Moving Wisconsin Forward Rally

Council 24 is supporting WEAC as they help to organize the Moving Wisconsin Forward Rally. This is a critical time to show our support for investing in the essential public services that keep Wisconsin strong. In recent months, there have been increasingly negative and misleading portrayals of government and its role. These portrayals do not reflect the opinions of many who understand that investments in education, infrastructure, public safety, affordable health care and other public services are needed more than ever; they are fundamental to Wisconsin’s current and future prosperity. On October 16, we need to demonstrate our support for investing in the essential services and programs that improve the quality of life for all Wisconsin families, including high quality public schools, reliable roads and transportation services, affordable health care, and dependable public safety and emergency response networks. The Rally will be held on October 16, 2010 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the State Capitol in Madison (State Street Entrance).

Download and distribute the Rally flyer...

Presidential Visit to Madison

President Obama has announced a visit to Madison on Tuesday, 9/28 at the Library Mall on the UW Madison Campus. We encourage members to put on their AFSCME green and attend this rally and hear the President’s message about moving forward. Admission is free – gates open at 3:30 and President Obama speaks around 4:30. This is a great opportunity for family, friends and neighbors to get together and get motivated for the fall elections. Further information: wiafscme.org or you can RSVP to 608-836-5643 and leave your email address and phone and how many are planning to attend, or email info@wiafscme.org

Source: AFSCME Council 24 UIN 09/24/2010

Your Future - You Decide What Is Important

The primary elections are over and now we are in the final lap. Within the next six weeks, we need to get involved in the gubernatorial election. If you value your career in public service, and your pension, and your health care, make no mistake – one candidate has clearly emerged from primary making it absolutely clear he will have state employees fund tax breaks for the rich while meat-axing funding to improve social service programs. It seems to us that this candidate has completely declared war on state workers and all public employees and his history in Milwaukee County clearly shows that. You have two choices during the next six weeks – you can sit on your hands and watch the TV ads and delude yourself that it “won’t affect me”, or you can become active and do whatever you can to make sure that the right candidate is elected in November. The choice is clear – it is up to you. For information on how and where to get involved, check out the SEPAC website (wseu-sepac.org).

Source: AFSCME Council 24 UIN 09/24/2010

Special Labor Walks on October 2nd, 2010

On Saturday, October 2, 2010, tens of thousands of people from across America will gather at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. to support a progressive agenda and promote positive change in this country. The “One Nation Rally” will feature human and civil rights leaders, labor leaders, environmental and peace activists, faith leaders, celebrities and sports figures – all saying that we should put America back to work and reorder our national priorities so that investments in people come first.

Simultaneously, thousands of labor activists in targeted states across the country will be knocking on the doors of union members in a massive daylong get-out-the-vote mobilization effort to recruit volunteers for the final 4 weeks of political action leading up to Election Day.
Below is an updated list of locations for the AFL-CIO October 2nd labor walks in Wisconsin that are taking place in conjunction with the One Nation rally. Walks are being planned in other areas and I will forward that information to you as soon as it is received.

Appleton Labor 2010 Walk
USW District 2 Office, 1244 Midway Road, Menasha WI 54952
Greg Hinds 920.540.2309
9am-1pm

Baraboo Labor 2010 Walk
Baraboo
Greg Neil, 608-556-9521
9am-1pm

Eau Claire Labor Temple
2233 Birch St., Eau Claire, WI 54703
Andy Thompson, 715-831-3353
9am-1pm

IAM District 66
1307 Market St., La Crosse, WI 54601
Andy Thompson, 715-831-3353
9am-1pm

Madison Labor Temple
1602 S. Park St., Madison, WI 53715
Greg Neil, 608-556-9521
9am-1pm

Marinette Labor 2010 Walk
IBB 696 Hall, 71 W. Hosmer St., Marinette WI 54143
Greg Hinds 920.540.2309
9am-1pm

Milwaukee, WI Member to Member Walk
Milwaukee Area Labor Council
Jenissee Volpintesta, 414-771-7070
9am-1pm

Racine Labor Temple
1840 Sycamore Ave., Racine, WI 53405
Justin Geiger, 414-745-4177
9am-1pm

Sheboygan Labor 2010 Walk
Sheboygan Trades and Labor Temple, 1104 Wisconsin Ave., Sheboygan WI 53081
Greg Hinds 920.540.2309
9am-1pm

Wausau Labor Temple
318 S. 3rd Ave., Wausau, WI 54401
Scott Wright, 715-298-0033
9am-1pm

Wood County Labor Temple
220 Johnson St., WI Rapids, WI 54495
Scott Wright, 715-298-0033
9am-1pm

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Lee Saunders
International Secretary-Treasurer
AFSCME
(202) 429-1200
(202) 429-1114 (fax)
lsaunders@afscme.org

Impact Statement from Sara Rogers

It is YOUR choice, read the below direct and impacting statement from Sara J. Rogers, Executive Vice President of the Wisconsin State AFl-CIO:

"This election is a defining moment for working people. We will either rebuild an economy that values hard work and a strong middle class, or turn back toward one that puts corporate interests before working people. We can’t afford to go back."

Scott Walker Continues Blaming Public Employees

At a forum held at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee on Thursday, 09/23, Scott Walker continued with his blame of public sector workers causing budget woes...

Asked if he would continue to impose furloughs on public employees as governor, Walker said such measures should be a last resort to balance the budget, not as a tool of punishment.

Furloughs wouldn't be needed if employees would agree to concessions, he said. "We came in and proposed very reasonable changes in terms of wages and benefits.

We asked for a pay freeze. We asked for $30-a-month more for health care," Walker said of his dealings with public employees. "For most people outside of government, they'd say that's a pretty reasonable expectation. All of my non-union employees started that as of January. We put in place furloughs for those collective bargaining units that did not help us, because to me that's only fair that if one group of employees is helping to balance the budget and another is not, that's where the furloughs should be issued.

"Three of our unions stepped forward. They voluntarily reached a settlement. A couple of our bigger unions, for political purposes, I'd argue, decided not to do anything until after November."

If everyone agreed to the changes, Walker said, the county would save $10.3 million have a budget surplus through the end of the year instead of having to look at furloughs.

Walker also said, if elected, he'll immediately require state employees to contribute toward their pensions and will permanently eliminate some 4,000 vacant state positions.

Walker also insisted he wasn't responsible for structural problems at a Milwaukee County-owned parking garage where a falling concrete slab killed a teenager this summer.

An out-of-state engineering firm has concluded the problems go all the way back to installation in 1990s, he said.

"I was only a couple of years older than many of the students here today, so clearly I didn't have anything to do with that."

Source: WisPolitics.com

2011-2013 State Budget Deficit at $3.1 Billion

MADISON - A new analysis suggests Wisconsin faces a budget deficit of at least $3.1 billion in the state's next two-year budget cycle - $400 million more than recently reported numbers.

This is the projection, which differs from a previous report filed by
the Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau in July.

Read more...[http://www.news.wisc.edu/releases/16213]

Political Lost-Timers Needed

Anyone interested in working as a political lost timer for the fall elections should forward their name and local union number to mbeil@wseu-24.org – noting “lost time request” in the subject line.

We Need AFSCME Members to Engage in Their Future

Everyone knows that primary elections occurred on Tuesday, and so the crazy election season begins. Scott Walker won the Republican nod for governor, which means we need to now focus and get busy on making sure we elect a worker friendly governor. We need to elect someone who supports the public service and workers who provide it. Someone who believes in fair taxation and who values public programs. On a Thursday morning talk radio program, Walker re-emphasized his position on the need for state employees to bail out corporations; he expressed an uneducated position on your health care and pensions. His message is that you should pay 5-6 times more per month toward your health care, and make larger pension contributions. Also, he has learned from the extortionists at Mercury Marine and Harley Davidson, because he stated that if the unions didn’t agree to the increased contributions for benefits and other “economies” he may propose, that he will layoff or furlough workers as he has done in Milwaukee County. (Milwaukee County workers are now on furlough one day per week.) Does he sound worker friendly to you?

We truly need to engage to make sure our futures are protected as well as the citizens who regularly use the services we provide. You, your spouse, children, friends, relatives, neighbors, club members must all come together and protect the Wisconsin Idea. We strongly encourage you to visit the SEPAC website (wseu-sepac.org) for information, position papers and a calendar of activities to get involved in between now and November 2nd. Obviously, the governor’s race is highly important to us, but so are the Assembly, Senate and US Senate races. We must make sure the people in these seats understand and are committed to protecting working families.

Source: AFSCME C24 UIN 09/17/2010