Saturday, March 17, 2012

Complaint filed against Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser in choking case | Appleton Post Crescent | postcrescent.com

MADISON — Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser violated the court's ethics code when he allegedly choked a rival justice and should be disciplined, according to a complaint the state Judicial Commission filed with the high court Friday.


Complaint filed against Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser in choking case | Appleton Post Crescent | postcrescent.com

Wisconsin GOP Loses Senate Majority, After Recall-Targeted GOPer Resigns | TPM2012

In addition, the Lieutenant Governor in Wisconsin does not have a tie-breaking vote, Renk told us. There is, however, precedent for a temporary power-sharing agreement that will have to be worked out until the upcoming recalls put the Senate back at ...


Wisconsin GOP Loses Senate Majority, After Recall-Targeted GOPer Resigns | TPM2012

Governor's office receives more than 200 public records requests | Sheboygan Press | sheboyganpress.com

The office received 214 written requests during 2011, some three times more than the previous governor saw just a few years earlier, Gannett Wisconsin Media found while checking public records activity as part of a Sunshine Week open-government ...


Governor's office receives more than 200 public records requests | Sheboygan Press | sheboyganpress.com

The Power of Recalls in Wisconsin | The Nation

With Wisconsin recall elections looming against four Republican state senators—as well as Governor Scott Walker and Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch—the state's politics was thrown for another loop Friday when a targeted senator up and quit.


The Power of Recalls in Wisconsin | The Nation

Friday, March 16, 2012

I'll help you vote if you help me

We've made history with the incredible number of recall petitions we turned in...now we need to get the job done on election day, Tuesday, June 5th.

Sign the We Are Wisconsin "Pledge to Vote" with me:

http://action.wearewisconsin.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=8378

If you sign up, they'll keep you updated on breaking Election Day news, and make sure that we have all of the information that we need to vote in the right place, at the right time, and with the proper identification.

I'll help you vote if you help me. Please sign the pledge with me so we can celebrate together on June 5th!

Pledge to Vote June 5th to Reclaim Wisconsin

On Monday, March 12, Scott Walker told a group of conservative activists that being governor was "not that important" to him and that his $143,423 taxpayer-funded salary was not "real money" and that his wife "would love for him to go back to the private sector."


Pledge to Vote June 5th to Reclaim Wisconsin

State Sen. Galloway to resign, leaving Senate split - JSOnline

Madison - State Sen. Pam Galloway, who faces a recall election this summer, is resigning from the Senate effective Saturday, leaving an even split between Republicans and Democrats.

State Sen. Galloway to resign, leaving Senate split - JSOnline

AFSCME Will Recognize National Library Workers Day on April 10th

From: President McEntee &. Sec-Treas Saunders [mailto:President_SecTreasurer@afscme.org]
Sent: Thursday, March 15, 2012 3:32 PM
To: AFSCME
Subject: National Library Workers Day
On Tuesday, April 10, during National Library Week, communities across the country will observe National Library Workers Day. The recession, caused by the collapse of the Wall Street casino economy, means AFSCME library members continue to confront severe budget cuts while, at the same time, our communities desperately need the services libraries offer. And library workers have always been a strong voice for free and open access to knowledge and information. Yet the voice of library workers, and of other public employees - their right to have a union and to collectively bargain – is under attack.
At the same time libraries across the country are being threatened with privatization. Here is how Library Systems and Services, Inc. (LSSI), the only company in the private library business, explains their philosophy: “A lot of libraries are atrocious. Their policies are all about job security. That’s why the profession is nervous about us. You can go to a library for 35 years and never have to do anything and then have your retirement. We’re not running our company that way. You come to us, you’re going to have to work.” [Frank A. Pezzanite, Executive Chairman of LSSI, as quoted in the New York Times, September 26, 2010]
We must protect our public libraries. AFSCME represents more library workers than any other union and is a powerful advocate for libraries and library workers. Indeed, education, training, and library occupations are among the most unionized in the United States (36.8% in 2011). We encourage you to observe National Library Workers Day, a time to honor the contributions of AFSCME members, including librarians, technicians, support staff and others, who make libraries happen and who are doing more with less.
As in years past, we have produced bookmarks for the occasion to distribute to members and, if the library will permit it, to the public. The bookmark design celebrates AFSCME’s 75th anniversary and highlights AFSCME’s ties to libraries. This is also a good time to remind your library members about the Library Employees Online Network, where members can discuss shared concerns, learn what's going on around the country and exchange information and ideas. Members can sign up for the network via the AFSCME website (www.afscme.org) in the “Jobs We Do” section.
For more information or to place a bookmark order, contact Jessica Storrs, AFSCME Department of Research and Collective Bargaining Services, 1625 L Street, N.W., Washington, DC, 20036, (202) 429-1222, or email at jstorrs@afscme.org.

Election Blog: WisPolitics.com updates on primary and general elections in Wisconsin

Friday, March 16, 2012


10:26 AM Galloway to resign Senate seat, but GAB director says election still on
 
Election Blog: WisPolitics.com updates on primary and general elections in Wisconsin

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Wisconsin's spending transparency earns D-minus - JSOnline

Madison - Nine months after lawmakers passed a budget that included a provision to create a website showing state government expenditures of $100 or more, the information is not easily available to anyone with access to a computer.
That's why the Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group has given Wisconsin a D-minus grade in its annual report on transparency of government spending.

Wisconsin's spending transparency earns D-minus - JSOnline

Walker says unions trying to sabotage government reforms

Gov. Scott Walker said Wednesday that several union leaders were trying to sabotage his efforts to cut costs by urging the Milwaukee teachers union to oppose legislation that would pave the way for financial concessions just before the June recall election for Walker and five other Republicans.

Walker says unions trying to sabotage government reforms

Scott Walker praises Town Council for leadership cutting employee pension

Embattled Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker strode into the Town Hall council chambers Wednesday afternoon, briefly interrupting a coastal protection discussion, said basically hello, and was on his way.
But he did take a moment to congratulate the town’s elected officials for what he called their leadership position in cutting employee pensions and other benefits.

Scott Walker praises Town Council for leadership cutting employee pension

Don't appeal ruling on back pay, Milwaukee County panel says - JSOnline

A divided Milwaukee County Board committee recommended Wednesday that the county forgo an appeal of a judge's ruling that would mean payment of at least $4.5 million in back pay with interest to 1,800 county workers. After an hourlong, closed-door session, the Judiciary, General Services and Safety Committee voted 4-3 against appealing the ruling to the state Appeals Court. The back pay would cover losses due to 22 days of unpaid furloughs imposed on employees in early 2010 by Gov. Scott Walker while he was still county executive. Walker justified the emergency action, saying the county was facing a $15 million projected shortfall. The county ended the year with a surplus. The Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission said Walker should have bargained with the county's largest union, District Council 48 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.


Don't appeal ruling on back pay, Milwaukee County panel says - JSOnline

The Badger Herald: Complaints target role of non-profits in defending Walker

The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign filed complaints Tuesday against three tax-exempt organizations claiming they violated federal revenue codes for non-profit groups by participating in the political campaign for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. WDC Director Mike McCabe said the campaign filed the complaints on the basis that the Heartland Institute, Americans for Prosperity and the MacIver Institute violated the federal Internal Revenue Code that prohibits charitable organizations from participating in a political campaign.


The Badger Herald: Complaints target role of non-profits in defending Walker

A.F.L.-C.I.O. Takes On Voter ID Laws - NYTimes.com

ORLANDO, Fla. — A.F.L.-C.I.O. officials on Wednesday denounced the voter identification laws enacted in a dozen states and vowed to mount their biggest voter registration and protection efforts ever to counter these laws, which they said could disenfranchise millions of voters. Union leaders, gathered here for their annual winter meeting, held a news conference to attack the laws, saying that Republican governors and Republican-dominated legislatures had enacted them to make voting harder for numerous Democratic-leaning groups, including students, minorities, elderly and the poor.



A.F.L.-C.I.O. Takes On Voter ID Laws - NYTimes.com

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Daily Kos: Scott Walker, $144,423 annual salary, says he could 'make some real money' in the private sector

As governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker makes an annual salary of $144,423. Despite this, at an event on March 12 sponsored by right-wing radio host Charlie Sykes, Walker talked about being about to "make some real money" if he were to leave politics and enter the private sector.


Daily Kos: Scott Walker, $144,423 annual salary, says he could 'make some real money' in the private sector

It’s clear: Labor rights are human rights

A year ago, when Gov. Scott Walker signed into law his plan to undermine collective bargaining rights for state, county and municipal employees and public school teachers, the prediction from the governor and his allies was that the mass movement to oppose Walker’s anti-labor agenda would fade.

It’s clear: Labor rights are human rights

WUWM: News - Milwaukee County May Fight Order to Pay Furloughed Workers

Milwaukee County may have to pay hundreds of workers it furloughed in 2010. The Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission and a circuirt court judge have ruled that the county did not have the authority to impose 22 furlough days on members of AFSCME District Council 48.


WUWM: News - Milwaukee County May Fight Order to Pay Furloughed Workers

Support President Obama and Pro-Worker Candidates

AFLCIO ALERT: Join the Working Families Action Team to support President Obama and other pro-worker candidates by visiting http://bit.ly/AFLaction2012 .

Sent from Steven Williams BlackBerry smartphone

UPDATE: Wisconsin Assembly passes recall signature bribery bill | News - Home

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- The Wisconsin state Assembly has passed a bill that would make it a felony to offer anything of value to induce someone to sign a recall petition.


UPDATE: Wisconsin Assembly passes recall signature bribery bill | News - Home

Recall votes set for May 8 and June 5 - JSOnline

Madison - If primaries are held, voters would go to the polls on June 5 for recall elections involving Gov. Scott Walker, the lieutenant governor and four Republican state senators, under an agreement signed by a judge on Wednesday.
The agreement also calls for primaries - or a general election in the event there are no primaries - to take place on May 8.

Recall votes set for May 8 and June 5 - JSOnline

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Scott Walker’s Wisconsin Voter ID Law Violates Constitution, Judge Rules - Businessweek

The US Justice Department yesterday told Texas officials the state failed to show that the statute signed into law by Governor Rick Perry last year won't have a discriminatory effect on Latino voters while a Wisconsin state court judge held that an ID ...



Scott Walker’s Wisconsin Voter ID Law Violates Constitution, Judge Rules - Businessweek

Recall elections tentatively scheduled for June 5 | Superior Telegram | Superior, Wisconsin

A gubernatorial recall election could be held on June 5th under a motion approved Monday by Wisconsin's Government Accountability Board. A gubernatorial recall election could be held on June 5th under a motion approved Monday by Wisconsin's Government ...



Recall elections tentatively scheduled for June 5 | Superior Telegram | Superior, Wisconsin

Rep. Gwen Moore: The Struggle Continues: The Wisconsin Labor Movement One Year Later

Wisconsinites are deeply rooted in the labor movement. Governor Scott Walker didn't know who he was messing with when he picked a fight with the hard-working union folks of Wisconsin. He must have forgotten that Wisconsin is the Badger State.



Rep. Gwen Moore: The Struggle Continues: The Wisconsin Labor Movement One Year Later

Wisconsin Officials Get More Time to Study Recall Petitions - Bloomberg

Wisconsin election officials will have 11 more days to study petitions seeking the recall of Governor Scott Walker, according to a copy of an agreement provided by the state attorney general's office. Walker, a first-term Republican, ...



Wisconsin Officials Get More Time to Study Recall Petitions - Bloomberg

AFL-CIO Stands with President Obama

AFL-CIO ALERT: President Obama has earned support of working people. Today the AFL-CIO endorsed him for a second term. Learn more at http://bit.ly/wBR1B9 .
Sent from Steven Williams BlackBerry smartphone

Jesse's Package::Lee Saunders says AFSCME carries on tradition of Wisconsin::Workers Independent News

AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer Lee Saunders says his public employee union has a long, proud history and is determined to press the fight for a strong middle-class in the Wisconsin recall elections and beyond. Wisconsin is the birthplace of AFSCME. [Lee Saunders]: “So it’s very ironic that the same things they were fighting for – dignity and respect and protection on the job and collective bargaining – we’re fighting for that today in the state of Wisconsin.


Jesse's Package::Lee Saunders says AFSCME carries on tradition of Wisconsin::Workers Independent News

The road to the Capitol occupation | SocialistWorker.org

Marty Beil, executive director of Council 24, was an enthusiastic participant. In 1998, the project was bolstered by a grant from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service which funded labor-management training classes around the states that involved 750 people and culminated in a "graduation" ceremony at the governor's mansion. When the federal grant expired, Working Together became formalized, with funding partly provided by a grant from AFSCME International. "The Wisconsin experience and the success with the Working Together project should be a national model," AFSCME president Gerald McEntee said at the time.[33] For his part, Beil saw labor-management partnership as extending to the ballot box, and broke with most union leaders to support Thompson.[34]


The road to the Capitol occupation | SocialistWorker.org

Wisconsin Voter ID Law Ruled Unconstitutional

WASHINGTON -- A Wisconsin judge declared a state law requiring people to show photo ID in order to be allowed to vote unconstitutional on Monday, issuing a permanent injunction blocking the state from implementing the measure.


Wisconsin Voter ID Law Ruled Unconstitutional

Monday, March 12, 2012

AFSCME Council 24 Press Release

March 12, 2012
Contact: Dan Meehan
920-392-9579

It’s Not Working – It’s Not Safe
Walker shortchanging public safety by undercutting correctional workers

The administration of Gov. Scott Walker is putting correctional workers and Wisconsin communities at risk by letting penny-wise – pound-foolish ideology guide its decisions about the state’s correctional system, workers say.

In trying to make do with a staff stretched thin by a wave of retirements, the Department of Corrections is lowering the bar on the level of experience required to fill sensitive slots in many facilities. Relatively new officers who are untested in emergencies are now filling jobs that once required extra training and years of experience.

“By trying to make state workers into public enemies, Scott Walker flushed a lot good officers and experience out of the system,” said Dan Meehan, a 30-year veteran of the department who works at Waupun Correctional Institution.

“Walker’s administration hasn’t come close to filling the void they’ve created. As a result, it’s become a lot harder and a lot more dangerous to deal with the people who really are public enemies. This not only puts officers at risk, it threatens the safety of our communities,” said Meehan, who serves as president of Wisconsin State Employees Union Local 18.

In addition to causing an exodus of experienced staff without any serious effort to replace the talent that’s been lost, the administration has put a torch to work rules and local agreements once covered by negotiated contracts. This means established procedures are replaced by arbitrary and inconsistent pronouncements from above, often from bureaucrats far removed from the day-to-day realities inside the institutions.

“They’ve replaced labor-management collaboration and cooperation with top down ideology. If given the choice between using a handshake or a hammer, they are going to use the hammer. It’s a bad way to treat people and it’s killing morale. Our jobs are hard enough without being treated like dirt by everybody. We expect it from the inmates, but it shouldn’t also be raining down from above,” Meehan said.

Retired public employees face more pension cuts - JSOnline

Tens of thousands of retired public employees in Wisconsin whose pensions have been reduced for four straight years probably will see another cut in 2013. For tens of thousands more, pension payments will remain frozen at levels that in many cases fall far short of the rate of inflation. The situation is unprecedented in the history of the plan that covers most teachers and government employees - Milwaukee County and city workers are an exception - in the state.


Retired public employees face more pension cuts - JSOnline

AFSCME | Rally Goers March to Take Back Wisconsin

Tens of thousands thronged Madison, Wis., Saturday to send a message to Gov. Scott Walker and corporate-backed politicians in the state and beyond: This is still what democracy looks like.


AFSCME | Rally Goers March to Take Back Wisconsin

The Associated Press: Corrections firm offers states cash for prisons

The nation's largest private prison company made an enticing offer to 48 states that went something like this: We will buy your prison now if you agree to keep it mostly full and promise to pay us for running it over the next two decades. Despite a need for cash, several states immediately slammed the door on the offer, a sign that privatizing prisons might not be as popular as it once was. Corrections Corporation of America sent letters to the prison leaders in January, saying it had a pot of $250 million to buy facilities as part of an investment. The company is trying to capitalize on the landmark deal it made with Ohio in the fall by purchasing a facility, the first state prison in the nation to be sold to a private firm.


The Associated Press: Corrections firm offers states cash for prisons

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Walker supporters confront King in FdL | Fond du Lac Reporter | fdlreporter.com

When state Sen. Jessica King, D-Oshkosh, visited Fond du Lac on Friday to talk about her hopes of restoring transit funding, about 20 people showed up to talk about the failed mining bill in northern Wisconsin and jobs lost.


Walker supporters confront King in FdL | Fond du Lac Reporter | fdlreporter.com

Tens of Thousands Rally in Wisconsin for Labor Rights and Democracy | The Nation

As the state prepares for a recall election that could remove Walker from the governorship—along with his lieutenant governor and four Republican state senators—tens of thousands of union activists and their supporters rallied once more Saturday at the state Capitol in Madison.


Tens of Thousands Rally in Wisconsin for Labor Rights and Democracy | The Nation

Thousands rally in Madison against Wisconsin governor, collective bargaining law | Duluth News Tribune | Duluth, Minnesota

Thousands of pro-union demonstrators descended on the Wisconsin Capitol on Saturday to voice their anger at Gov. Scott Walker and his conservative agenda, using the anniversary of the passage of his signature collective bargaining law to rally support ...



Thousands rally in Madison against Wisconsin governor, collective bargaining law | Duluth News Tribune | Duluth, Minnesota