conference today, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka pledged the AFL-CIO will recommit to embracing diversity at every level. |
The union movement is becoming more diverse and the new leadership of the AFL-CIO is committed to working harder to reach out to young workers, people of color, women and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workers, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka said today at the AFL-CIO National Summit on Diversity. Trumka told the more than 500 participants the federation’s commitment to diversity is on its way to becoming a reality:
I’m here to tell you that we must change. That is why we’re seeking out and encouraging young people, people of color, people of all backgrounds and beliefs and sexual orientation. These are the labor leaders of tomorrow.
