Call Your Senator Today

The Senate will take up the Bring Jobs Home Act tomorrow. This bill—S. 2884—would stop allowing corporations to deduct their moving expenses when they offshore good American jobs to other countries.

Call your senators now at 888-659-9401 and tell them to vote YES on the Bring Jobs Home Act tomorrow. Even if you already have called, your senators need to hear from you again.

The vote on this measure comes as news continues to trickle out about Mitt Romney’s tenure at Bain Capital, when companies it managed outsourced good jobs abroad.^[1]

And this week, a new report showed Romney’s tax plan would create even more incentives for corporations to ship jobs overseas.^[2]

Romney is not the only politician, though, who has been on the wrong side of job creation for working families. Politicians continue to support measures that reward corporate CEOs and leave the rest of us to take the hit.

Now they have a chance to move toward a comprehensive plan to stop outsourcing and create family-sustaining jobs in the United States. This not only must include passing the Bring Jobs Home Act but should also:

• Tax U.S. corporations’ overseas income the same way domestic income is taxed, so they do not shift income and jobs overseas just to lower their tax bill;
• Make sure trade agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership are fair and benefit working families—not just multinational corporations;
• Stop currency manipulation by our trading partners; and
• Bar companies that send call center jobs overseas from receiving federal grants and tax breaks.

Please call your senators today at 888-659-9401 and ask for their support for the Bring Jobs Home Act.

^[1] www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2012/07/
14/evidence_mounts_of_mitt_romneys_continuing_ties_to_bain_after_1999
^[2] www.americanprogressaction.org/issues/2012/07/hanlon_outsourcing.html

Source: AFL-CIO

Alice in Dairyland Showcases Flavors of Wisconsin Fairs and Festivals

MADISON – Are you ready to “Taste Wisconsin” this summer? Wisconsin’s fairs and festivals season is here. This brings a bounty of delicious foods and flavors to tempt your taste buds, everything from protein packed food “on-a-stick” to a sweet treat or two.

Rochelle Ripp, the 65th Alice in Dairyland, will be traveling the state highlighting the Wisconsin agricultural flavors that can be sampled at Wisconsin fairs and festivals. 

“Wisconsin has a variety of foods and flavors we are known for – cheese, sauerkraut, specialty meats, cherries and berries and a whole lot more,” said Ripp. “Wisconsin agriculture has something for everyone.”

For example, it wouldn’t be a fair without something “on-a-stick”. A favorite is a pork chop on-a- stick, served up by the Wisconsin Pork Producers Association. One pork chop serving is a great way to get protein into your diet. One chop has more than 20 grams of protein and can be paired with some great Wisconsin cranberry chutney or horseradish.

Fresh or fried, these bite-sized squeaky treats are a hit! Cheese curds are a fair and festival favorite. Cheddar or mozzarella, Wisconsin has over 600 varieties, types and styles of cheese to enjoy. It takes ten pounds of milk to make one pound of cheese. A gallon of milk weighs about eight pounds, so that’s just a little over one gallon of milk.

What starts in a field quickly transforms into a light snack over a stove or in a microwave – popcorn. Toss in a little Wisconsin butter, sprinkle with a bit of salt, or flavor with cheese or maple syrup, and you have a treat that is sure to make your mouth ‘pop’ this summer. There are two types of popcorn – snowflake and mushroom – which are named because of their shape. Snowflake popcorn is what we find at fairs and festivals; mushroom popcorn is used with flavorings because it is a sturdier type.

You haven’t been to the fair until you’ve had your cream puff. The Original Cream Puff® is a summer staple at the Wisconsin State Fair. The cream puff shell is filled with dairy goodness. In 2011, the Wisconsin State Fair Park Dairy Bakery sold 355,478 cream puffs and set a Guinness World Record for the “World’s Largest Cream Puff,” weighing in at 125.6 pounds! New this year, the State Fair cream puff box will feature the Something Special from Wisconsin™ logo.

Maple sugar cotton candy is a fun, fluffy finale on your taste buds. Made from pure, natural, granulated sugars tapped from our Wisconsin maple trees and sugar bushes, this is a sweet reminder of summer fun. Marathon County claims the title as the highest maple syrup producing county in Wisconsin.

“I encourage you to get out and ‘Taste Wisconsin’ at the fairs and festivals this summer,” concluded Ripp. “Buying Wisconsin products is a great way to support our local farmers, communities, economies, and our Wisconsin way of life.”

Alice in Dairyland is Wisconsin’s agriculture ambassador. She travels over 40,000 miles each year to spread the word about our diverse agriculture industry. Alice in Dairyland can be reached by writing to Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), 2811 Agriculture Drive, PO Box 8911, Madison, WI 53718. You can schedule Alice for an upcoming event by contacting the Alice in Dairyland Program at 608.224.5115 or by e-mail at DATCPAlice@wisconsin.gov. To learn more about Wisconsin’s $59 billion agricultural industry visit her travel blog at www.wisconsinagconnection.com/alice or become a friend on Facebook (Alice Dairyland), follow on Twitter (Alice_Dairyland) or LinkedIn (Alice in Dairyland). 

APWU of Wisconsin 2012 Fall Seminar

Make your plans now to attend the APWU of Wisconsin Fall Seminar to be held in Neenah, WI.

 

Holiday Inn Riverwalk

Neenah WI

123 E Wisconsin Ave

October 6 & 7, 2012

Hotel Rate:  $77

920-725-8441 Toll free 800-725-6348

 

Reference the APWU of Wisconsin

Hotel Cutoff: September 13, 2012

 

Click Here for Directions to Hotel

Click Here for Seminar Registration Form

USPS default on Aug. 1 appears likely

The cash-strapped U.S. Postal Service is within weeks of defaulting on a legally required $5.5 billion payment into a heath benefits fund for future retirees.

So far, it appears House leaders have no intention of preventing that from happening — they have postponed any action on relief measures until at least fall.

(FULL STORY)    Source: Federal Times

"Don't Take Away New Medicare Benefits for Seniors"

The following statement was issued today by Leon Burzynski, president of the Wisconsin Alliance for Retired Americans, in response to the U.S. House voting to repeal the Affordable Care Act:

"The U.S. House shamefully voted to take away Medicare benefits that are helping seniors in Wisconsin better afford to see a doctor and fill a prescription."

"Wisconsin retirees are upset that, in voting for repeal, Reps Duffy, Petri, Ribble, Ryan, and Sensenbrenner chose ideology and partisan politics over seniors' basic needs.  We are pleased that Reps Baldwin, Kind, and Moore stood up against the powerful special interests in support of a law that is helping workers and retirees across our state.

In Wisconsin, over 59,000 Medicare beneficiaries have already saved a total of $37,919,307.00 on their prescriptions. Also in Wisconsin, 647,617 seniors have received free, life-saving tests for chronic diseases. 

"Retirees worry about their children and grandchildren, and are happy the law allows young adults under age 26 stay on their parents' health insurance.  Seniors are glad to see working families finally protected from the greed and outrageous business practices of the insurance companies."

"This was the 33rd vote in Congress to repeal this law, a law that in the past two years has been approved by both houses of Congress, signed by the President, and upheld by the Supreme Court. It is time to move on. Political gamesmanship will not help a single retiree, worker, or student live a better, healthier life."

The real truth is that seniors have already and will continue to benefit from the Affordable Care Act.  For a complete list of the benefits available under the ACA, visit the website 'Seniors and the Affordable Care Act'.

Durbin again asks for new USPS audit regarding consolidations

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) has sent a letter to Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe urging him to adhere to a provision – included in the Senate Financial Services and General Government Appropriations passed last month by the Senate Appropriations Committee – that would require the Postal Service to conduct a new audit that shows cost savings before moving forward with plans to close or consolidate facilities that were recently found to be efficient.

 See Full Story  (Quincy, IL News)

Romney Working To Eliminate The US Postal Service

Mitt Romney and his economic advisors like Kevin Hassett have a clear message in how a Romney administration would address the US Postal Service. It’s fairly simple they would eliminate it.

See Full Story  (New Hampshire Labor News)