APWU of Wisconsin Delegation Meets with Senator Tammy Baldwin

A Wisconsin APWU delegation met today with Senator Tammy Baldwin in her office in Washington D.C. to discuss the future of the Postal Service.

(L-R) APWU of WI President, Steve Lord; Wausau Area Local President, Tom Tomczyk; Milwaukee Area Local President, Paul McKenna; Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin; Madison Area Local President, Bret Wersland; and Milwaukee Area Local Rep., Chris Czubakowski.

COPA Money Comes Back to Wisconsin

APWU of Wisconsin receives COPA Funds from National for distribution in upcoming elections.

La Crosse, WI -  APWU of Wisconsin (APWUWI) State President Steve Lord announced at the APWUWI Executive Board meeting recently that the State has received checks from your COPA contributions for distribution to “Labor-Friendly” candidates in the upcoming elections.

Checks were received for Wisconsin Legislators as follows:

• Rob Zerban – Candidate for First District Congressional District $1,000.00
• Gwen Moore – Congresswoman 4th District $5,000.00
• Jamie Wall – Candidate for 8th District Congressional District $2,500.00
• Pat Kreitlow – Candidate State Senator District #23  $2,500.00
• Tammy Baldwin – Candidate for U.S. Senate (Herb Kohl vacant position) $5,000.00
• AFL-CIO Recall Effort – $10,000.00

Pictured Below:

Wisconsin AFL-CIO President Phil Neuenfeldt (right) accepts a check for $10,000.00 for the upcoming Recall Efforts in Wisconsin. The COPA check was presented to Neuenfeldt by APWUWI President Steve Lord and APWU Central Region Coordinator Sharyn M. Stone.

Photo by: John E. Durben

WI STATE AFL-CIO ENDORSEMENT FOR GOVERNOR

On Monday April 9, 2012 the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO COPE committee met to conduct interviews with candidates for governor, Kathleen Falk, Tom Barrett and Kathleen Vinhout.

After the interviews the COPE Committee passed a motion to endorse Kathleen Falk for Governor in the May 8, recall primary. The endorsement represents the required two-thirds vote of committee members voting. In addition the Committee passed a motion to endorse the Democratic winner of the primary for the June 5th general election.

Tony Vanderbloemen
President
Greater Green Bay Labor Council

From progressive to regressive: Wis. GOP declares war on workers

by Mike Konopacki and Kathy Wilkes

Wisconsin governor-elect Scott Walker and the new Republican legislature have declared war on working people. They want to abolish public employee unions and turn Wisconsin into a so-called “right-to-work” state, meaning no more “union shops” and no more dues from anyone who objects. This also means no more pressure from anywhere to keep wages at a livable level for anyone, union or not.

It’s all under the guise of cutting the State’s $3 billion budget deficit and creating 250,000 jobs. Sound familiar? Since the Reagan era, Republicans and corporate Democrats have pushed the big lie that tax cuts for the rich, deregulation, and busting unions would bring jobs and prosperity. Instead we got the Great Recession. And now the people of

Wisconsin have voted to cure the disease with more disease and turn our state into an economic dictatorship.

Harsh words? You bet. Reality is worse. One of the first things dictators do is go after organized labor:

- When Hitler outlawed “trade unions, collective bargaining and the right to strike, the German worker in the Third Reich became an industrial serf, bound to his master, the employer, much as medieval peasants had been bound to the lord of the manor,” writes William Shirer in his classic, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. This was done “democratically” when Germany’s parliament passed the 1934 Charter of Labor that “put the worker in his place and raised the employer to his old position of absolute master.”

- Italy’s fascist dictator Benito Mussolini abolished free trade unions.

- Communist China—America’s banker and manufacturer—only allows government-controlled unions.

Walker won’t round up labor leaders and have them jailed as Hitler did; he just wants them neutered. And there’s no comparison with Mussolini, who reportedly made the trains run on time. Walker hates trains; he lost us $810 million dollars and 5,500 jobs opposing high-speed rail. And where China requires even antiunion Wal-Mart to be unionized, Walker would never permit such an outrage.

A better comparison is Saddam Hussein, George W. Bush, and L. Paul Bremer. In 1987 the Iraqi dictator declared that workers in his huge state enterprises were civil servants and therefore prohibited from forming unions and bargaining collectively. After Bush invaded Iraq, Bremer’s Coalition Provisional Authority abolished all of Saddam’s laws but one: the ban on labor unions.

For 80 years, Republican plutocrats have chipped away at “New Deal” laws that raised millions of families out of poverty and into the middle class. They’ve busted union membership down from 35% of the private sector in the 1950s to less than 8% today. Wages stagnated while income inequality soared. From 1980 to 2005, more than four-fifths of the total increase in incomes went to the richest 1% percent, which now owns more wealth than the bottom 90%.

Republicans don’t care about creating jobs or cutting deficits. GOP wunderkind Paul Ryan, for example, sat idly by as the remains of his district’s auto industry were dismantled, leaving Racine, Kenosha, and Janesville the most economically depressed cities in the state. Instead he plotted to privatize Social Security, despite the Wall Street debacle, and promoted tax cuts for the rich, despite the ballooning deficit.

If Republicans win their war against workers, we face dire consequences. As Shirer observed, “Between the Right and Left, Germany lacked a politically powerful middle class, which in other countries – in France, in England, in the United States – had proved to be the backbone of democracy.”

Mike Konopacki is a labor cartoonist in Madison. Kathy Wilkes is a Madison writer and editor.

Statement by Wisconsin State AFL-CIO President Phil Neuenfeldt on the Need to Pass the Unemployment Extension

“Don’t Leave the Jobless Out in the Cold”

At midnight last night, 800,000 unemployed workers lost their unemployment insurance benefits.  By the end of December, 2 million are projected to lose their unemployment insurance.  Shame on those in Congress who aren't supporting this emergency lifeline.

The domino effect of the unemployment insurance expiration will affect more than just the families of the unemployed.  When jobless families are unable to pay their mortgage, buy groceries or generate tax revenue, local communities, businesses and governments all suffer.  The expiration of unemployment insurance benefits slows our economy down when we need to speed it up.

The Wisconsin State AFL-CIO and working families are calling on Congress to approve a one year emergency extension of unemployment insurance.  Never before has Congress allowed unemployment insurance to expire when so many people are looking for work but unable to find jobs.  But instead of focusing on working families, the newly-elected GOP Congress is pushing to pass tax cuts for millionaires by extending the Bush tax cuts for those making over $250,000.

Thank you to Wisconsin Representatives Baldwin, Obey, Kagen, Kind and Moore for supporting the extension of benefits.  Representatives Petri, Ryan and Sensenbrenner voted against even a short-term extension.

Don’t leave Wisconsin’s economy in the cold this December.  Keep our communities and jobless families afloat; support a one year emergency extension of unemployment insurance.

Post-Election Statement from the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO

Congratulations to Governor-elect Scott Walker and to the new and returning members of the Wisconsin State Legislature. The challenge ahead in governing the state is a substantial one. Labor in Wisconsin is committed to economic policies that preserve the gains of working class families, and our voices must be heard, especially during deliberations on the next biennial budget. American workers have borne the worst of the economic crisis, and the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO is committed to ensuring that middle-class families share in the recovery.

Three Wisconsin Congressional Representatives Cosponsor H.R. 173

The most recent information found indicates that only three of Wisconsin's Congressional Representatives have signed on so far in support of H. Res. 173.

In short, H. Res. 173 would urge the U.S. Postal Service to take all appropriate measures to ensure the continuation of its six-day mail delivery service.

Current Wisconsin Congressional Cosponsors are:

Representative Tammy Baldwin (D - 02)

Representative Gwen Moore (D - 04)
Representative Steve Kagen (D - 08)

Please contact them and thank them for their support of 6-day delivery by the postal service.

The following Congressmen from Wisconsin are not yet cosponsors at this time. Please contact them and urge them to sign-on as cosponsors.

Representative Paul Ryan (R - 01)
Representative Ron Kind (D - 03)
Representative F. James (Jim) Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R - 05)
Representative Tom Petri (R - 06)
Representative Dave Obey (D - 07)

There are currently a total of 203 cosponsors. A total of 218 votes are needed.

Statement of U.S. Senator Russ Feingold

On Senate Passage of the Health Care Bill

“The Senate health care bill is far from perfect. I am deeply disappointed it does not include a public option to help keep down costs and I also don’t like the deal making that secured votes with unjustifiable provisions. I will work to improve the bill, including restoring the public option, when the final version is drafted.

“But, while this bill could and should have been much stronger, it includes very important provisions for Wisconsin that I worked to include. The bill will bring more Medicare dollars to Wisconsin by improving the unfair reimbursement formula that has siphoned money away from the state for years, and by rewarding the high-quality, low-cost care practiced at places like Gundersen Lutheran and the Marshfield Clinic. Wisconsin taxpayers also win because we will see a boost in Medicaid funding, so our state isn’t harshly penalized for its leadership in expanding coverage. The bill also ends discrimination by insurance companies against people with preexisting conditions, expands coverage to 30 million more Americans and reduces the deficit by an estimated $132 billion. Despite the bill's flaws, it does meet the test of real reform, and the cost of inaction was much too high.”

Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Endorses Tom Barrett for Governor

Milwaukee – The Wisconsin State AFL-CIO today announced its endorsement of Tom Barrett for Governor of Wisconsin in 2010.

”Tom Barrett is focused on creating new, family supporting jobs in Wisconsin, and as Governor, he will make that the state’s highest priority. He recognizes that working people in Wisconsin – their skills, their commitment, and their experience – are assets that will help us build a new, strong economy,” said Wisconsin State AFL-CIO President David Newby.

As mayor, Tom Barrett has demonstrated a willingness to listen and cooperate with people from all walks of life. That approach has led to better policies and better outcomes for all working people.

“I am proud to stand with the working men and women from all across Wisconsin as we build on this state’s economic strengths,” Mayor Barrett said of the endorsement. “We have faced remarkably tough economic times recently, and too many hard working people have been pushed out of jobs. But I continue to believe this state’s greatest days are ahead of us. I will provide the leadership Wisconsin needs to make certain everyone benefits from our future success.”

As the statewide coordinating council for AFL-CIO unions in Wisconsin, the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO determines union policy on state issues, speaks for working men and women on matters of public concern, provides services to local unions, and coordinates political and legislative action with its over 1,000 affiliated unions which represent over 250,000 members in the state.

Let’s Get the Facts Straight: House Gets Health Care Reform Right

With the U.S. House vote Nov. 7 approving historic health care reform, America’s working families are another step closer to winning quality, affordable health care for all.

The citizens of Wisconsin owe thanks to Reps. Kagen, Baldwin, Kind, Moore, and Obey, who voted for the bill, and have every right to be very disappointed in Reps. Ryan, Sensenbrenner and Petri, who did not.

I am particularly grateful to our own Representative Dr. Steve Kagen; his vote clearly indicates that he put people first, rather than insurance company special interests. He has also made many strong public statements explaining and supporting reform.

Representatives who supported the bill faced down a daylong barrage of blatant falsehoods from opponents. Let’s get the facts straight.

The Affordable Health Care for America Act, which now must be merged with a bill the Senate is expected to pass in coming weeks, covers 96 percent of Americans, is fully paid for and reduces the federal deficit, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. The White House Council of Economic Advisers confirms it will aid job creation in both the short term and the long term.

At the core of the House health care bill is shared responsibility—individuals, companies and government all have a role. Companies are required to cover employees or pay into a common fund, so the rest of us don’t have to pick up the health care tab for the workers of highly profitable companies. Small businesses are exempt and tax credits will help small responsible employers take part. Individuals must have insurance, but low-income people will get help paying for health insurance. Every year, about $1,000 of our health insurance costs goes to cover the uninsured. Bringing previously uninsured people into the insurance risk pool is key to driving down health care costs for all of us.

The House bill increases choice by adding a strong public health insurance plan option that will drive down health care costs by forcing private insurers to compete. The public plan is an option. If your employer provides insurance, you can keep it. If not, the insurance market, including the public plan and private plans, is open to your choice. And if you can’t afford insurance, this bill will get you help.

The House bill helps America’s seniors by strengthening and improving Medicare benefits and attacking waste, fraud and inefficiency—including gross overpayments to insurance companies that provide Medicare Advantage plans. These overpayments do nothing to improve care for seniors—they just raise costs and weaken Medicare. The Alliance for Retired Americans and the AARP support the House bill as the right choice for older Americans.

Under the House bill, veterans and their families will continue receiving care as they do now through the VA and TRICARE—but they gain the opportunity to get additional coverage, if they choose, by enrolling in an insurance plan through the bill’s Health Insurance Exchange.

There are right ways and wrong ways to reform America’s broken health care system. Allowing big private insurers to continue to call the shots that mean life and death to us is wrong. Allowing wealthy companies to shirk their responsibilities and shift the burden of health care for their employees to taxpayer-funded programs is wrong. Financing reform on the backs of middle-class families by taxing health care benefits is wrong.

The House got it right. Let’s hope that the Senate follows their lead.

Tony Vanderbloemen
President
Greater Green Bay Labor Council
920-432-0053
1570 Elizabeth St.Green Bay, WI 54302

NOTE: Tony was a long time Local President of the Northeastern Wisconsin Area Local APWU in Green Bay, WI. This article appeared in the Green Bay Press Gazette on November 25, 2009.

Reps. Baldwin, Kind, Moore, Obey and Kagen Get A+ for Historic Health Care Vote

Health Care Vote Shows Who Sides With
Working Families vs. Insurance Companies

(Milwaukee, WI, Nov. 7, 2009) – On the heels of an historic late night vote in the House of Representatives for a good, balanced health insurance reform bill, the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO released its scoring of how our state’s U.S. representatives voted on HR 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act.

The legislation which passed Saturday evening by a vote of 220 to 215, would finally bring security and stability to our nation’s health care system. Working families would get much needed relief from skyrocketing health care prices, and uninsured Americans would be able to choose between a public option and private for-profit insurance.

Wisconsin Congressional Health Care Scorecard

A+ /Sided with Working Families

Rep. Tammy Baldwin, Dist. 2
Rep. Ron Kind, Dist. 3
Rep. Gwen Moore, Dist. 4
Rep. David Obey, Dist. 7
Rep Steve Kagen, Dist. 8

F-/ Sided With Insurance Companies

Rep. Paul Ryan, Dist. 1
Rep. James Sensenbrenner, Dist. 5
Rep. Tom Petri, Dist. 6

“This is an historic victory that moves Wisconsin’s working families one step closer to the passage of real health insurance reform, “said Wisconsin State AFL-CIO President David Newby. “And it was a huge test of who will stand with working families versus the moneyed special interests. While some of Wisconsin’s House members passed with flying colors by standing up for the people who sent them to Washington, others failed by voting to keep the status quo. Make no mistake: Working families will remember who fulfilled the promises they were elected on and they will continue to stand with their Representatives who delivered.”

The legislation would also help small businesses access quality, affordable health care with lower rates and stable pricing from year to year. And it would lessen the burden of covering the uninsured by requiring employers to provide health care for their employers or pay into a common fund.

The House bill is also financed in a responsible way – it is fully paid for and would reduce our nation’s rising deficits. Furthermore, it does not attempt to pay for health care on the backs of middle class working families by increasing taxes on the health care that families are already struggling to pay for.

Once the Senate votes on its own bill, the two bills will be reconciled into final health insurance reform legislation.

FEINGOLD RETURNS NEARLY $270,000 IN OFFICE FUNDS TO THE TREASURY

Policy of Returning Office Budget Part of Feingold’s Commitment to Fiscal Responsibility

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold announced today that he recently returned $269,209.41 allocated to him as part of his office budget to the U.S. Treasury as part of his commitment to fiscal responsibility and curbing the deficit. Returning a portion of his office budget is a longstanding practice for Feingold, who over the course of his career has returned more than $3.2 million in office funding to the Treasury. Feingold is trying to expand this general practice Senate-wide in an effort that could save taxpayers $54 million. A provision in Feingold’s Control Spending Now Act, legislation to cut the deficit by more than one half trillion dollars over ten years, would cut five percent from this year’s allocation for House and Senate offices.

“We are staring down a record deficit that our children and grandchildren will pay for if we don’t take action,” Feingold said. “Returning this funding won’t get us out of the red but it will show the American people that some of us in Congress understand how important it is to cut the deficit.”

Trimming office budgets is one of several ways Feingold is proposing Congress tighten its belt to help cut the deficit. Feingold is also continuing his push to end automatic annual pay raises for members of Congress, which could save $80 million over ten years. Feingold does not accept pay raises during his term and, since 1993, Feingold has returned more than $70,000 in pay to the Treasury.

Feingold is also working to end wasteful spending by requiring campaign finance reports to be filed electronically. Despite presidential and House candidates having to file their reports electronically, the Senate has yet to enact Feingold’s legislation to do so. Instead, the Senate hires outside contractors to re-enter data that campaigns have readily available in electronic form. Ending this waste could save $2.5 million over ten years.

More on Senator Feingold’s legislation to cut the deficit by more than one half trillion dollars is available at http://feingold.senate.gov/deficit/index.html.

This Veterans Day, You Can Help Honor and Remember our Nation’s Heroes

In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson observed the first Armistice Day, which would later become Veterans’ Day, by reflecting “with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory.” Ninety years later, Americans everywhere continue to honor the service and sacrifice of our nation’s veterans on November 11, the anniversary of the end of World War I.

One tradition I have been proud to participate in is the Honor Flight program. Honor Flight brings World War II veterans to Washington free of charge to visit their war memorial for the first time. Last year, this program helped over 11,000 veterans visit the memorial that was constructed in their honor. I have been proud to personally support this effort, and honored to meet Wisconsin veterans during their visit to the World War II memorial. To learn more about Honor Flight, please visit their website at: http://www.honorflight.org/.

While meeting Wisconsin veterans on an Honor Flight, I was deeply troubled to meet a man who had not received the awards he deserved because his service records were destroyed in a fire. He was wounded at the battle of Zigzag Pass in the Philippines, but the Army rejected his two previous Purple Heart applications because of the missing records. After working with the Army, enough information was found in reconstructed records to allow me to present the veteran with his long overdue medals, including the Purple Heart and Bronze Star, on September 11, 2009.

Preserving the memories of the men and women who defended our country is more important than ever. In 2000, Congress created the Veterans History Project to collect interviews with veterans, as well as wartime letters and photographs. The Library of Congress saves these valuable memories for future generations, and Americans everywhere can submit material to the collection and join this effort.

To participate in the Veterans History Project, I encourage you to visit their website at http://www.loc.gov/vets/. Visitors can search the project’s collection and read about the experiences of our country in wartime. You can also download a field kit to submit your own interviews or materials to the collection.

Veterans Day gives us an opportunity to honor those who defended our freedom – but we must also remember the tragedy of war. Armistice Day became Veterans Day in 1954, after World War II and the Korean War ended the hope that World War I would be the “war to end all wars.” President Eisenhower’s proclamation called on Americans to “solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly…and let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain.”

Source: Senator Herb Kohl