Groups work to cut prison numbers | Green Bay Press Gazette | greenbaypressgazette.com

Two faith-based organizations want lawmakers to create new policies that would reduce the number of state prison inmates by 50 percent in less than four years.

Groups work to cut prison numbers Green Bay Press Gazette greenbaypressgazette.com

GOP-allied groups see Senate as good bet | The Oshkosh Northwestern | thenorthwestern.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans' clear shot at winning control of the Senate is attracting tens of millions of dollars from GOP-allied outside groups eager to spend on a surer bet than a White House race with a resurgent President Barack Obama and an unsettled GOP field.

GOP-allied groups see Senate as good bet The Oshkosh Northwestern thenorthwestern.com

Tom Petri bucks GOP on House highway bill | Sheboygan Press | sheboyganpress.com

WASHINGTON — When the much-maligned House of Representatives highway bill came up for a vote in the transportation committee, U.S. Rep. Tom Petri was the only Republican to vote against it, joining all 24 Democrats rejecting the measure.

Tom Petri bucks GOP on House highway bill Sheboygan Press sheboyganpress.com

Wisconsin's redistricting trial goes to judges - JSOnline

Democrats and Latinos argued Friday that new election maps will deny voters their rights, while attorneys for the state contended the Republican maps are constitutionally sound, before handing the case to a panel of three federal judges.

Wisconsin's redistricting trial goes to judges - JSOnline

On Politics: Gov. Walker denies plans to tinker with WRS

On Friday, Walker’s spokesman Cullen Werwie said the governor has “zero plans” to change the WRS system, which he said was one of the best in the world.
“We just thought it was prudent to take a look at it, see where we are at, and compare it to other states,” he said.

The study was taken out of Walker’s budget repair bill in Feb. 2011. It was put back into his two-year budget by the Legislature in June of that year. The study is due no later than June 30, 2012.

On Politics: Gov. Walker denies plans to tinker with WRS

The Badger Herald: Majority of state unions vote to seek recertification

…. Bob Allen, spokesperson for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said that many of the local unions they represent would decide whether or not to recertify individually. Regardless, he said there are also a number of other barriers to recertification besides the new voting structure.

The Badger Herald: Majority of state unions vote to seek recertification

Michigan AFL-CIO Starts Petition Drive To Block Anti-Collective Bargaining Bills

By Nora Macaluso, BNA Daily Labor Report, Feb 23, 2012

The Michigan AFL-CIO Feb. 23 launched a petition drive for voters to ask state lawmakers and Gov. Rick Snyder (R) to stop efforts to advance legislation limiting collective bargaining and curtailing workers' rights. There are more than 80 bills making their way through the Michigan legislature that “chip away at collective bargaining rights,” Todd Cook, state director of We Are The People told reporters during a Feb. 23 conference call. The group's website identifies We Are The People as “a diverse coalition of students, seniors, workers and families fighting to protect Michigan's middle class.”

Tamms guards say it's a bad idea to close prison - KFVS12 News & Weather Cape Girardeau, Carbondale, Poplar Bluff

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn announced plans to close Tamms Correctional Center, but prison guards at the super-max facility say that would make all other prisons in the state less safe. "No prison stands on its own," said Corrections Lt. Toby Oliver, an employee of Tamms and president of the local AFSCME Union. "It's a system and this is one level we can use to ensure safety at all other facilities."

Tamms guards say it's a bad idea to close prison - KFVS12 News & Weather Cape Girardeau, Carbondale, Poplar Bluff

Mohave Daily News > News > State > Public employee union bills stall in Senate

Several Republican-sponsored bills targeting government employee unions appear stalled in the Arizona Senate, a week after one such measure was approved. The Senate was scheduled to consider a measure Thursday that would bar using tax dollars to pay for workers’ union activities, but the sponsor said he asked that its consideration be postponed. Sen. Rick Murphy, R-Peoria, acknowledged that the bill was “polarizing” but said it and others remain alive. He said he hasn’t had time to work on possible changes to ensure that the bill has enough support for passage.

Mohave Daily News > News > State > Public employee union bills stall in Senate

AFSCME | Unions Rock

Unions rock. That’s the consensus of Van Halen and Bruce Springsteen, who have both sung the praises of workers on their latest albums. …. Bruce Springsteen’s “Shackled and Drawn” from his new album Wrecking Ball tells the plight of workers in a Guthrie-esque style only the Boss could replicate. He sings, “I always love the feel of sweat on my shirt. Stand back, son, and let a man work. Let a man work, is that so wrong. I woke up this morning shackled and drawn.” … Former Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello (who joins The Boss on his new album), protested on behalf of workers in Wisconsin last February and his most recent album The Nightwatchman pays tribute to workers.

AFSCME Unions Rock

Wisconsin Dems File Complaint With State Against David Koch - Democratic Underground

The Wisconsin Democrats are taking aim at one of their biggest opponents in the state’s recall elections. No, not just Republican Gov. Scott Walker — but conservative financier David Koch, and his organization Americans For Prosperity. But whether they will actually succeed in the latest front is another question.

Wisconsin Dems File Complaint With State Against David Koch - Democratic Underground

Mary Bottari: On Anniversary of Prank Call to Gov. Walker, the Real David Koch Wants to "Stop Union Power"

Now the real David Koch reveals that crushing unions is indeed at the top of his agenda. In an interview with the Palm Beach Post, Koch talks about Walker, unions and the historical importance of the Wisconsin recall fight.

Mary Bottari: On Anniversary of Prank Call to Gov. Walker, the Real David Koch Wants to "Stop Union Power"

Federal Trial Begins Over State's Election Maps - Politics News Story - WISC Madison

MILWAUKEE -- An expert witness in a federal trial over the constitutionality of Wisconsin's election maps said they were drawn in ways that "significantly diminished" the voting power of Milwaukee's Latino community.

Federal Trial Begins Over State's Election Maps - Politics News Story - WISC Madison

More groups file lawsuit against Wis. voter ID law

A Washington, D.C.-based group is the latest to file a federal lawsuit against Wisconsin's new voter identification law. The Advancement Project filed the lawsuit Thursday in Milwaukee on behalf of several groups who say it discriminates against African Americans and Latinos.

More groups file lawsuit against Wis. voter ID law

WPR Headline Story - New poll shows Doe denting consciousness

A new poll shows most people in Wisconsin are aware of the John Doe investigation into possible illegal campaign activities during Scott Walker's time as Milwaukee County Executive.

WPR Headline Story - New poll shows Doe denting consciousness

Wis. DOC reassigns leadership at juvenile system

Two top officials handling Wisconsin's juvenile justice system in the Milwaukee office are being reassigned following an internal investigation into office mismanagement.

The state's Department of Corrections said Thursday it will relieve Regional Juvenile Community Corrections Chief Audrian Brown and Corrections Field Supervisor Alfred Beans. They will be assigned to other agency duties starting Sunday.

Wis. DOC reassigns leadership at juvenile system

Lt. Gov. of Wisconsin Stands With Rowe - Algonquin, IL Patch

Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch is standing with conservative reformer Danielle Rowe because she is the only candidate in the 52nd District race who can bring revolutionary change to Illinois.

Lt. Gov. of Wisconsin Stands With Rowe - Algonquin, IL Patch

Wisconsin Veteran Irate At Voter ID Law: ‘What The F*ck Did I Go In For?’ | TPMMuckraker

Tuesday was the official launch of Wisconsin’s new Voter-I.D. law, with citizens now required to present a photo-identification card in order to cast a ballot in the primaries for local elections. And as it turns out, one man refused to vote, because he was so angry that his card from the Department of Veterans Affairs was not on the approved list.

Wisconsin Veteran Irate At Voter ID Law: ‘What The F*ck Did I Go In For?’ TPMMuckraker

New N.Y. Pension Plan Puts Workers Between Rock and Hard Place | AFL-CIO NOW BLOG

A proposed new pension system puts the retirement security of New York firefighters, teachers, police officers and other public employees at risk, and the New York State AFL-CIO is fighting back. In this new video and in state-wide radio ad and newspaper op-eds, the state federation urges lawmakers to “rebuild the middle class, not attack what’s left of it.

New N.Y. Pension Plan Puts Workers Between Rock and Hard Place AFL-CIO NOW BLOG

New Hampshire Labor Committee Passes Slew of Union-Busting Bills | AFL-CIO NOW BLOG

At a time when the tea party-driven Republican agenda in New Hampshire’s state capitol is more unpopular than ever with voters on both sides of the aisle, Republican House Labor Committee Chairman Gary Daniels and his allies have ramped up their attacks on working people. In a work session yesterday, the House Labor Committee took another step towards dismantling New Hampshire’s collective bargaining rights law by voting no fewer than five anti-worker bills ‘ought to pass.

New Hampshire Labor Committee Passes Slew of Union-Busting Bills AFL-CIO NOW BLOG

AFSCME | The Truth Behind Right-to-Work-For-Less

The corporate interests behind the right-wing American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) think the way to break the strength of unions is to undermine worker solidarity. That’s why they’re pushing right-to-work-for-less legislation in Arizona and other statehouses across the country. Their biggest success occurred this month in Indiana, which became the 23rd state to adopt the anti-worker measure. Now they’re gunning for workers in Minnesota. …. Seide, also an AFSCME International vice president, called the effort to pass right-to-work-for-less “a straight attack on collective bargaining, on stifling workers’ voices in the workplace, and it’s meant to hurt workers. It’s not meant to improve the lives of workers.”

AFSCME The Truth Behind Right-to-Work-For-Less

Daily Kos: Workers Compensation Is Quietly Under Attack in America

As the economy crawls out of the dumps and more people return to the job site, a strong workers compensation environment is as important as ever. Unfortunately, workers comp appears to be under quiet attack in many states. …. On the national level, reports are emerging of a disproportionate number of workers in need of disability compensation, especially for mental illness. Typically anti-worker source The New York Post suggests that workers are grasping at safety net straws due to the country's economic decline...

Daily Kos: Workers Compensation Is Quietly Under Attack in America

Daily Kos: Americans for Prosperity president denies there's a plan to bleed unions

As Republican introduce wave after wave of anti-union measures in states across the country, unions see a broader strategy to "try to bleed us," as AFL-CIO political director Mike Podhorzer told the AP's Sam Hananel. Unions have to spend resources fighting on every front, countering attack after attack. Even the big victories, like the defeat of Ohio's anti-collective bargaining Issue 2, draw down unions' finite resources and prevent them from fighting offensive battles elsewhere.

Daily Kos: Americans for Prosperity president denies there's a plan to bleed unions

Bill limits damages for employment discrimination | News - Home

If your employer discriminates against you, you may not be able to get as much money in damages in the future.

Bill limits damages for employment discrimination News - Home

Federal trial set to begin over Wisconsin election maps | News - Home

After two days of delays, a federal trial is set to begin in Milwaukee in a case involving the state's latest election maps.

Federal trial set to begin over Wisconsin election maps News - Home

La Follette Moves Closer To Run For Governor - Politics News Story - WISC Madison

La Follette was elected to the position of secretary of state in 1974, then again in 1982 and has held the post ever since. He is a distant relative of former Wisconsin Governor, Senator and Congressman "Fighting Bob" La Follette.

La Follette Moves Closer To Run For Governor - Politics News Story - WISC Madison

Poll: Wisconsin voters evenly split on Walker, concerned about investigation of former aides | The Republic

AP MILWAUKEE — Wisconsin voters are about evenly split in their opinions of Republican Gov. Scott Walker, as an ongoing investigation into several of his former aides and associates appears to be muting a sense of guarded optimism over ...

Poll: Wisconsin voters evenly split on Walker, concerned about investigation of former aides The Republic

Preliminary hearing set for former aide to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker | Appleton Post Crescent | postcrescent.com

Forty-three-year-old Kelly Rindfleisch used to be Walker’s deputy chief of staff before he became governor last year. She’s charged with four felony counts of misconduct in office.

Preliminary hearing set for former aide to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker Appleton Post Crescent postcrescent.com

Latest poll findings: Walker down, Thompson and Obama up | Green Bay Press Gazette | greenbaypressgazette.com

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's favorability rating has dipped in the past month, according to a new poll.

The Marquette University Law School poll released Wednesday says 46 percent have a favorable opinion of him compared to 48 percent unfavorable. Last month, his favorable rating was 50 percent with 45 percent unfavorable.

Latest poll findings: Walker down, Thompson and Obama up Green Bay Press Gazette greenbaypressgazette.com

WI: Recall Election Looks Likely in Wisconsin

A judge denied Gov. Scott Walker's second request for more time to review signatures on his recall petitions, leaving a Feb. 27 deadline in place. Dane County Judge Richard Niess's ruling means the Government Accountability Board's March 19 deadline for deciding whether recall elections should be held for Walker, Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and four Republican states senators also remains in place. Niess previously gave Walker 30 days to review the petitions - three times the 10 days allowed under state law.

Courthouse News Service

Politico Gaffe Becomes Organizing Tool In Wisconsin Recall Effort | TPMDC

When President Obama spoke to workers in Wisconsin last week, Politico accidentally made itself the story. The paper’s reporter mistook the Wisconsin state flag for the seal of a local union, and cited it as an illustration of President Obama’s pro-union bias. …. “When national news blog Politico came to Milwaukee to cover Pres. Obama’s visit, they incorrectly identified the Wisconsin flag as the “flag for the local union, Wisconsin 1848.” Many people got a chuckle at the embarrassing mistake, but we think it really represents something larger,” reads a new AFSCME petition. “So let’s say it loud and say it proud! Join as a charter member of “Wisconsin Local 1848” today. We’ll share up-to-the-minute information on statewide issues that affect us all.” And there’s a t-shirt to go along with it.

Politico Gaffe Becomes Organizing Tool In Wisconsin Recall Effort TPMDC

Editorial: 'Right to work' is wrong for state | StarTribune.com

Minnesota governors can't veto proposed constitutional amendments. But governors have bully pulpits. DFL Gov. Mark Dayton used his during last week's State of the State address to take a swipe at a bad idea that some GOP legislators want to add to the Constitution -- a ban on labor contracts that require all workers employed under the terms of the contract to pay a share of union costs. ….. Contrary to what its label implies, it would give no one the right to a job. Rather, it would allow workers in union shops the option of a "free lunch" -- the chance to benefit from collective bargaining without paying for it.

Editorial: 'Right to work' is wrong for state StarTribune.com

Public employees object to Jindal's proposed cuts | The News Star | thenewsstar.com

An organization that represents public employees believes Gov. Bobby Jindal's proposal to eliminate 6,400 state employees would not only cause hardship for them, but affect services to citizens. Leonal Hardman, president of the Louisiana Council of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, has been making the rounds across the state to gather support against Jindal's proposed plan.

Public employees object to Jindal's proposed cuts The News Star thenewsstar.com

Unions may have to choose between salaries, pensions | WBEZ

As Gov. Pat Quinn prepares his budget address for Wednesday, the president of the Illinois Senate says state workers might have to compromise between salary increases and pension benefits. About 33,000 unionized workers are reminding state officials they’re owed pay raises. Members of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees sent a letter to Quinn last week asking for the raises that they were supposed to get last July. … The union says the state is contractually obligated to pay the raises, which were negotiated at the bargaining table during contract talks. AFSCME is fighting the issue in court.

Unions may have to choose between salaries, pensions WBEZ

Iowa Supreme Court To Hear Lawsuit Against Governor - WHO

The Iowa Supreme Court will begin hearing arguments Tuesday evening in a lawsuit filed against Gov. Terry Branstad. The head of AFSCME, Danny Homan, filed the suit on behalf of thousands of state union workers. The suit claims the governor illegally used his veto power when he decided to close dozens of Iowa Workforce Development offices last year.

Iowa Supreme Court To Hear Lawsuit Against Governor - WHO

Mayo column: Private prisons a bad idea - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

…. So I'm glad the Florida Senate killed a plan to privatize 28 state prisons, all in southern Florida, last week. The Legislature tried to ram through a similar controversial plan last year, attaching it to the state budget, but courts threw it out. …. As it stands, seven of Florida's 60 prisons are run by for-profit firms. I'm afraid what might happen if mass privatization takes hold. There will be cost-cutting by hiring cheaper workers, which could only undercut morale in already difficult conditions.

Mayo column: Private prisons a bad idea - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

More counties are taking up efforts to save their prisons | Tallahassee Democrat | tallahassee.com

Jefferson County's successful effort to save a prison that is the small, rural county's largest employer has touched off similar efforts by other counties with prisons and work camps scheduled to close by June 30, Department of Corrections Secretary Ken Tucker said Monday. Tucker met with Gov. Rick Scott for a half-hour to discuss department activities, including a $79-million budget gap. He said they did not discuss privatization of prisons in 18 South Florida counties, which Scott could still order DOC to do despite the vote against it by the Senate last week. … Privatizing 29 institutions in an 18-county area of South Florida was supposed to happen by New Year's Day, but was blocked by Circuit Judge Jackie Fulford, who ruled that the Legislature improperly sought to order the privatization through budget-proviso language.

More counties are taking up efforts to save their prisons Tallahassee Democrat tallahassee.com

Campus Connection: UW profs shed light on ALEC's threat to public education

University of Wisconsin-Madison professors Julie Underwood and Julie Mead are expressing concern over the growing corporate influence on public education in an article published Monday. In particular, they are highly critical of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), which connects conservative state legislators with like-minded think tanks, corporations and foundations to develop "model legislation" that can be enacted at the state level.

Campus Connection: UW profs shed light on ALEC's threat to public education

The end of the for-profit prison era? - Salon.com

Early this year, the United Methodist Church Board of Pension and Health Benefits voted to withdraw nearly $1 million in stocks from two private prison companies, the GEO Group and Corrections Corporation of America (CCA). The decision by the largest faith-based pension fund in the United States came in response to concerns expressed last May by the church’s immigration task force and a group of national activists. … It was an important success for a slew of activists across the country who are pushing investors and institutions to divest from the private prison industry. …… The National Prison Divestment Campaign, launched last spring, includes a broad coalition of immigrant rights, criminal justice and other organizations targeting private prison companies like CCA and the GEO Group, the two largest private prison corporations in the United States. …. A number of organizations have coalesced around the divestment campaign, including branches of the Occupy movement and unions representing prison guards and employees. Cervantes-Gautschi notes that the campaign is supported by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

The end of the for-profit prison era? - Salon.com

House Transportation Bill: Lobbying And Lawsuits Behind Move To Strip Worker Protections

House Republicans are trying to pass a transportation bill that would strip certain workers of their minimum-wage and overtime protections. As it turns out, several of the companies that would benefit from the change have recently been sued by their employees for allegedly violating wage laws.

House Transportation Bill: Lobbying And Lawsuits Behind Move To Strip Worker Protections

Daily Kos: Mitt Romney, now fiercely anti-union, called for 'cooperation' with unions in 2002

Let this be a lesson: When you think you've identified the one issue on which Mitt Romney has been consistent, think again. Romney's opposition to unions has been consistent throughout this Republican presidential primary campaign, which is a whole lot of consistency by his standards—one time he said "Unions have played a very important role historically," but that was just in the process of making a slightly more nuanced anti-union argument than he usually employs—but of course, of course it turns out that he was singing a different tune while running for governor in Massachusetts in 2002.

Daily Kos: Mitt Romney, now fiercely anti-union, called for 'cooperation' with unions in 2002

Retirement: Public pensions get an overhaul - chicagotribune.com

…. Overall, state and local pensions are about 77 percent funded -- meaning that the value of plan assets is enough to cover 77 percent of promised benefits. But there is wide variation among plans. Illinois's plans, for instance, are a little less than 50 percent funded. The plans in Connecticut, Kentucky and Louisiana are under 60 percent. And some plans administered by cash-strapped cities and localities are in dire straits. "Even the worst-funded states aren't in immediate danger of not being able to make pension payments," says David Draine, a senior researcher at the Pew Center on the States. …. Rhode Island set the precedent last November for the most comprehensive makeover yet. Its new hybrid retirement plan will be part traditional defined-benefit pension and part 401(k)-style savings plan, with employees required to contribute at least 5 percent of their salaries to the new savings component.

Retirement: Public pensions get an overhaul - chicagotribune.com

AFSCME | Attacks on Worker Rights Can Be Defeated, Says Ohio AFSCME Leader

That’s one of the key lessons for labor following last November’s overwhelming repeal of an Ohio law that would have stripped collective bargaining rights from 350,000 public service workers in the state, says Joseph P. Rugola, executive director of the Ohio Association of Public School Employees OAPSE/AFSCME Local 4. Rugola, also an AFSCME International vice president, made his comments this week during a panel discussion on the politics of collective bargaining in the public sector hosted by the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor, a program at Georgetown University that draws on its academic and research capabilities “to find new approaches in improving labor and workplace relations.”

AFSCME Attacks on Worker Rights Can Be Defeated, Says Ohio AFSCME Leader

OpEdNews - Article: In Honor of the Anniversary of the Wisconsin Uprising, February 11, 2011 - Wisconsin: The New Florida and Ohio?

Did Rove or the Koch Brothers or one of their emissaries tell, oops, ask Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, now on recall with over one million signatures gathered, to appoint her? Karl Rove is known as The Architect of George W. Bush's presidential ...

OpEdNews - Article: In Honor of the Anniversary of the Wisconsin Uprising, February 11, 2011 - Wisconsin: The New Florida and Ohio?

On Politics: David Koch: 'We've spent a lot of money in Wisconsin. We're going to spend more.'

"We're helping him, as we should. We've gotten pretty good at this over the years," David Koch is quoted as saying about Walker. "We've spent a lot of money in Wisconsin. We're going to spend more.

The State Journal reported earlier this month that Americans for Prosperity had spent at least $700,000 on the series of commercials in support of Walker's policies as he fights a recall effort against him.

On Politics: David Koch: 'We've spent a lot of money in Wisconsin. We're going to spend more.'

Wisconsin jobs: A numbers game | Fond du Lac Reporter | fdlreporter.com

If the January and February numbers show Wisconsin lost another 4,500 positions, the state will — on paper — have fewer jobs now than before Walker took office.

Wisconsin jobs: A numbers game Fond du Lac Reporter fdlreporter.com

David Koch Admits Big Spending to Help Scott Walker Bust 'Union Power' | The Nation

Billionaire campaign donor David Koch, heir to a fortune and a political legacy created by one of the driving forces behind the John Birch Society, makes no secret of his enthusiasm for Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker.

David Koch Admits Big Spending to Help Scott Walker Bust 'Union Power' The Nation

Barrett now considering run for governor in recall election | Pierce County Herald | Ellsworth, Wisconsin

MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett says he is considering a gun for governor if Wisconsin holds a recall election.

Barrett now considering run for governor in recall election Pierce County Herald Ellsworth, Wisconsin