Saturday, March 3, 2012

Wisconsin GOP Leader Proposes Legislation To Blame Single Parents For Child Abuse And Neglect - Forbes

Republicans are just flippin psycho... Grothman has introduced a bill that would require the State of Wisconsin to officially deem single parenthood to be a “contributor” to child abuse and neglect and to put the same into statutory laws of the state. Seriously…no kidding…really.

Wisconsin GOP Leader Proposes Legislation To Blame Single Parents For Child Abuse And Neglect - Forbes

Friday, March 2, 2012

29th Annual Jim Boyd Scholarship Bowling Tournament

The annual scholarship fundraising bowling tournament is coming up April 27-28 in Beaver Dam.  Come and join your union brothers and sisters and support a great cause!  There are still available spots for your team - sign up today.  Contact Shannon – slinde@wseu-24.org for further info.

State grievance requirement left unchecked - JSOnline

Madison - Most local governments around Wisconsin - including southeastern Wisconsin - have set up a grievance procedure for allegedly wronged employees as a replacement to the union bargaining elements repealed last year by Republicans. But months after the deadline, it's impossible to know whether all the many hundreds of local governments and schools in the state have complied with the new requirement in state law. …. Rick Badger, executive director of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 40, said he believes most local governments, including those in southeastern Wisconsin, have put at least a grievance system in place. But he said they varied widely and didn't necessarily provide much protection for employees.

State grievance requirement left unchecked - JSOnline

Welcome to Workday Minnesota, your leading source for labor news!

…. While the biggest effect of the constitutional change would be in the private sector, public employees would also be hurt. “It would really cut down our ability to organize,” noted Carrie Umpierre, a Council 65 member from Carlton County.

Welcome to Workday Minnesota, your leading source for labor news!

AFSCME | New AFL-CIO Website Puts Workers Front and Center

The AFL-CIO today rolled out a newly designed website that focuses on the backbone of our country: the hard-working women and men who keep America running.

AFSCME New AFL-CIO Website Puts Workers Front and Center

Wisconsin recall elections likely in June | Sheboygan Press | sheboyganpress.com

Democrats and other recall organizers reported turning in about 1.9 million ... said Graeme Zielinski, spokesman for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.

Wisconsin recall elections likely in June Sheboygan Press sheboyganpress.com

Man accused of threatening Walker, others, awaits trial

MADISON — A Portland, Maine, man accused of threatening Gov. Scott Walker, as well as the governor of Maine and several members of Congress, remains behind bars nearly a year after his arrest on multiple felony charges.

Man accused of threatening Walker, others, awaits trial

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Recall review likely will take longer, officials say

Another delay could be on the horizon for Wisconsin's latest wave of recall elections, and a new candidate is looking to challenge Gov. Scott Walker as a Republican — a move that would force a GOP primary. State election officials say they probably will need more time to finish reviewing signatures on recall petitions, and on Monday wrote a letter to lawmakers asking for $404,500 to help cover the costs related to as many as six recall elections.

Recall review likely will take longer, officials say

Toss-up in Wisconsin Senate race - Public Policy Polling#more

Presumed Wisconsin Democratic Senate nominee, Rep. Tammy Baldwin, has made up ground against her potential opponents since PPP last polled the race last October. She is now pretty much running even with Republican frontrunner Tommy Thompson.

Toss-up in Wisconsin Senate race - Public Policy Polling#more

A Civil Right to Unionize - NYTimes.com

FROM the 1940s to the 1970s, organized labor helped build a middle-class democracy in the United States. The postwar period was as successful as it was because of unions, which helped enact progressive social legislation from the Civil Rights Act to Medicare.

A Civil Right to Unionize - NYTimes.com

Unwanted Publicity

In January, Summary Judgments brought news of the variety of legal work that embattled Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is throwing off to Michael Best & Friedrich, a 160-year-old Milwaukee law firm. Among other assignments, Walker had asked Michael Best to help him dismantle public-sector unions' collective bargaining rights and to investigate an embezzlement scheme involving lower-level officials.

Michael Best is now making Wisconsin State Journal headlines again, this time in a case involving Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman. The Dane County District Attorney has moved to disqualify Gableman from certain cases because of his past relationship with the firm. Michael Best represented Gableman - for free, the Dane County DA says -- in an ethics matter stemming from his 2008 election. A partner involved in that case also represents Gov. Walker's camp in the collective bargaining matter. That, says DA Ismael Ozanne, is a clear ethical conflict. Gableman has declined to recuse himself before, but Ozanne wants the full court to remove him from the collective bargaining matter. In a letter to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - published in Ozanne's court filing - Gableman's lawyer Viet Dinh (of Bancroft law firm and Paul Clement fame!) wrote "Gableman has the same fundamental right to representation as any other individual."

Source Link: http://newsandinsight.thomsonreuters.com/Legal/News/2012/03_-_March/Summary_Judgments_for_March_1/

Scott Walker Recall: Governor Vulnerable In New Poll

It would be a photo finish in a gubernatorial recall race between Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and nearly any Democratic challenger, according to a poll released this week. While the Public Policy Polling survey of 900 Wisconsin registered voters over ...

Scott Walker Recall: Governor Vulnerable In New Poll

Lee Saunders, AFSCME Treasurer, Launching Historic Presidential Bid (EXCLUSIVE)

On Wednesday night, Lee Saunders, AFSCME's Secretary-Treasurer, is set to announce the long-expected: he will be running to be the union's president, a post being vacated by long-time leader Gerald McEnttee. Unlike elections past, Saunders won't run ...

Lee Saunders, AFSCME Treasurer, Launching Historic Presidential Bid (EXCLUSIVE)

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Important AFSCME Announcement Today

Sisters and brothers,

Today at 5 p.m. CT I will make an important announcement about how, together, we will move AFSCME forward. Watch live on your computer by going to this web page.
It’s going to be an exciting day. Be a part of it with me.

In solidarity,

Lee Saunders, Secretary-Treasurer
AFSCME

Follow this link: Untitled Document

AFSCME | Collective Bargaining Rights Upheld in SD

Activists from AFSCME Council 59 and other supporters of workers’ rights in South Dakota defeated an effort to revoke collective bargaining for public employees.

AFSCME Collective Bargaining Rights Upheld in SD

Our view: State correction policy needs reform

A local group that is part of a statewide effort to reform how Wisconsin approaches criminal justice raises an important and legitimate issue: Is the state getting the most for its dollar in how it is approaching criminal corrections? The other crucial question is: Is incarceration the long-term answer for everyone who is now in prison?

Our view: State correction policy needs reform

City adopts pay-for-performance pay plan | The Oshkosh Northwestern | thenorthwestern.com

The Oshkosh Common Council adopted a job and classification study that puts a majority of employee salary growth under a pay for performance incentive plan. …. Representatives of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees Council 40 asked councilors to delay a vote to give employees more time to provide more input to support their concerns wage rates should start at a higher rate. “At least the employees will know they’ve been given a fair shake,” AFSCME Council 40 Staff Representative Mary Scoon said. “I’m asking you, do not approve the job study in its current form. Please allow us some time to get our current concerns addressed.”


City adopts pay-for-performance pay plan The Oshkosh Northwestern thenorthwestern.com

Wood County, union leaders differ on how much authority unions retain | Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune | wisconsinrapidstribune.com

Wood County officials and union leaders disagree about the role public worker unions will have in the county. County officials say they think unions have no legal standing to represent public employees from the seven unions that chose not to certify with the state. A union official says the union still represents county workers. …. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees staff representative Houston Parish said the AFSCME unions declined to go through the "dog and pony show" set up by Walker, but the union still represents employees in Wood County. "Obviously, they've taken away our bargaining rights, but if the employee has disciplinary issues, we'll represent members," Parish said.

Wood County, union leaders differ on how much authority unions retain Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune wisconsinrapidstribune.com

Wisconsin’s Scott Walker tries to shed anti-union label - Salon.com

…. Consider Walker’s Friday interview with the Atlantic’s Molly Ball. While complaining that “national big government unions” have “poured tons of money” into Wisconsin and “ginned up their members” against him, Walker said that “private-sector unions have been our partner in the economic revival we’ve had in this state.

Wisconsin’s Scott Walker tries to shed anti-union label - Salon.com

John Nichols: Union bashing defines GOP field

…. Like Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Maine Gov. Paul LePage, they are anti-labor extremists whose opposition to free trade unions goes to extremes not seen since Southern segregationists sought to bar unions because of their fear that white workers and people of color were being organized into labor organizations that would threaten Jim Crow.

John Nichols: Union bashing defines GOP field

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Madison Area Volunteers Needed

Today the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO re-installed the predictive dialer phone system at the Madison Labor Temple that, as some of you remember from last summer's recall elections, allowed the Unions to greatly expand their phone calling capacity throughout the state.

Union member volunteers will now be making calls nightly from 5pm to 9pm out of the Madison Labor Temple (1602 S. Park Street #104) to help drive turnout for the March 9th activities and March 10th Rally at the State Capitol. We are looking for volunteers to help make these calls from now until March 9th.

If you are from the Madison area and can volunteer some of your time, please contact the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO South-Central Service Area Organizer Greg Neil at 608-556-9521 or gneil@wisaflcio.org.

Thank you for your anticipated help.

What: Turnout Calls for 3/9 & 3/10 Events
When: Daily - 5pm - 9pm
Where: Madison Labor Temple, 1602 S. Park Street #104, Madison, WI 53717

WI-Gov: Poll Finds Walker in Trouble in Recall Election | FDL News Desk

And a new poll from Public Policy Polling makes clear that Walker is entirely beatable: Wisconsin voters are split down the middle in terms of whether to recall Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, 49%-49%, but a closer look at prospective matchups ...

WI-Gov: Poll Finds Walker in Trouble in Recall Election FDL News Desk

Poll: Scott Walker recall too close to call - POLITICO.com

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and his potential opponents in the upcoming recall election are locked in a dead heat, according to a new poll out Tuesday. Walker looks set to have very close races with whoever ends up as his Democratic opponent, ...

Poll: Scott Walker recall too close to call - POLITICO.com

Sen. Jessica King's Bill to Protect Correctional Officers Passes Committee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: February 28, 2012
Contact: Jessica King 608-266-5300

KING’S BILL TO PROTECT CORRECTIONS OFFICERS PASSES COMMITTEE

Madison – A bill that would penalize a prisoner for stealing a correctional officer’s personal identifying information, authored by Senator Jessica King (D-Oshkosh), was approved by the Labor, Public Safety, and Urban Affairs Committee today. Senate Bill 283, more commonly referred to as the Data Breach Bill, passed the committee with broad bipartisan support.

“The Data Breach Bill will create new protections for our corrections and health service employees by penalizing prisoners and offenders for stealing personal identifying information. In an information age identify theft can have dire consequences. Our public safety workers put themselves at risk every day and they should not have to worry about their personal information falling into the wrong hands,” King said.

The Date Breach Bill was introduced at the request of several correctional officers at facilities in the 18th Senate District in response to an incident at a state correctional facility where a prisoner obtained a Correctional Officers’ personal information, including their Social Security numbers. Based on limitations with current law, these officers were unable to receive the full credit freeze protection because it is not a felony for a prisoner to possess Correctional Officer’s personal information. The bill corrects this flaw in our credit protection law and provides a penalty for the unauthorized possession of a correctional employee’s personal identifying information.

“Corrections officers face risk on their jobs every day. This bill helps correct a gap in our current laws by adding necessary protections for some of our most valuable public servants. I am pleased with the unanimous bipartisan support from my colleagues. It is our responsibility to enhance the safety of those who keep us safe,” concluded King.

Register Now for AFSCME's Road to Recall Victory Conference

You’ve stood up. You’ve spoken up. You’ve walked the walk. You’ve made history.

The largest public uprising ever seen in this state – you made it happen.

The only successful double-recall ever won – wouldn’t have happened without you.

More than one million signatures to recall Scott Walker! Thanks for all that slogging through the snow and cold.

You’ve done it all since Walker dropped the bomb on worker rights. Of course, we aren’t done yet.

We’ve got recalls to win and much more to do to win back our rights.

And to make sure we get it right, we’re putting our heads together at AFSCME’s Tri-Council Political Action Conference in Madison on March 9, 10 and 11.

If you can make it, you’ll get an up-to-the-minute lay of the land from our top political experts.

You’ll get to huddle with the experts for small-group breakout sessions. You’ll get a chance to exchange ideas with AFSCME International Secretary-Treasurer Lee Saunders.

And you’ll also be at ground zero for the other events taking place that weekend, including a special Friday night candlelight vigil at the Capitol. We’ll be mourning the one-year anniversary of the Legislature passing Walker’s Act 10.

After the vigil, conference attendees will gather at a nearby theater for a special screening of We Are Wisconsin, a documentary movie about our historic struggle. Conference participation includes a ticket to the movie.

If you can’t make it to the conference but want to see the movie, you can buy an advance ticket here.

On Saturday morning, March 10, the conference will feature a full morning of action and then break for a mass rally at the Capitol.

We’ll commemorate the one-year mark and to send a strong signal that we are not going to fade away – we are going to keep fighting to get our state headed back in the right direction.

Even if you aren’t coming to the conference, please come to the rally.

We are so proud of the way AFSCME brothers and sisters have come together to fight for each other and for the basic rights that should be guaranteed all workers.

We have learned a lot and accomplished a lot in this past year. Thanks for all you have contributed to the cause.

Please come to the Political Conference and/or join us on March 9-10 as we celebrate our historic fightback -- and then dig in for the fight of our lives in the coming months.

Then, next year, we’ll really have something to celebrate!

Solidarity!

Paulette Feld, President
AFSCME Council 24

Marty Beil, Executive Director
AFSCME Council 24

Rep. Sinicki Calls for Gov. Walker to Veto Repeal of Equal Pay Act

"Gov. Walker has a choice to make. He can stand with Wisconsin’s working women and protect them from illegal discrimination by vetoing SB 202, or he can stand with companies that want to get away with paying women less than men.

Rep. Sinicki Calls for Gov. Walker to Veto Repeal of Equal Pay Act

Indictable Boy

Daily Kos: Scott Walker's signature is the last step to repeal of Wisconsin's Equal Pay Enforcement Act

Wisconsin Republicans probably have to take a backseat to the trans-vaginal ultrasound states in the competition for absolute worst Republicans in the nation, but they're making a play for honorary mention, War on Women category, by repealing Wisconsin's Equal Pay Enforcement Act.

Daily Kos: Scott Walker's signature is the last step to repeal of Wisconsin's Equal Pay Enforcement Act

AFSCME | AFSCME Endorses Kathleen Falk for Wisconsin Governor

Wisconsin’s largest union representing state, county and municipal employees, has endorsed Kathleen Falk for governor in this year’s recall election.

AFSCME AFSCME Endorses Kathleen Falk for Wisconsin Governor

Walker: 'Frivolous' recall wastes $9M - POLITICO.com Print View

Walker just does not get it. He blames "out-of-state" special interests for the recall election. The 1.1 million signatures are ALL from Wisconsin. It will not be "special interests" at the polls Mr. Walker.

Walker: 'Frivolous' recall wastes $9M - POLITICO.com Print View

Rally to save Dwight prison set for Monday

….. “The community needs to know that the prison is open and we’re going to fight to keep it open,” said Dan Dunlap, a corrections officer at the prison and president of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1133.

Rally to save Dwight prison set for Monday

Anti-union bill would ban protesting at CEOs' homes, slap picketers with $1,000 fine | Fresh Loaf

So you're thinking about protesting outside the home of a CEO who's ignored his factory's shoddy working conditions. Maybe you and some friends are planning to stage a sit-in at that bank that's refused to modify loans. Under legislation introduced by state Sen. Don Balfour, the former could result in a $1,000 fine. And the latter? Well, that could get you charged with a felony. Yes, despite the fact that Georgia has some of the weakest labor laws and lowest union memberships in the country, the Snellville Republicans wants to further clamp down on the organizations. And it looks like the Occupy movement won't get a pass either. …. Speight notes that the bill's sponsors are affiliated with the American Legislative Exchange Council, a free-market organization that's been accused of championing anti-labor policies.

Anti-union bill would ban protesting at CEOs' homes, slap picketers with $1,000 fine Fresh Loaf

Corporate Front Groups Battle State Minimum Wage Hikes | AFL-CIO NOW BLOG

As states like Connecticut, Iowa, New Jersey, and New York are looking to raise the minimum wage, they are meeting opposition from well-funded political groups who seek to increase corporate profit. …..So where does such fierce opposition to it come from? Enter the Employment Policies Institute, a corporate-backed spreader of misinformation and propaganda that rakes in the money every time the minimum wage issue enters the political debate (this is not to be confused with the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a think tank we often cite as legitimate).

Corporate Front Groups Battle State Minimum Wage Hikes AFL-CIO NOW BLOG

I work for Uncle Sam, and I’m proud of it - The Washington Post

I am a federal bureaucrat. A professional government employee. And guess what? I’m damn proud of it. It seems that all I hear these days are the once and future leaders of our country tripping over themselves to denigrate the work we do. I’m tired of it, and I’m fed up. I don’t claim to represent anyone other than myself, but I would bet that a fair number of federal employees feel as I do. We are lawyers, doctors, PhD students, economists, writers, electricians, construction workers, security officers and technology specialists. We are not a drain on the national economy; rather, we are a primary reason why the United States remains as great as it is.

I work for Uncle Sam, and I’m proud of it - The Washington Post

AFSCME | Mitt Romney: Not the Average NASCAR Fan

In his bid for the “everyman” voter, presidential candidate Mitt Romney hurried down to the Daytona International Speedway last weekend to declare his love for NASCAR. Not that Romney knows many fans – but he does “have some great friends who are NASCAR team owners.” Data suggest that the typical NASCAR fan earns between $35,000 and $50,000 a year. The average NASCAR team owner, on the other hand, plunks down millions for race cars, salaries for drivers and team members, and travel expenses.

AFSCME Mitt Romney: Not the Average NASCAR Fan

WisPolitics Election Blog: Walker wants third-party review of recall petitions considered

Gov. Scott Walker, declining to file a challenge himself, wants the GAB to consider a review by two Tea Party groups to determine if recall signatures filed against him are valid.

WisPolitics Election Blog: Walker wants third-party review of recall petitions considered

Wisconsin Supreme Court votes to close more discussions to public - JSOnline

Madison - The conservative bloc of the state Supreme Court voted Monday to keep more of the often-fractious court's discussions private.

Wisconsin Supreme Court votes to close more discussions to public - JSOnline

WPR Headline Story - ACLU upset that UW-Eau Claire charging for IDs for voting

(EAU CLAIRE) The American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin is asking UW-Eau Claire to stop charging for student voter IDs. The IDs are issued and paid for differently from campus to campus.

WPR Headline Story - ACLU upset that UW-Eau Claire charging for IDs for voting

Monday, February 27, 2012

WisPolitics.com: Walker Campaign: Thank you for the continued support

The established law, written in the past, does not seem to suit Governor Scott Walker. Rest assured, the GOP will make changes to this law, as they have been doing to many established laws over the past year to suit their future needs. But, for now, he has to accept that at minimum 1.1 million Wisconsites DO NOT believe he should continue as Governor of Wisconsin.

WisPolitics.com: Walker Campaign: Thank you for the continued support

Wisconsin governor will not challenge recall signatures | Reuters

"After months of hearing about supposed fraud, months of hearing about Mickey Mouse, they can't give us one example, not one, of a fraudulent signature," Tate said.

Wisconsin governor will not challenge recall signatures Reuters

Wisconsin, One Year Later - Molly Ball - Politics - The Atlantic

A year ago this month, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker proposed a slate of changes to public-employee benefits, including sharply limiting government workers' right to bargain collectively. The action quickly provoked a firestorm. A hundred thousand protesters camped out at the capitol building in Madison; the minority Democrats in the state Senate fled the state to prevent the bill from passing. Walker got his changes through the state legislature anyway, but the fight wasn't over -- in fact, it was just beginning. …. Activists on both sides -- the left with dread, the right with glee -- see in his weakening of public-sector unions the possibility of permanently disabling organized labor and with it the major engine of the Democratic Party.

Wisconsin, One Year Later - Molly Ball - Politics - The Atlantic

Study on pension options worries public workers -- GazetteXtra

A major study is due June 30 on whether there should be options to the defined-benefit pension system for public employees. The study likely will reignite the emotional debate over whether the compensation of government workers is too generous. …. Q. Why are public employee unions worried? A. AFSCME Council 24, one of the largest state employee unions, says: “(WRS) is one of only four state pension systems that meets the strict actuarial definition of being fully funded. In AFSCME’s view, there is no need to ‘study’ the WRS or modify a pension system that works well and provides a modest pension for a career of service. However, since the budget law mandates the study, having ETF take charge is the best we can hope for in this uncertain time. AFSCME has been keeping a close watch on the study proposal. We have a fightback campaign underway to protect the WRS and your pension.”

Study on pension options worries public workers -- GazetteXtra

Walker watch: Wisconsin gov. expects to run against "big union bosses from Washington" - HUMAN EVENTS

….. During a break from the National Governors Association meeting in Washington this weekend, Walker pointed out to us that the chief bankrollers of the movement to recall him “are the National Education Association, the AFL-CIO, the American Federation of State County, and Municipal Employees [AFSCME] and all the public employee unions.

Walker watch: Wisconsin gov. expects to run against "big union bosses from Washington" - HUMAN EVENTS

Happy to be a prison town? | Statesman Journal | statesmanjournal.com

… By many measures, Salem reaps benefits from stable prison jobs and spinoff work for area businesses — nearly 200 of which provide supplies and services for the lockups. "Let's face it: Salem can sort of whine about being the penal colony but the other side of that is that it benefits from hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of family-wage jobs and that economic influx of cash," said Mary Botkin, public-safety lobbyist for the Oregon branch of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the largest union representing prison employees.

Happy to be a prison town? Statesman Journal statesmanjournal.com

Akron offers 1.5 percent raise to AFSCME union - Break News - Ohio

Akron has offered one of its unions a 1.5 percent raise this year. George Johnson, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 1360, confirmed the amount Friday after meeting with members. Earlier this week, officials had declined to release the amount of the raise until the union members were notified.

Akron offers 1.5 percent raise to AFSCME union - Break News - Ohio

GOP weighs cost of union battle | StarTribune.com

The bitter struggle over union power sweeping through the Midwest is poised to descend on St. Paul, if Republican legislators decide to take the plunge. Their quandary is whether to push a proposed right-to-work constitutional amendment, a flashpoint for political warfare since the 1940s. Advocates in the GOP-controlled Legislature want it on the ballot. …. Eliot Seide, executive director of Minnesota AFSCME Council 5, said organized labor is gearing up to fight back, should lawmakers opt to put right to work on the November ballot. Their action, he said, could turn the State Capitol into another center of Midwestern union activism. "They would bring Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana here to Minnesota," Seide said.

GOP weighs cost of union battle StarTribune.com

AFSCME official: Genesee County 'stripped our contract down to nothing' | MLive.com

The chairman of the AFSCME union that's agreed to a new two-year contract with the county isn't exactly giving the pact a ringing endorsement. Then again, neither did the members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 496 Chapter 01. "That was disheartening," said Matt Spodney, AFSCME chapter chairman. "(The county) stripped anything the union has fought for ... They stripped our contract down to nothing."

AFSCME official: Genesee County 'stripped our contract down to nothing' MLive.com

AFSCME | Romney Likes Firing People – and Unions, Too

As Mitt Romney seeks victory in his native state's primary, he has made organized labor enemy No. 1. He has railed against union "stooges" and "bosses," arguing that their demands nearly killed the auto industry and gravely wounded America's competitiveness. … It's a circumstance born of necessity — Romney, despite being a native son and the son of a popular three-term Michigan governor, is locked in a tight battle with rival Rick Santorum and needs every vote he can get. But in a state where 18.3% of the employed were members of a union in 2011, more than in all but four other states, a starkly antilabor message carries risk.

AFSCME Romney Likes Firing People – and Unions, Too

AFSCME unveils anti-Romney auto bailout ad - POLITICO.com

Alex reported last week that AFSCME had purchased $360,000 worth of TV time in Ohio, and this is the spot the labor group is running that dings Mitt Romney on his opposition to the auto bailout. This takes the battle between Democrats and labor against Republicans over the industry bailout to a major Super Tuesday state, in which there are seven auto plants in the Cleveland market. This is a line of attack Democrats have been using against Romney in Michigan, but it remains to be seen to what effect.

AFSCME unveils anti-Romney auto bailout ad - POLITICO.com