HUFFPOST HILL - Republican Majority Leader Fightin' The Man

And Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker bravely signed a bill making it harder for victims of wage discrimination to sue, giving Wisconsin's overburdened and beleaguered courts more time to do the people's work... like convicting labor organizers.


HUFFPOST HILL - Republican Majority Leader Fightin' The Man

Yet More Dickery Oozes Out of the Talking Holes of Wisconsin’s Cheesy Republicans

After the Republican marionette doll named Scott Walker that masquerades as Wisconsin's Governor signed a bill Thursday repealing the state's 2009 Equal Pay Enforcement Act and then disappeared for the weekend to perform at a few horrifying children's ...


Yet More Dickery Oozes Out of the Talking Holes of Wisconsin’s Cheesy Republicans

Wisconsin recall effort against Gov. Scott Walker now at center stage nationally - The Washington Post

But at least for the next two months, the Badger State will be at the epicenter of American politics as voters decide for only the third time in the nation's history whether to recall a sitting governor. Republican Gov. Scott Walker has been in office ...


Wisconsin recall effort against Gov. Scott Walker now at center stage nationally - The Washington Post

Wisconsin’s Repeal of Equal Pay Rights Adds to Battles for Women - The Daily Beast

Governor Scott Walker signed a repeal of his state's workplace-discrimination law—the latest battleground over the issues that matter most to women. On Thursday, with little fanfare, Wisconsin governor ...


Wisconsin’s Repeal of Equal Pay Rights Adds to Battles for Women - The Daily Beast

UW instructor to run for open state Senate seat | News - Home

Democrat Lisa Theo teaches geography and geology at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. She announced Thursday she plans to run for Sen. Jim Holperin's seat. Holperin, a Democrat from Conover, announced last month he won't seek re-election in November.


UW instructor to run for open state Senate seat | News - Home

"Wis. GOP names fake Democrats for recall primaries" by Latest News -- GazetteXtra

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The state GOP has lined up six fake Democrats to run in upcoming recall elections targeting Gov. Scott Walker and five other Republicans.

"Wis. GOP names fake Democrats for recall primaries" by Latest News -- GazetteXtra

Waukesha County clerk gives up vote-count duties | Appleton Post Crescent | postcrescent.com

WAUKESHA — Embattled Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus has handed off her election duties in the upcoming recalls to her deputy clerk.


Waukesha County clerk gives up vote-count duties | Appleton Post Crescent | postcrescent.com

UW sanctioned 20 doctors for writing sick notes for protesters

UW School of Medicine and Public Health disciplined 20 doctors for writing questionable sick notes for protesters last year, newly released records show, with three doctors getting the harshest penalty: fines of up to $4,000 and loss of leadership positions for four months.

UW sanctioned 20 doctors for writing sick notes for protesters

WisPolitics.com: WisPolitics: Barrett pledges special session on collective bargaining, Falk says not enough

MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett vowed Thursday to call a special session of the Legislature to restore collective rights for public employees if he’s elected guv.
But former Dane County Exec Kathleen Falk countered at a forum hosted by unions and progressive groups that such a move was not enough and again pledged to use the budget to restore those powers.

WisPolitics.com: WisPolitics: Barrett pledges special session on collective bargaining, Falk says not enough

Wisconsin Recall Candidates Include Six Fake Democrats, Planted By GOP

Six fake Democrats are running in the upcoming Wisconsin recall elections, openly planted by the state Republican Party to force primary elections. The candidates will be running for governor, lieutenant governor and four state senate seats in ...


Wisconsin Recall Candidates Include Six Fake Democrats, Planted By GOP

Final tab for Capitol cleanup pegged at $200,000 - JSOnline

Madison - State officials spent just under $200,000 to clean up and restore the Capitol after last year's massive demonstrations, new figures show.


Final tab for Capitol cleanup pegged at $200,000 - JSOnline

Scott Walker Talks Praying, Family Getting Attacked

Scott Walker (R) is feeling the heat of the recall election he faces in June. In an exclusive interview with CBN's David Brody, he said that the vitriolic ...


Scott Walker Talks Praying, Family Getting Attacked

Walker: My family's been targeted - POLITICO.com Print View

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who will face his biggest political test yet in a recall election in June, says his critics have not only channeled their anger at him but also at his family — yelling at them in a grocery store and targeting his children on Facebook. “My personal home where my kids, my parents still live, I have thousands of people bussed in to my home in Wauwatosa where I’ve got two high school sons living, and I’ve got parents in their 70s,” Walker said in an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network.


SEPAC NOTE: Scott Walker not only has a huge "integrity" issue, but now he wants a "poor me" aura painted for him. He has not once acknowledged the pain he has inflicted upon hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites with regard to the stripping of collective bargaining, the cuts to medicaid, the removal of people from BadgerCare, the giving away of tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to corporations and the most obvious damage to Wisconsinites, polarization. There is no more harmony in our Great State of Wisconsin, it is a clear division of US or THEM. Under the leadership of Scott Walker, the Wisconsin GOP has created an image of "YOU'RE WITH US" or "YOU'RE AGAINST US". Most constituents of elected republican officials can no longer have a meaningful discussion with their elected representative unless they totally agree with them. Like Scott Walker, the Wisconsin GOP is ONLY open to THEIR ideas.

Walker: My family's been targeted - POLITICO.com Print View

Boycotts Hitting Group Behind 'Stand Your Ground' Gun Laws : NPR

Two of America's best known companies, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, have dropped their memberships in the American Legislative Exchange Council, a low-profile conservative organization behind the national proliferation of "stand-your-ground" gun laws. …. Coca-Cola's announcement came hours after a civil rights group, ColorOfChange.org, launched an online drive calling on Coca-Cola to stop underwriting the ALEC agenda on voter ID laws in several states. … PepsiCo, another soft drink giant, belonged to ALEC for 10 years. In January, a company vice president told ColorOfChange that it wouldn't renew for 2012. …. Until recently, ALEC was best known for its volumes of pro-business legislation: bills to weaken labor unions — as in Wisconsin, to privatize government operations and to reduce regulation. But this new anti-ALEC campaign comes at a time when some investors have already been pushing for more transparency on corporate political activities.


Boycotts Hitting Group Behind 'Stand Your Ground' Gun Laws : NPR

Daily Kos: Mitt Romney renews attacks on unions in Wisconsin victory speech

Mitt Romney may have won the Wisconsin Republican presidential primary, but he wasn't ready to move on from his anti-union message. In his victory speech, Romney said: "Workers should have the right to form unions, but unions should not be forced upon them. And unions should not have the power to take money out of their members’ paychecks to buy the support of politicians favored by the union bosses."


Daily Kos: Mitt Romney renews attacks on unions in Wisconsin victory speech

AFSCME | Students and Labor: A Perfect Union

…. In this spirit, the United States Student Association (USSA) and AFSCME have come together to form a partnership to stop university budget cuts and strengthen the progressive student movement.… Because of that solidarity, USSA honored AFSCME as its Coalition Partner of the Year at its annual awards ceremony. AFSCME Sec.-Treas. Lee Saunders accepted the award on behalf of the union. He noted the group’s shared histories – past and present. Both USSA and AFSCME are celebrating anniversaries this year: their 65th, our 75th. Both USSA and AFSCME were born in Madison, Wis. And both USSA and AFSCME stood in the rotunda of the Madison Capitol last spring to protest Gov. Scott Walker’s attack on workers.


AFSCME | Students and Labor: A Perfect Union

International Association of Fire Fighters Supports Recall of Wisconsin Gov. Walker, Endorses Mahlon Mitchell for Lt. Gov. - MarketWatch

WASHINGTON, Apr 4, 2012 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) -- The International Association of Fire Fighters announced today that it will be actively engaged with financial resources and boots on the ground in the recall and ouster of Wisconsin Governor Scott ...


International Association of Fire Fighters Supports Recall of Wisconsin Gov. Walker, Endorses Mahlon Mitchell for Lt. Gov. - MarketWatch

Scott Walker and the most polarized state in the country - The Washington Post

Exit polling from Wisconsin's Republican presidential primary on Tuesday night makes one thing very clear: The Badger State has the most polarized electorate in the country. The source of that polarization? Republican Gov. Scott Walker. Wisconsin Gov.


Scott Walker and the most polarized state in the country - The Washington Post

Milwaukee teachers reject plan to give salary back - JSOnline

After robust discussions and three days of voting, members of the Milwaukee teachers union have rejected by nearly a 3-to-2 margin a proposal to contribute about 2.6% of their salary to Milwaukee Public Schools next year to help reduce burgeoning class sizes.


Milwaukee teachers reject plan to give salary back - JSOnline

More election night problems in Waukesha - JSOnline

Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus fails, again...

Waukesha - Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus may have done her re-election campaign no favors Tuesday night when her plans to post timely election results online for the public and update them periodically failed.


More election night problems in Waukesha - JSOnline

State likely to appeal redistricting ruling to Supreme Court - JSOnline

The state is likely to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court a decision last month that found two election maps on Milwaukee's south side violated federal law, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Justice said Tuesday.


State likely to appeal redistricting ruling to Supreme Court - JSOnline

State employee benefits cost more than neighboring states - JSOnline

The estimated cost of providing health benefits to state employees in Wisconsin is higher than surrounding states after the changes last year with the passage of Act 10, based on a study released Tuesday by HCTrends. The study is based on an average of the cost of health plans available to state employees and not a weighted average that calculates the actual cost to Wisconsin based on the cost and enrollment in specific plans. …. The five states in the study are Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota and Iowa.


State employee benefits cost more than neighboring states - JSOnline

WPR Headline Story - Unions ask Walker to start bargaining again

The president of the state's largest public employee union says it's time for the governor to start bargaining wages with state workers. Marty Biel hand delivered a letter to Governor Walker Monday citing last week's Federal Court ruling that struck down some portions of the new collective bargaining law.


WPR Headline Story - Unions ask Walker to start bargaining again

Wisconsin gov.: Unions an entitlement, not a right - CBS News

Following Tuesday's Republican presidential primary, voters in Wisconsin have another important election coming up in two months on whether to remove Governor Scott Walker from office. He is a hero to some, a villain to others, for taking on the public employee unions. CBS Correspondent Jim Axelrod spoke with Gov. Walker about the recall effort. … Asked if he is a union buster, Walker replied "I know that collective bargaining is not a right; it's an expensive entitlement. It's about time somebody stood up for the hardworking taxpayers of our state."


Wisconsin gov.: Unions an entitlement, not a right - CBS News

Cain Weighs in on WI, Claims He Could Have Fired Godfather's Employees for Unionizing | rightwingwatch.org

Herman Cain was on American Family Radio's "Today's Issues" program today with host Tim Wildmon where he was asked what he thought about the upcoming June recall election of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. Cain responded by warning that if Walker is recalled, businesses in Wisconsin will leave the state and unions "will continue to destroy the state." Cain then went on to assert that when he was in charge of Godfather's Pizza, his employees had every right to try and form a union, just as he had every right to fire them for trying to do so. That last bit might come as a surprise to the National Labor Relations Board, which states quite clearly that it is illegal for an employer to fire employees for attempting to form a union


Cain Weighs in on WI, Claims He Could Have Fired Godfather's Employees for Unionizing | rightwingwatch.org

In Wisconsin Polls, Hints at Leanings for November - NYTimes.com

The fairly moderate electorate in Wisconsin provides a particular window into swing state characteristics that are being intensely studied by both parties as they eye the general election cycle later this year. In Tuesday’s Republican primary, voters chose the economy as more important than social issues and the ability to defeat President Obama as the top qualification in a candidate. … Tuesday’s exit poll in Wisconsin showed that Republican primary voters overwhelmingly — by about 8 in 10 — approve of Mr. Walker’s job as governor. The NBC/Marist poll found approval for Mr. Walker evenly split.


In Wisconsin Polls, Hints at Leanings for November - NYTimes.com

Guest column: They stood their ground for respect » The Commercial Appeal

By Chad Johnson and Lee Saunders, Chad Johnson is executive director of AFSCME Local 1733 of Memphis. Lee Saunders is secretary-treasurer of AFSCME International.

The Commercial Appeal, April 4, 2012

Today marks the 44th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and the strike by the sanitation workers of AFSCME Local 1733 -- two events that changed America and forever linked civil rights and workers' rights. For the members of AFSCME in Memphis and across the country, this is a day that holds special significance. The events we will commemorate represent both a high-water mark in our fight to ensure that all workers have a voice, and a violent end for a truth-telling, eloquent leader who was simultaneously one of our nation's greatest champions and fiercest critics. This year also marks the 75th anniversary of AFSCME, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. The state workers of Wisconsin who formed our union at the height of the Great Depression wanted the basics: better pay and better working conditions. But, just like the sanitation workers who went on strike in Memphis in 1968, they also wanted respect.

Guest column: They stood their ground for respect » The Commercial Appeal

Please Get Out and Vote Today, Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012

Participation in our democracy is how America grew to become the great nation that we are today. Take a few moments to help better our democracy by stopping by the polls to cast a ballot in today's presidential primary and local elections.


If you have taken advantage of early voting, please remind your friends, families, and co-workers to have not voted yet that the polls are open until 8PM tonight!

To find your polling location, click here: https://vpa.wi.gov/mainpage.aspx

Find out what you need to register at the polls by clicking here: http://www.ownyourvotewi.com/

Daily Kos: Wisconsin: It's official, we have the dumbest governor in the United States

Sigh, just when I think Governor Walker can't get any dumber...he opens his mouth. In an interview with a local CBS affiliate in Wisconsin, Walker blamed the Affordable Care Act for the slow growth. … Yep, you read that right. Wisconsin isn't bleeding jobs because of the millions of dollars that he took out of the economy when he cut the pay of teachers, city, county and state employees. Nope, that had nothing to do with anything. Neither did killing the train that would have run from Chicago through Milwaukee and Madison to Minneapolis ... nope, that has nothing to do with it. Could it be all of money he took out of education leaving businesses wondering where they would get an educated workforce? Nope.


Daily Kos: Wisconsin: It's official, we have the dumbest governor in the United States

Two Wisconsin Unions Endorse Scott Walker in Recall Election

Can you believe this?

Milwaukee Police and Firefighter unions have endorsed Scott Walker in the recall election.

Source: Daily Kos

Editorial: Better business climate not producing jobs

Gov. Scott Walker issued a press release Thursday touting a study that rates Wisconsin as one of the top five states for new business. Which raises the question: If Wisconsin’s business climate is better, then where are the jobs?


Editorial: Better business climate not producing jobs

Prison guard overtime up as positions go unfilled - JSOnline

Overtime for prison guards was up sharply last fiscal year and is up slightly again this year despite changes in overtime rules resulting from the repeal of most public union bargaining. A state Department of Corrections spokeswoman said that for the fiscal year that started in July, the new law and policies have been trumped by other factors like a big jump in vacant positions. …. Marty Beil, executive director of the Wisconsin State Employees Union, said the higher overtime reflects the fact that the administration has lost corrections officers and still not replaced them. "That means that there's going to be overtime. Unless they want to jeopardize the safety of the officers, they can't work short-shifted," Beil said.


Prison guard overtime up as positions go unfilled - JSOnline

Wisconsin's unions look to bigger battle - FT Specials News - IBNLive

… The fate of the governor will be decided by voters in early June, and the outcome will resonate well beyond the Midwestern state – a test of the power of trade unions in a US election season.
A defeat for Mr Walker could give Barack Obama confidence that trade unions – crucial allies of many Democratic political candidates – were capable of organising and delivering the turnout of liberal voters that could be decisive in securing the president's re-election.… Back in Milwaukee, Rich Abelson, an executive director for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, says union rights will not be the main issue in the general election, but rather "the economy, jobs, healthcare and fair taxation".

Wisconsin's unions look to bigger battle - FT Specials News - IBNLive

Wisconsin Legislative Council 11 - April 3 Elections Matter More Than Ever

While much of the state's attention is focused on recalling Scott Walker and four of his state Senate enablers, on April 3 we will elect local leaders in hundreds of communities across the state.  Because these local officials now set policies that were once covered by union contracts, the votes we cast in local elections are more important than ever.

Wisconsin Legislative Council 11 - April 3 Elections Matter More Than Ever

ICYMI: Scott Walker Hires "Anti-Corruption" Operation to Review Recall Signatures

ICYMI: Scott Walker Hires "Anti-Corruption" Operation to Review Recall Signatures

GOP & Tea Party Worried About Recall

In a recent Rasmussen Reports poll, 52% of respondents supported the RECALL of Gov. Walker, while only 47% opposed the RECALL.

Sent from Steven Williams BlackBerry smartphone

AFSCME Council 24 News Advisory

Contact: Marty Beil  608 836-0024 or Bob Allen  608 836-6666  

State Employee Unions Demand State Begin Bargaining

Federal Court Ruling Guts Walker's Anti-Union Bill Leaders of major unions representing state employees will deliver a letter to Gov. Scott Walker this afternoon demanding the state begin bargaining over contracts, now that a federal court has thrown out major portions of Walker's anti-union Act 10. 

The leaders, including AFSCME Council 24 Executive Director Marty Beil, will meet in the state Capitol Rotunda at 2 p.m. and then deliver their letter to the governor's office. 

Beil will be available in the Rotunda for interviews shortly before 2 p.m.

END

Sent from Steven Williams BlackBerry smartphone

AFSCME | Court Strikes Down Portions of Wisconsin Governor’s Anti-Worker Agenda

Judge William M. Conley wrote, “the State’s interest in avoiding the reality or appearance of favoritism or entanglement with partisan politics is the very reason this court cannot uphold the State of Wisconsin’s apparent, if not actual, favoritism and entanglement in partisan politics by discriminating in favor of fundraising efforts on behalf of public safety unions over general employee unions.”


AFSCME | Court Strikes Down Portions of Wisconsin Governor’s Anti-Worker Agenda

AFSCME | “Governor Scott Walker Has Egg On His Face”

Madison, WI —


“After today’s decision by the Federal Court in Wisconsin, Governor Scott Walker has egg on his face. His budget repair bill, which strips the rights of working people was found to be unconstitutional. If that’s not a sign of radical over-reach then we don’t know what is,” said Marty Beil, Executive Director of AFSCME Council 24.

AFSCME | “Governor Scott Walker Has Egg On His Face”

Wisconsin Union Law Is Flawed, Judge Finds - NYTimes.com

… Judge Conley’s decision did not affect the strict limits the law set on collective bargaining rights for most public workers, however. “This is bittersweet,” said Marty Beil, executive director of A.F.S.C.M.E. Council 24, which represents many Wisconsin state workers.


Wisconsin Union Law Is Flawed, Judge Finds - NYTimes.com