Merry Collective Bargaining And Happy New Solidarity!

The first and foremost job of any union is to look out for the best interest of its members, whether the issue is pay, benefits or working conditions.  This is true for public or private sector unions. This is true whether the issue is across the board or regarding one individual.

When a problems is not handled satisfactorily, all the union members join their voices together - whether it be through the courts or through direct actions, such a rally or even a strike.  Ideally, the other unions join in to show their support to the aggrieved union.

That is called solidarity and is what gives unions their strength.

This is also why unions have been under attack across the nation, including in Wisconsin, for the past several years.  It's much harder for the wealthy to exploit their workers if the workers are organized.  Hence, we have seen the likes of Act 10, the passage of the so called Right to Work law, and attacks on prevailing wages.

But even though the unions were left reeling after this incessant war on workers rights, they are coming back, they are fighting and they are winning.

This was evidenced just this year when the good men and women of ATU 998, Milwaukee County bus drivers and mechanics, had a three-day work stoppage and were about to go on strike again when Milwaukee County Emperor Chris "Boss" Abele realized that a strike by the bus drivers would not play well for his reelection chances and agreed to settle with the union.

Another example was the recent strike by the workers at Kohler, who had gone on strike for over a month.  It wasn't until the big holiday shopping season started and the Kohler family's wallets were affected did the company agree to bargain fairly with the members of UAW Local 833, resulting in a mutually beneficial contract.

In each of these cases, other unions stood with the aggrieved unions, making their voices even louder and expediting satisfactory conclusions.  The other unions joined on the picket lines, they provided financial and material aid.  Heck, there was even a toy drive for the children of the striking Kohler workers so that the kids wouldn't have to suffer for the Kohler family's greed.

Sadly, right wingers like Scott Walker and his sidekick, Abele, have learned to exploit the unions' main purpose and have become rather adept at creating divide and conquer scenarios.  A prime example of this is the recent explosion of proposed land developments in downtown Milwaukee.

Abele and his wealthy friends have repeatedly created a division between the building trades unions and other unions, like the SEIU, who represent workers such as waiters, etc.

In a nutshell, the building trades are afraid that if the land developers are forced to pay the janitors a living wage, the development won't happen and their members would miss out on several thousand good paying jobs.  At the same time, SEIU and other service unions are opposed to any development where there is no guarantee that their own members won't be able to also benefit from the building boom.

This allows the wealthy developers and their friends to pit the building trades unions against the service trades.  By weakening the solidarity, these wealthy tycoons are able to further their exploitation of all of the workers.

To stop Walker, Abele and their wealthy friends and masters from doing the divide and conquer routine, it is imperative for the leaders of the trades unions and the service unions to come together and develop a strategy together to counter the conservatives' divisive attacks.  The unions need to figure out a proposal that would be beneficial to both the building trades as well as the service trades and yet will be attractive enough to the land developers that they would accept it.

Most importantly, all the unions have to present a unified front - that whole solidarity thing again.  If the building trades get scared and sell out the services trades, they will benefit in the short run to the detriment of the service trades and to the community in general.  Likewise, if the service trades unions are unwilling to budge on things, nothing will progress and not only will they hurt themselves but the community as a whole.

As Thomas Donahue said, "The only effective answer to organized greed is organized labor."

Randy Bryce - International Man of Solidarity

The Independent, from across the ocean, did a story on Scott Walker's latest attack on Wisconsin working families.  Featured in the story is none other than our own Randy Bryce, Ironworkers Local 8:

Randy Bryce, 50, was high above a muddy construction site welding together steel beams when Mr Walker signed the law. He is among the Wisconsin angry. Just ask his family. It was last week when he was in a book shop in Caledonia, where he lives, when from the corner of his eye he caught his son, Ben, eight, letting fly at a book he’d seen on a table. It was a memoir by Mr Walker, the governor’s face on the front.

A member of Ironworkers Local 8, Mr Bryce called the Right to Work law a “blatant political attack” against him and other working men and women. Last week when hearings on the law were scheduled in the legislature in Madison, the state capitol, he took a day off to testify to senators. But the Republican leadership cut them short and he didn’t get the chance. The next day he took to the public gallery and gave them a piece of his mind. “You’re turning Wisconsin into a banana republic,” he yelled.

Mr Bryce, an Army veteran, was ejected by police that day, a symbol of the helplessness of the unions and the once mighty progressive left in Wisconsin to resist the conservative juggernaut that began rolling here in 2010 when Mr Walker won the governor’s mansion and Republicans took control of both sides of the legislature. “If someone had told me in 2010 all this could happen in Wisconsin, I’d have laughed in their face,” Mr Bryce mused this week. “And now it’s a reality.”

[...]

“States that have enacted this legislation have a 52 percent higher fatality rate among workers,” Mr Bryce asserted. His ironworking job is one of the more dangerous out there.  “One of thing the union stands up for is workplace safety and safety will be one of the first things to go, because it costs money.”

An option, of course, is to move to a different state. But that would never cross Mr Bryce’s mind. “I’m going to stick around for as long as it takes to get all those sons of bitches voted out of office.”

I was always proud to call Randy my friend and my union brother. Now, I am just more proud.

AFSCME - Wisconsin

I attended a leadership training session on Saturday put together by my union, AFSCME.  One of the topics covered was the history of AFSCME.

I learned that AFSCME was born right here in Wisconsin in 1932, due to the abuses put upon state workers by the corporate Democrats.  Even though they had formed a union, it was still illegal for AFSCME members to have collective bargaining.  So the men and women of the time found other ways to get their rights protected including working on electing officials who weren't beholden to the Big Money special interests of the time.

In 1957, AFSCME finally was able to get a bill on the floor of the state legislature.  However, Governor Walter J. Kohler (yes, of that Kohler family) followed the orders of the well moneyed special interests and vetoed the bill.

That opened the door for the election of the great Gaylord Nelson, who signed a bill in 1959, which allowed collective bargaining for public sector workers.  The state and its people prospered for the next 50 years.

Then, as the gentle reader knows, in 2011, Scott Walker dropped his "bomb" of Act 10, which attacked served no purpose other than an attempt to bust AFSCME.  What the law did was hamstring the members by taking away thousands of dollars of their take home pay each year, making it extremely difficult, if not difficult, to make ends meet, much less pay their dues.  When the attack drove public sector workers into bankruptcy and on to the income assistance programs, it can be hard to justify any other expenses.

Despite the fiscal burden Walker has put upon the workers, membership is starting to grow again.  In Milwaukee County alone, more than 700 workers have joined or rejoined AFSCME since last summer.  They have realized that while it can be hard to pay the dues when Walker and Chris Abele has taken tens of thousands of dollars out of their take home pay, it's even harder to afford the continued attacks and the way these two continue to try to balance their corporate giveaways on the backs of the workers.

Given the current state of the state, the leaders of AFSCME have started the groundwork of merging the three District Councils into one cohesive group in order to best serve and protect its members:

In mid March, elected leaders of Wisconsin’s three AFSCME Councils gathered in Wisconsin Dells for an historic event.

Recognizing an opportunity to usher in a new era of activism, board members convened a two-day summit exploring the possibilities of a unified AFSCME Wisconsin.

Discussions focused on growing workplace activism, increasing organizing, improving services and building a unified, bold, action-driven union.

The leaders delivered a constant theme throughout the weekend, stressing that unification of Wisconsin’s Councils must be member-driven, and that a new council must be democratically directed by membership.

Participants set out on an ambitious agenda to address the many questions involved in such a process, with the goal of being able to present their findings to membership and gain feedback as the year progresses.

Committees led by the elected leadership of each council, with input from in-state staff and technical support from International Union staff, will tackle three main focuses and functions, defined as: Vision and Program, Finances and Personnel, and Constitution and Structure.

The Vision and Program committee will look at internal organizing, workplace action, political action, education, communication, representation and services, and building participation among Next Wave and retiree members.

Finance and Personnel will look at the various ways current councils deliver services and implement programs across Wisconsin.

Taking a comprehensive view of Constitution and Structure provides an opportunity to ensure your union remains firmly in the hands of its members.

The most inspiring aspect of the weekend was to see the solidarity formed by a group of over 50 leaders from all of the councils.

A small band of activists started a union in Wisconsin over 75 years ago, with not much more than an idea that workers should be treated with dignity and respect. From that was created our International Union that today stands 1.6 million members strong.

Starting from a much firmer foundation, Wisconsin AFSCME members now have the opportunity to regenerate the labor movement and bring about a new era of organizing, activism and victories.

While I hate the need for it, I support the move.

If the three Councils were to remain separate, they would have less power than in the past and they would be more vulnerable to the divide and conquer strategies of people like Walker and Abele.

It also makes sense in that we are facing very powerful, very big, well-moneyed entities like ALEC, the Koch Brothers, the Bradley Foundation and the Greater Milwaukee Committee.  The best chance to fight these monstrosities is by all of us working together.  They might have the money, but they cannot buy the people we have and they cannot stand up to our solidarity.

We've done it before and we'll do it again.

Massachusetts Teachers Reject Divide And Conquer Scheme Of Merit Pay

Via Diane Ravitch, we learn that some teachers in Lee, Massachusetts, were awarded merit pay from the Gates Foundation based on higher test scores.  In an amazing show of solidarity and professionalism, they rejected the money and turned it back to the school system.

They explained why in a letter to the editor of the local newspaper, who, as is the norm for the corporate media, got the facts wrong:

To the editor of THE EAGLE:

While we appreciate the article "Investing in students' futures" (Eagle, Dec. 3), we would like to make some clarifications.

The $8,700 that the Lee Middle and High School A.P. teachers gave to the school is not from "grant pay," but rather "merit pay," earned as a result of high student scores on last spring's A.P. exams. Unfortunately, the acceptance of "merit pay" was a non-negotiable requirement imposed by MMSI as part of the grant. We accepted these terms only for the additional benefit that a strong and varied A.P. program would provide for our students -- "merit pay" was not an incentive to us. By refusing to accept this money and instead returning it to the school, we found a way to make it more palatable.

As a union, we strongly oppose "merit pay" on both philosophical and ethical grounds. First, the notion of "merit pay" suggests that high achieving students are more worthy of a teacher's time and effort than average achieving students or those who struggle. Refusing to accept the "merit pay" has allowed us to put the money back into our departments to enhance the learning of all our students. We will buy much-needed items, such as supplies, textbooks, and technology, and also fund field trips and SAT preparation classes for students lacking the means to pay for them themselves.

Second, "merit pay" for certain teachers of certain students in certain classes is inequitable to professional educators. In our view, it is a way to undermine union efforts to ensure fair and equal pay for equal work, education, and experience. Before students arrive in an A.P. class in 11th or 12th grade, they have already been in school for at least 10 years. It is faulty logic to assume that the efforts of one A.P. teacher were the only cause of high scores. Earlier teachers, parents, and community members all help contribute to the success of our students.

Merit pay is an insult to our professionalism and a divisive tool designed to incite dissension among us in hopes of weakening our union, which is not only a political organization, but also a professional one, intended to protect the interests of both educators and students.

The LEA was pleased to find a way to bring high-quality, college-level curriculum to our students while holding on to non-negotiables of our own.

JANE MCEVOY

Lee

Jane McEvoy is A.P. Language and Composition, English Department Chair and LEA Vice President. The letter was also signed by Robert Hungate, A.P. Biology, Science Department Chair, Mary Verdi, A.P. Literature and Composition, Thomas McCormack, A.P. Statistics, and Pamela Briggs, A.P. Calculus.

I applaud the teachers for their strong stand in solidarity and professionalism. Their students are lucky to have such high quality teachers.

I would encourage the gentle reader to reflect on this story and think about what Scott Walker and the Teapublicans have done to our state with Act 10 and substituting it with their own version of merit pay, not only in the schools, but in all aspects of public service.

Keep in mind that unlike Massachusetts, in Wisconsin, merit pay is just another way of saying cronyism.

Serb Hall Versus Solidarity

As long time readers of this here blog know, there had been a labor struggle going on at Serb Hall in Milwaukee,  The new management at Serb Hall wanted to throw away their long standing tradition of being the best known unionized restaurant in Southeast Wisconsin in order to squeeze a few more bucks of profit for themselves.  So they began mistreating their workers and bargaining in bad faith with them.

When we learned of the news, Randy Bryce of Ironworkers Local 8 and I felt we had to do something to show our support for the workers. But instead of the usual ways, like holding an informational rally in front of the restaurant, we wanted something more unique.  And thus was the beginning of the Solidarity Fish Fry.

The response we received when we came out with this idea was nothing short of phenomenal.  We had dozens of people coming each week, specifically asking for a union server and waiting if one was not available.

We had supporters come from all over Wisconsin and at least one support come all the way from England.  We even got a little national coverage for our unique way of showing support for the union workers.

We knew we were getting our message through to management because they kept trying to sabotage our efforts.  They would berate the union staff publicly.  The would berate their customers coming to support the union workers.  They would lie to people and try to seat them in non-union tables and telling them that they were indeed unions.

But we kept coming to show our support.

Despite the strong message we were sending, Serb Hall still kept maltreating their staff and bargaining in bad faith.  Even getting punished by the National Labor Relations Board was not enough to deter their greed (and to think that they are supposed to be affiliated with a church!).

But even then, we kept coming.

Finally, after six months, management sabotaged the contract negotiations and declared an impasse.  Management refused to return to the bargaining table.

So we stopped coming.

If Serb Hall wouldn't return to the bargaining table, we weren't going to return to their tables.

As Serb Hall continued to break the unions, the Milwaukee Area Labor Council, which had held their monthly meetings there for years and years and years, decided that they too were done with Serb Hall.  On December 4, MALC held their last meeting there.

Not only will there be no more Solidarity Fish Fries or Labor Council meetings, but there will be no more union retirement or holiday parties or other union-related events there either.

This past Friday, as the fates would allow, was the first time that I happened to be near Serb Hall on a Friday night.  I was curious to see how they were faring now that the unions took a stronger showing of solidarity against them.  This is what I saw:

The place was dead.  Being the Friday before Christmas, one might have thought they'd be packed with holiday party goers or people just going out for a fish fry, not wanting to cook anything big before the holidays.  Instead, they were lucky if there were more than 20 cars in the parking lot.

I wonder how their profit margin is looking now.

On a final note, when I shared the news with Randy, he was so elated at this show of solidarity that - you guessed it - he had to just dance with joy:

There Goes Those Union Thugs Again!

The tragic and traumatic series of events in Boston last week still has the nation reeling.

To make things worse, the ultra-conservative Westboro Baptist Church shows that
they are not worthy of the time of day by planning on protesting the funerals of the victims of the marathon bombings, with the first one being Monday morning.

Citizens of Meford, where the funeral of 29 year old Krystle Campbell will be held, turned to Teamsters Local 25 for help.

Know what those greedy, pathetic union thugs did?  What union thugs always do, stand in solidarity with their brothers and sisters, whether they are union or not:

Teamsters Local 25 will be out in full force tomorrow morning at St. Joseph’s Church in Medford to form a human shield and block the Westboro Baptist Church from protesting the funeral of Krystle Campbell. The Campbell family and friends have already endured immeasurable amounts of heartache and tragedy this week, and deserve a peaceful funeral with time to grieve privately.  

Westboro Baptist Church should understand that we will go to great lengths to make sure they don't protest any funerals of the victims of the past week’s tragedies, and that those we lost receive a proper burial.

Funny thing is, not one corporation stood up for them.

They must be too busy trying to set up a protective barrier around West, Texas.

Solidarity Fish Fry, Week 7: Musings At A Fish Fry

Due to work schedules and whatnot, I ended up dining by myself at Serb Hall tonight.

Normally, I hate eating out by myself, but it was for a good cause, so I still went.  I am definitely glad that I did.

I was seated in Victoria's section again.  She greeted me like an old friend and told me how Randy Bryce and others had already been there.

I smiled to myself that we are doing such a good job supporting them that they are knowing us by name.

I also got to meet Michelle, another one of the union waitresses.  She normally works the first shift for the lunch crowd, but stayed late today.  I guess there was such a demand for union staff.

As with all the other union employees, and several non-union ones, she thanked us for all that we are doing and stated that it is having a definite impact.  I thanked her for staying strong and standing up for herself and her union brothers and sisters.

It was  a regular (Serb) Hallmark moment, but with fish.

Eating alone gave gave me some much needed moments of peace.  It also allowed me to pay closer attention to what's going on.

I noticed that even though she had her own section to tend to, Victoria took the time to help one of the non-union servers out.  A few seconds later, I saw Michelle doing the same thing with another non-union server.

I reflected that this is as it should be as it parallels real life.

Some of the non-union staff are in support of the union workers, and some would like to even join.  But they are afraid to because they also see the harassment management has been giving the union workers.  Other workers hate the unions and blame them for the situation they are in.  And there are workers who don't care one way or the other.

But regardless of the non-union worker's attitude, the union members still help them out because they realize they are in this all together.

It's the same way in the world beyond Serb Hall.

There are some people who would like to unionize, but are afraid to because of the intimidation and threats coming from management.  There are some people who simply support unions because they recognize how they benefit everyone.  And there are some people that just have an irrational hatred for the unions and blame them for everything.  There are also lots of people that just don't care either way if the unions survive or not.

But regardless of the attitudes of the these other folks, the unions still strive to make the world a better place by fighting for family-sustaining wages, safe work environments and respect in the workplace.

When the unions win these rights and fight to keep them, this forces other companies to raise their standards or lose their workers to the union shops.

And thereby all the boats are raised with the tide, as the saying goes.

The acknowledgement that we are all in this together - that an injury to one is an injury to all - and the pulling together to pull everyone up is called solidarity.

Which brings us back to the Solidarity Fish Fry.

Who knew that a fish fry could be so philosophical?

We'll take care of that next week, our eighth consecutive week, when we will be able to say, "We eight the Solidarity Fish Fry."

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.

WISGOP: Wisconsin's Grumpy Old Pullets or The Fearful Right

And by fearful, I don't mean fearsome, but full of fear.

The right wingers in the state should be so happy! They own both houses of the state legislature, the governor's mansion, the attorney general's office and the Supreme Court.  They have carte blanche to do whatever the hell they want, which is pretty much what's happened for the past six months.

But the right doesn't seem so happy.  In fact, they seem to be just the exact opposite.

One could notice the change as early as May when Representative Michelle Bachmann Litgens (R-Pluto) complained about the Solidarity Singalong:

Imagine that! Singing is equivalent to insanity!  I hope she doesn't find out about Summerfest. There's a lot of singing going on there.

Of course, the right wing echo chamber picked up on that and before you knew it and they were all griping about it.

Then their surliness changed focus and they all started to hate on one little red heart-shaped balloon.  Some called it "a piece of trash" while others advocated violence and potentially causing actual damage to the Capitol Building.

All that animosity just for a harmless balloon.

If you thought they stopped there, you'd be surprised.

Now we have as the next illness to hit the right, posters.  Representative Dean Kaufert (R -CrabbyPants) is bent out of shape because some of his colleagues are expressing solidarity with the people.

The horror! Elected officials actually relating to and representing the people who voted for them!

But in reality, it's not the singing, the balloon or the posters that has the right peeved. These are just the convenient target for their frustrations.

I don't know exactly what the conservatives expected when they took over and started to attack the working men and women of this state.  Maybe they thought we would welcome them as liberators, like the delusional George W. Bush thought the Iraqis would react when he invaded and bombed their country to smithereens.  Maybe they thought they would break our spirits as they attacked our rights, our livelihoods and tried to turn us into corporate slaves.

Whatever it was they were expecting, they sure didn't get it. What they did get is a face full of Wisconsin spirit. They found out that we are a freedom loving people that cherish justice more than money. That we care more for people than for profits.  That we would rather slog through the snow, sleep in the cold on frozen ground, get blisters on our feet from canvassing and blisters on our fingers from data entry rather than give up the time honored traditions and values of truth and justice and human compassion.

Most of all, they found out that we are in solidarity. When one of us falters, we pick them up and support them until they are able to carry on their own again.  When one of theirs begins to falter, they harass, threaten and coerce them back into line.  They found that we are resilient, we are strong, we are one.

They found we are #wiunion.

They found we are #solidaritywi.

They found We Are Wisconsin.

And they found we won't take it. They found we will fight back, any way we can, until this state is set back to rights.

So you see, it's not really the balloons, the singing or the fist posters they are angry with.

They fear and hate what those things stand for.

They fear and hate that they misunderstood us, and that no matter how long it takes to actually be realized, that we won't stop until they are stopped.

Happy Independence Day, Wisconsin, whenever that day will be again.

TOMMY!!! Not Koch Approved

Leading up to this year's Republicanfest, Tommy Thompson, the Brett Favre of Wisconsin politics, was making noise about running for Senator Herb Kohl's seat.

It quickly became apparent that the Koch brothers did not approve of this development as both Koch Brother funded Scott Walker and the Koch Brother funded Club for Growth of Koch Brothers' Profit Margins started to launch preemptive attacks against their former ally.

All that money that the Koch brothers poured into this little hatefest appears to have done what they wanted, since a straw pole at the convention gave the unofficial nod to state Senator Ted Kanavas (R-Who?) and his "Are you worthy of me?" website.

I am surprised that people with that much money would waste so much of it on a waffler like Tommy. Maybe it's a sign that they're finally starting to realize all their money doesn't mean a thing when the people are fighting for their freedoms.  And this realization is making them very nervous.

Good. They should be.

So You Want To Go Canvassing?

But you don't know where to go?

Well, gentle reader turned canvasser, you'r in luck!

All the info you're looking for is right here.

Picture The Fun

Scott Walker's administration announced their new marketing campaign that is supposed to draw visitors to Wisconsin.  They're calling this tourism drive "Picture the Fun."

Well, let's see here. In the few months of his reign of terror, he's attacked the working men and women, attacked the poor, attacked the children, attacked the teachers, attacked the GLBT community, and has attacked just about every civil right in this state. The one thing he has not done but had promised to do during his campaign is to create jobs.

In light of that, do you reckon that this is the picture  that they should probably be using in their "Picture the Fun" campaign?

Well, if Walker had his way, that would be the most accurate to be sure.  But, there is one thing Walker and the Fitz Boyzzz had counted on, and that is the Wisconsin spirit.  Walker may want the state to look like the above, but #wiunion will make it look more like this picture until things are again put to rights:

Is There Anyone Or Anything Walker Won't Sell Out On?

Unless you've been living in a cave (or a mansion in Pakistan) or only get your news from talk radio and Faux News, you're probably aware that Scott Walker has been selling out everything and anything he can, from workers' rights to voters' rights to public safety to the environment.

Bruce Murphy, of Milwaukee Magazine, takes note that Walker is selling out the poor and his promise to not raise taxes:

Figures from the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau show that 77 percent of those who qualify for the EITC make so little money they pay no state income taxes. But Walker seized on this to argue he was not increasing taxes, merely taking away money that is given to taxpayers by other taxpayers.

One sign of how radical a measure this is comes from the critical response of Todd Berry, president of the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance, which routinely praises any move that cuts government spending. “I think it’s good tax policy and good social policy because it rewards work rather than discouraging it,” he said of the EITC. “I would have looked for savings somewhere else. “

Nearly as bad is Walker’s decision to reduce the amount of the Homestead Tax Credit by $8.1 million. This measure, too, was seen as a way to help low-income homeowners and renters, helping buffer the latter from increases in rent by landlords.  To claim the credit last year, filers had to have household income of less than $24,680. Most taxpayers aren’t eligible. Only 247,000 people claimed the credit in 2010; the average credit awarded was $520.

My retired father takes advantage of the Homestead Credit. When he found out about this, who prides himself on being a neocon, said he wants to sign a Walker recall petitions as soon as they come out.

If Walker is so bad, that my dad and I agree on the fact that he is bad for the state and needs to be outed, that speaks volumes in itself.

I Warned You About This

Even back in the days when I was part of folkbum's posse, I have warned of the costs of untreated mental illnesses.  According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, just the economic cost of untreated mental illness in this country is more than $100 billion each year, and this does not include the human costs.

Now we're seeing this in Wisconsin.

It was recently released that due to Walker's and the Fitz Boyz' narcissism, paranoia and megalomania, it will cost tax payers nearly $8 million. And this doesn't include any fines or court costs that they are charging to us and our future generations as they continuously disregard the law and even the Constitution.

A little bit of Haldol and/or Geodon would have been much, much cheaper.

To add insult to injury, these dangers to society keep insulting our intelligence, apparently thinking we are as crazed as they are.

The gales of November can't come soon enough for me.

In Solidarity With My #wiunion* Brothers And Sisters.

Alternate title: "Just A Slob Like The Rest Of Us"

Yesterday, as advertised, I was part of a panel which discussed the role of social media in the Wisconsin protests, or as they are known by the Twitterati, #wiunion.

The forum was hosted by a group called New Organizing Institute. Apparently, in this case, the "new" is the same as when someone snarkly refers to the new math. It seemed that the entire forum was slapped together in haste and many issues were overlooked, such as simply archiving the video. Hopefully, I'm wrong, but I can't find it anywhere.

But despite the problems that we encountered, I believe we pulled it off with an amazing level of success.  Even with my hampering the whole affair. And true to nature, over the course of the last day, I have thought of dozens of things I wish I had said during the forum.

Tom Foley, aka Illusory Tenant, (@illusory_tenant for the Twitterati), proved to be the perfect moderator. His knowledge of the legal battles occurring in Madison and his dry wit helped keep things moving along apace and kept the audience more than entertained and interested. Note to Charlie Sykes: I know Tom personally and if you want lessons on how to moderate a panel the correct way, I'm sure some lessons could be arranged.

Click on photo to enlarge
From left to right: Melissa Ryan, Sen. Chris Larson,
Tom Foley, Emily Mills, myself, Maxwell John Love
Picture courtesy of @jjinsf

Melissa Ryan (@MelissaRyan) was also very entertaining and (rightfully) generous in her praise of the people of #wiunion.

Senator Chris Larson (@ChrisJLarson), as was predictable, was the rock star of the show and had people hanging on his every word. He made a good point, stating that no matter how useful social media is, it will never be a substitute for face to face contact and good old-fashioned "shoe leather politicking."

Emily Mills (@millbot), the Renaissance personified, is even more awesome and more fascinating in person than she is on teh Intertubes.  She also praised the people for their diligence and their tenacity in standing up for their rights and standing as one, without a leader per se, but just as a people.

Having been caught off guard when Tom introduced me and brought up my royal standing as King of the Hate Left, I then mumbled something about how I have been amazed by their strength and have come to use the people of Twitter and Facebook as my eyes and ears to supplant the corrupt and inept corporate media reporting that would allow people like Patrick McIlheran to use up ink or Charlie Sykes to pollute the airwaves.

Wish I had said it moment number one: I wish I had gone through the categorization of the mess Scott Walker had left us in Milwaukee County to contend with, including a failing transit system, hundreds of thousands of dollars in repairs and maintenance to our parks and buildings, and an almost completely dysfunctional mental health system, to name but a few.

Finally, a young activist and college student at the University of Madison, Maxwell John Love (@MaxwellJohnLove) who is the ultimate geek. He had great insight in how Twitter helped the cause and his role in keeping it going.

After our spiels, there was a question/answer session and it was heartening to see so many people invested in the topic and asking rather intelligent and thoughtful questions.

Now, I will admit, I was as nervous as a person could be going into this thing. Public speaking has never been my strong suit. As I often joke, I have a face made for radio and a voice made for blogging.  To add to my stress, I got a late start and was often frustrated with the traffic due to all the construction between Milwaukee and Madison. Knowing that there would be scores of people in the room as well as people all around the nation watching the livestream broadcast of the panel only made me feel more on edge.

By the time I arrived at the place where the forum was being held, my hands were shaking like a leaf. I felt the panic rise as I tried to find my orientation and figure out where the room in which the forum was being held and where said room was in relation to my current position.

Finding that the room was on the third floor, I stepped off the elevator and the first thing I see was this beautiful woman who was my #wiunion adopted little sister, Sarah (@sjzep). It was our first real life meeting, and I found out that she was also the best damn hugger I've ever met.  We walked in the room together and as I found out where I was to sit, Sarah also found a seat.

The room started to quickly fill to the point of being standing room only.  As I nervously looked up and into the crowd, I noted many people from my Twitterati family, including Matt (@matt_t1), Carol (@bluecheddar1) (Carol is also a wonderful blogger in her own right), Anna (@annaironside), and one of my bestest friends, Heather. (@ari_WISCslob).  Later, I found out that there were others, but having not met them in real life, did not recognize them for who they were.

At first, I was surprised. This was quickly supplanted by a sense of control, when I realized that they had come to support me and my co-panelists.  I was still nervous for a while, but as things progressed, I relaxed more and more, emotionally leaning on my friends by concentrating on only their presence and taking strength from their quiet support.

After the session had ended, many people approached the table we were seated. I was again amazed as not everyone was on their way to see Senator Larson, as I would have suspected, but many came up to shake my hand and thank me for my work.  I felt a level of guilt, as it was these people that deserve my gratitude, all our gratitude, for being there day in and day out, being our eyes and our ears, and suffering the abuses of the corrupt government on a first hand basis. (For example, it's one thing to hear of the atrocities committed by Walker's police state inside the Capitol, but it's wholly another thing to personally experience, as I can attest to.)

We then adjourned downstairs to the bar on the first floor, where I had the pleasant surprise of seeing more friends who were unable to make it to the panel.  These included Jenni (@legaleagle) who is a rock star in her own right, the famous tweeter @edcetera aka @superbranch among several other handles, my dear friend Maverick (@marivic), and @theandingo. I also met some new friends, including Matt (@mwisniewski) and the beautiful Maria (@SeleneMSC).

I came home in the wee hours of the morning feeling exhausted and exhilarated.  I also felt humbled and honored by, and in awe of, all these wonderful people.

On the next day, as I reflected on the evening before, I had a small epiphany of sorts.

In the regular unions, members often address each other as Brother and Sister.  When signing a letter, or when parting ways, it is not uncommon to say "In Solidarity."  I thought I understood the bonding message behind these acts, but it was not until Thursday night that I truly appreciated its meaning.

These were my brothers and sisters of #wiunion.  Most of them did not know me in real life. The few that did, I only met once or twice.  Yet they took time out of their lives to support me, to stand by me in solidarity, to lend me their strength, and just to meet me.  Even now, just reflecting on it, I feel overwhelmed by a sea of emotions.

I've always had my other two families, the labor unions and the Bloggerati, both of whom I cherish. The best part is that #wiunion encompasses them both. It's like my family has grown exponentially. I am truly a lucky man.

State Senator Glen Grothmann once called the people of #wiunion slobs. Like true Wisconsinites, instead of being insulted, #wiunion embraced it, like we did when people thought calling us cheeseheads was an insult.

And I'm damned proud to say that I'm just another slob, like the rest of my #wiunion family.

*For those not familiar with Twitter, a hash tag as used in the title is a way of identifying and categorizing a tweet.

More Outside Agitators - Will Walker Complain About These?

Even as he was traveling the country, hitting up national GOP angels for big donations to defend his corrupt friends from being recalled, Scott Walker would lament that outsiders were throwing money at the people's efforts.

Even has Walker was asking the person he believed to be David Koch for help in getting people to Wisconsin to support his besieged cronies, he mewled about how the unions and even President Obama were supposed to be shipping the hundreds of thousands of protesters to Madison.

And speaking of outside agitators, look at what the local paper finally got around to reporting (which is actually old news to anyone following the #wiunion on teh Twitter):

Democrats who filed challenges last Thursday to recall petitions filed against three Democratic senators broke down the number of signatures collected in each of the campaigns by out-of-state circulators. Such signatures accounted for more than 44% of those collected by the recall campaign against Sen. Dave Hansen (R-Green Bay), Democrats say.

According to a  Republican Party campaign finance statement filed last month, the party spent $92,000 on a Colorado firm, Kennedy Enterprises, to provide staffing for several recall campaigns.On its website, Kennedy Enterprises lists circulating petitions as one of the services it provides.

A Journal Sentinel spot check of Hansen recall signatures found that more than 150 of the 200 pages of signatures checked were circulated by people with out-of-state addresses.

But, wait! There's more!

The Democrats said 44.65% of the signatures against Hansen were collected by out-of-staters, while the out-of-state proportion in the campaign against Sen. Jim Holperin (D-Conover) was 36.64% and of the campaign against Sen. Robert Wirch (D-Pleasant Prairie), 33.12%. 

Democrats say some of the out-of-state circulators misled petition signers about what they were signing, and argued in their challenges to the petitions that anything these circulators collected should be thrown out.

I'm sure that we will soon hear from Walker that this was great news and was somehow going to lower taxes and create jobs.And I'm equally sure that no one with a modicum of honesty and/or common sense will ever believe him.

Thank You, Natasha Chart. I Am Honored.

Natasha Chart, a woman who I greatly respect, while writing at the SEIU blog, goes over some of the bigger social media aspects of the last several weeks of Wisconsin history as people of all walks of life are joining together to oppose the tyrannical and unethical ways that Scott Walker is trying to destroy everything that is good about our great state.

As I read through her post, I found my jaw falling to the desktop as I saw that she paid me the grand honor of including me and this little old blogspot blog site as one of the top milestones in the relatively short history of our fight for our rights and our freedoms.  She gave me the third spot even, right after the infamous faux Koch phone call and Zach Wisniewski's block breaking story about Randy Randy "Bed" Hopper.

So, thank you, Natasha. It is no small honor to be included with the giants you have listed in our movement.

And thank you for your support of #wiunion.

Alberta Darling Snubs Local Businesses

This morning, on the Charlie Sykes Incite show (which was mercifully without Sykes, who was no doubt enjoying some union-won time off), Alberta Darling repeatedly complained about the people's boycott of Johnsonville products, as well as Coors, Angel Soft and all the other companies that chose to support the anti-worker, anti-middle class, and anti-freedom Scott Walker.

Darling repeatedly stated that not buying Wisconsin made products was wrong and told people to buy some Johnsonville brats and Coors beer.

Perhaps some intrepid reporter should ask Darling what she has against buying from local companies.

Klement's also makes very tasty brats which are made right here in Milwaukee and don't have the same taint as the corrupt Johnsonville leaders permeating everything about them and their ties to WMC.

And Coors isn't even made in Wisconsin.  It's merged partner, Miller, is still made here, but even then, they moved their headquarters out of Milwaukee County and into Illinois.  So why in heavens is she saying that we should buy a beer brewed in Colorado and headquartered in Chicago, even while she's saying how we need to buy locally?

If Darling was really pro-Wisconsin, she would have recommended something like Sprecher, the brewery that is wholly right here in Glendale.

To recap, Alberta Darling, who is supposed to be the state senator for the Milwaukee area, in an effort to bash the working class people of all of Wisconsin, is telling people to buy brats made in Sheboygan and beer brewed in Colorado, instead of supporting local companies.

Is it any wonder why people are finding her to be clueless and in desperate need of  having to leave her office?

And as an extra dose of the cognitive dissonance from the right wing, neocon Fred Dooley, worried about a non-existent plan to sticker up grocery stores, goes out to show them union thugs by shopping at Pick'N'Save, which is a union shop.  Thanks for supporting your local union members, Fred!

Cross posted at Whallah!

Holy Action Alerts, Batman!

Lots of events and calls to action going on right now, folks.

First up, they're looking for massive amounts of volunteers to help with the Supreme Court recount activities.  If you have any time to volunteer, just email KloppenburgVolunteer@gmail.com and give them your name, cell phone (or preferred phone) number, your email address, your city/county, the dates you would be available between 4/26 and 5/9, and whether you would be willing to travel.

Then there are the Paul Ryan "listening" sessions.  You can ask Congressman Ryan about his anti-worker, anti-middle class, anti-elderly budget at these sessions, which are all on Thursday, April 28th:

11:15 am to 12:15 pm

Franklin High School gymnasium

8222 S. 51st St

(attendees should park in the lower student parking lot

1:30-2:30 pm

Oak Creek Police Department

301 W. Ryan Rd.

3-4:15 pm

Whitnall High School auditorium

5000 S. 116th St.

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Also on Thursday, April 28th, from 5-6 pm, there will be a Worker's Memorial Day Event at Zeilder Union Square Park (310 Michigan St).  This event will be immediately followed by the Fight Like Hell for the Living Fundraiser for WisCOSH Inc. This will be held at the APWU Hall, 417 N.3rd St. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door.

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Also Thursday, at 6:30 pm, will be the Democratic Budget Hearing, which will be at the West Allis Library, 7421 W. National Ave.

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On Saturday, April 30th, there will be the Thunda around the Rotunda Rally at Madison.  Details can be found here.

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Sunday, May 1, will be the Mayday Solidarity March  The march begins at 1:30 at the Voces de la Frontera, located at 1027 S. 5th St and end up in Veterans Park for the rally which starts at 3 pm. 

Mayday! Solidarity March