Larson Earns Labor Council Endorsement

In the interest of full disclosure, the gentle reader should be aware that I am a member of the Executive Board of the Milwaukee Area Labor Council.

On Monday and Tuesday, the Milwaukee Area Labor Council's COPE Committee interviewed nearly 60 candidates running for office in the 2016 spring elections. We even had candidates that didn't believe that unions are good things for the community.  It also flies in the face of the anti-union factions that keep trying to claim that unions aren't important anymore or don't have any power. 

The recommendations from this committee were presented before the delegates of MALC, who voted to endorse the following candidates for the following races:

Milwaukee County Circuit Court 31 - Paul Rifelj

Milwaukee County Circuit Court 44 - Gwen Connolly

Milwaukee County Circuit Court 45 - Jean Kies

Milwaukee County Executive - Chris Larson

Milwaukee County Supervisor  District 4 - Marina Dimitrijevic

Milwaukee County Supervisor District 5 - Marcelia Nicholson

Milwaukee County Supervisor District 7 - Michael Mayo

Milwaukee County Supervisor District 11 - Dual endorsement of Patricia Najera and Yaghnam Yaghnam

Milwaukee County Supervisor District 12 - Peggy Romo-West

Milwaukee County Supervisor District 14 - Jason Haas

Milwaukee County Supervisor District 16 - John Weishan

Milwaukee County Supervisor District 17 - Tony Staskunas

Milwaukee County Supervisor District 18 - Martha De La Rosa

City of Milwaukee Mayor - Tom Barrett

City of Milwaukee Treasurer - Spencer Coggs

City of Milwaukee Comptroller - Martin Matson

City of Milwaukee Aldermanic District 2 - Chevy Johnson

City of Milwaukee Aldermanic District 4 - Bob Bauman

City of Milwaukee Aldermanic District 6 - Milele Coggs

City of Milwaukee Aldermanic District 7 - Khalif Rainey

City of Milwaukee Aldermanic District 8 - Josh Zepnick

City of Milwaukee Aldermanic District 10 - Michael Murphy

City of Milwaukee Aldermanic District 11 - Tim Kenney

City of Milwaukee Aldermanic District 12 - Jose Perez

City of Milwaukee Aldermanic District 13 - Terry Witkowski

City of Milwaukee Aldermanic District 14 - Tony Zielinski

Congratulations to all the candidates who have earned these endorsements.  A formal press release will be issued later today.

I plan on writing on some of these candidates as time allows.

For now, I just want to comment on the Milwaukee County Executive Race.  

As I have written before, Chris Abele tried to pull his buy-partisanship routine to divide and conquer the unions and the Labor Council.  This made for a very contentious week, with the building trades and the laborers unions coming out early in favor of Abele.

Fortunately, there are some things that all of the money in Abele's daddy's checkbook can't buy.  

One of those things is solidarity.

At the meeting, there was a strong show of solidarity between many of the unions - including AFSCME, ATU (the bus drivers), AFT (MATC teachers), the Steelworkers, the Ironworkers, and many others to say that we stand united against the tyranny of Chris Abele and in support of State Senator Chris Larson.  We recognized that harm to one is harm to all, and in Abele's case, it was harm to most anyway.

I want to make special mention of gratitude and solidarity with the Ironworkers, who put themselves out there by making a stand with Larson.  Being part of the building trades, they normally would have stood with Abele, but they recognized the harm that Abele has done to the other unions and that they could not trust Abele not to do the same to them if he were to be elected again.  It was an courageous and difficult decision for them to make, and I want them to know I appreciate them for it.

The decision was made easier by looking at the track records of the two.

When Act 10 was being revealed, Larson led his fellow state senators on a weeks-long self-exile to give Labor the chance to organize and start fighting back.  Abele, on the other hand, praised Act 10.

When it came to living wages, Larson has always been a strong advocate of it.  Abele vetoed the bill when it came across his desk. Even worse, he spent lots of money to lobby for living wage laws across the state to be wiped out.

Larson has stood with the teachers against Abele's takeover with MPS.  Likewise, Larson stood with the bus drivers and mechanics even has Abele tried to bust their union and refused to bargain in good faith with them.

The list goes on and on.

I don't always agree with Larson's decisions, but that is part of life.  

What I can agree on is that Larson would make an exponentially better than the Scott Walker doppleganger Abele.  You can support Larson via his campaign website.

Are You Ready For Right To Work?

Regardless of the outcome of November's election for governor, Wisconsin Teapublicans are prepared to introduce so-called "Right to Work" legislation.  If Scott Walker wins, the Teapublicans will intrduce this legislation at their leisure.  If Mary Burke wins, look for Walker to call for a special lame duck session of the state legislature, as they did in Michigan.

Walker has denied that there are any plans to for Right to Work to be introduced, but he's also denied that he was a target in the Walkergate investigations or that his agenda is failing.

Coming off of a very successful Laborfest celebration, the Milwaukee Area Labor Council is holding a townhall meeting to discuss the issue of Right to Work laws.

AFSCME District Council 48's executive director, Boyd McCamish, will be speaking about the origins of this piece of offal and its dark history in southern states.  The discussion will also include a review of some of the tactics and ideas the national RTW committee use to distort and lie to workers and how to respond to them.

This meeting is open to the public.  It will be held on Wednesday, September 3rd, at 6:30 pm at the Juneau Complex (formerly Juneau High School), located at 6415 W. Mt. Vernon Avenue.

Please help spread the word about this meeting.

See you there!

Disappointed and Disgusted!

Over the weekend, I told the reader about Cedric Cornwall's failing and flailing campaign that tried to resurrect the ghost of McCarty by smearing his opponent for exercising her constitutional right.  He first tried to pander to the left and to the unions and had actually gotten the endorsement from the Milwaukee Area Labor Council (MALC), of which I am an executive board member.

But even as he was pandering to the left, he was also pandering to the extremist right, as evidenced by his use of McCarthyism.  When the right wingers learned of the MALC endorsement, he started to lose their support.  When the left learned of his pandering to the right and his use of McCarthyism and his betrayal, they started to pull support.

That includes the support of MALC.  The following is a letter issued on Monday by MALC Secretary/Treasurer Sheila Cochran:

Click to embiggen

The MALC Executive Board did meet on Monday and passed a motion to rescind the endorsement of Cornwall and give it to Laura Gramling Perez.  The delegates will vote on it after the election is over, but a message had to be sent and Sheila did it ever so eloquently.

Solidarity Action Alert

Even as everyone is fighting the war to take our state back from the corrupt and unethical Republicans and their masters, we cannot lose sight of the smaller battles, such as the fact that MPS is looking to attack their part timers.  Thus, the Milwaukee Area Labor Council has issued a call to action:

PLEASE JOIN SEIU Local 150 and the MTEA who will be picketing outside of the MPS Central Administration Building, 5525 W. Vliet, on Tuesday, May 15th.  They will be protesting the elimination of health insurance and dental benefits to their members who work less than 30 hours a week.  In the wake of Scott Walkers budget cuts, MPS is proposing a new handbook that basically dismantles the union contracts and workers rights and benefits.  The rally is scheduled for 5:45 pm, but we are asking for folks to be there at 5:30.  There will also be a public hearing at 6:30 for folks to express their outrage about these cuts.   

PLEASE COME AND SHOW YOUR SUPPORT.

See you there!

This Is What Solidarity Looks Like!

I've been a delegate from my Local to the Milwaukee Area Labor Council for almost a year now.  But the events of this evenings meeting will stay burned in my memory for the rest of my life.

It started out with pride as I was finally able to be formally credentialed as a delegate.  My pride further grew as I stood in front of the Council and took my oath with other newly credentialed delegates.

The meeting then proceeded as most meetings due as we listened to the reports and took votes on various issues at hand.

But then the meeting became magical again as former County Supervisor Eyon Biddle, newly elected Supervisor David Bowen and about a dozen other people came in with flowers to thank MALC Treasurer/Secretary Sheila Cochrin for her commitment to making our city, our county and our state a better place.  This surprise, along with two standing ovations, got to the strong woman as she was overwhelmed with the show of support, respect and love.

After that happy interlude, the meeting carried on as normal again.

But then one of the most amazing things happened.  My dear friend and president of my Local, got up and told the Council and told them the tale of how I became "He who must be punished."  She said that despite the attacks on me and my family and the considerable stress it put on us, both emotionally and financially, as I was hit with furloughs and thousands of dollars of legal and other bills, I kept fighting as hard as I could.  She further told the group that we've hit some really rough times and were having serious problems and asked if they would  pass a hat for me.

Volunteers started passing someone's baseball cap around.  Even the Council President came down and started collecting.  As the hat was being passed and people were reaching into their wallets and pockets without hesitation, my eyes started welling up on me.

When the winners of a raffle were coming up to collect their prizes, the entire room erupted with chants of "Donate! Donate!"  If I wasn't so damn surprised, I probably would have started crying.

At the end of the day, they had raised hundreds of dollars with pledges of further help to come.

I humbly and gratefully took their kindness.  Now it was I who was feeling overwhelmed with this amazing show of support, respect and love.  But even now, my heart leaps to know that I have such amazing Brothers and Sisters and that I am one of this awesome family.

Even now, I am humbled and damn proud at the same time.

But most of all, I am deeply appreciative, as I was the first and second and third time, of having my eyes opened to know that this is what solidarity looks like.

Milwaukee Area Labor Council's Endorsements

For the purpose of full disclosure, let me start of by saying that I am a duly elected delegate representing my Local at the Milwaukee Area Labor Council.

Last night, we voted on the list of candidates that are being endorsed. The list is as follows:

Marina Dimitrijevic, County Board #4
Theo Lipscomb, County Board #1
Peggy Romo West, County Board #12
John Weishan, County Board #16
David Bowen, County Board #10
Tracey Corder, County Board #18
Nikiya Harris, County Board #2
Jason Haas, County Board #14
Scott Manske, County Comptroller
Mark Sanders, Circuit Court Branch 28
Hannah Dugan, Circuit Court Branch 23
Ray Harmon, Common Council #9
Eyon Biddle, Common Council #15
Tony Zielinski, Common Council #14
Jennifer Morales, Common Council #8
Jose Perez, Common Council #12
Michael Murphy, Common Council #10
Milele Coggs, Common Council #6

People that know Milwaukee politics might be rather shocked by the list, not so much by who's on it, but by who's not.  Some people might also be surprised at some of the picks, such as Eyon Biddle over the incumbent, City Council President Willie Hines, Jr.

These endorsements are reflective of a new approach that the unions are taking.  They will no longer tolerate the status quo and will not endorse politicians and candidates that do not support the people that live in their districts or work for their communities.

Take the Biddle - Hines race for example.  As MALC Secretary and Treasurer Sheila Cochran stated, if you want to know why we didn't endorse Hines, all you have to do is walk through his district.  It has some of the highest crime and highest unemployment rates in the city and Hines has been absent to his constituents.  In comparison, in his short stint as County Supervisor, Biddle has been very active in his community, decrying the violence and helping to create programs to help the people in the community be able to gain the training they need and help them find the jobs they want.

Also discussed last night was that how it is an embarrassment for every person in Milwaukee County that we allowed Scott Walker to get as far as he has done and that we would not send another person like him to Madison.

In my opinion, this new attitude is long overdue.  In fact, I think they have a ways to go yet, as there are some names on their list that I personally don't think make the grade, but it's at least a start.

The unions may be smaller than they have been, but they are in no way weak or out of the fight, no matter how much Walker or his supporters might wish it to be so.  And like the rest of the good people in this great state, we are willing and ready to dig in our heels, roll up our sleeves, and help fix the wrongs we allowed to happen.

And that moment starts now.