At the Winnebago County Labor Council meeting last night, the following endorsements were made for the Spring General Election on April 1.
Wisconsin Supreme Court
Louis Butler (former AFSCME member)
District 2 Court of Appeals
Lisa Neubauer
Winnebago County Board
District 14
No endorsement
District 15
Travis Swanson
District 18
Bill Wingren
Oshkosh School Board
John Lemberger
J. Thomas McDermott
Recommendations for local offices were based on responses to questionaires sent out earlier this year. Endorsements of other candidates was based on information received from the campaigns.
--LC2
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Working at the Polls
Well, LC2 has been down with a cold and busy just keeping up with shoveling snow and getting through this "old fashioned Wisconsin winter". I wanted to share the joys of working at a voting poll on Feb. 19.
It's a long day, you get there at 6am (well, after dealing with the overnight snow and putting the garbage out, it was more like 6:15 for me). We had to rush to set things up because the location of our poll within the building was changed. So, we had to move tables and figure out a configuration before we could set up the voting stations, including the TSX touch screen. Our poll chair has generally let me take care of that, and it has been interesting, since I realize after setting it up and shutting it down, that there isn't any weird stuff going on, at least at our polling place. My feeling is our chair, a pretty conservative guy, figures he'll have the liberal chick take care of that, and no one will question our results. OK, that's cool strategy.
The polls open at 7am and we had folks waiting. The day was pretty constant, there weren't a lot of lolls in the voting as we've had in the past. My only break away was to go on a run to Starbucks to get coffee for a couple of us. Other than that, we all pretty much ate lunch and worked (we do a pot luck at our poll, I made chili, which was perfect for the cold day). There were a lot of registrations and we all rotated jobs this time to get experience at everything.
Our location did have over 1000 voters between both wards, which I thought was good. It took us about 1 1/2 hours to close things out after the voting. As a poll worker, we have to go through the optical scan ballots to look for write ins. Folks, if you're reading this, if you want to do a write in on a ballot, please do it on the Touch Screen electronic station, which records it and prints it out at the end, making it really simple for the poll workers. Having to go through every paper ballot is really tedious and just opens the possibility of error handling all those ballots. If you want to vote for Donald Duck or Mickey Mouse, please use the Touch Screen.
Every ballot has to be accounted for, used or unused. We had major problems with folks on the paper ballots voting for two president, one in each party. Folks also voted for too many candidates in the school board primary. Obviously folks don't read the ballots or listen to our instructions. Of course, if you vote for to many, your ballot is rejected in the Op. scan and we have to issue you a new ballot. That involves recording the voter number, time, etc. in order to account for the destroyed ballot (the voter rips it up and throws it away).
The day ended about 9:30pm for the workers. The chair has to deliver the equipment and results and ballots to the City Clerk's office. I'm sure that's not a quick process.
I'll be doing 2 more elections this year, but, decided because of my campaign work, that it wouldn't be appropriate for me to work at the November election.
BTW, WSEU members, if you're interested in working at the polls, we have contract language that allows us to be away from work to do that and not have to use vacation. It works very similar to jury duty. Check your contract or with your local reps. if you're interested and then contact your City Clerk!
Oh ya, the best part of the day Obama won!
--LC2
It's a long day, you get there at 6am (well, after dealing with the overnight snow and putting the garbage out, it was more like 6:15 for me). We had to rush to set things up because the location of our poll within the building was changed. So, we had to move tables and figure out a configuration before we could set up the voting stations, including the TSX touch screen. Our poll chair has generally let me take care of that, and it has been interesting, since I realize after setting it up and shutting it down, that there isn't any weird stuff going on, at least at our polling place. My feeling is our chair, a pretty conservative guy, figures he'll have the liberal chick take care of that, and no one will question our results. OK, that's cool strategy.
The polls open at 7am and we had folks waiting. The day was pretty constant, there weren't a lot of lolls in the voting as we've had in the past. My only break away was to go on a run to Starbucks to get coffee for a couple of us. Other than that, we all pretty much ate lunch and worked (we do a pot luck at our poll, I made chili, which was perfect for the cold day). There were a lot of registrations and we all rotated jobs this time to get experience at everything.
Our location did have over 1000 voters between both wards, which I thought was good. It took us about 1 1/2 hours to close things out after the voting. As a poll worker, we have to go through the optical scan ballots to look for write ins. Folks, if you're reading this, if you want to do a write in on a ballot, please do it on the Touch Screen electronic station, which records it and prints it out at the end, making it really simple for the poll workers. Having to go through every paper ballot is really tedious and just opens the possibility of error handling all those ballots. If you want to vote for Donald Duck or Mickey Mouse, please use the Touch Screen.
Every ballot has to be accounted for, used or unused. We had major problems with folks on the paper ballots voting for two president, one in each party. Folks also voted for too many candidates in the school board primary. Obviously folks don't read the ballots or listen to our instructions. Of course, if you vote for to many, your ballot is rejected in the Op. scan and we have to issue you a new ballot. That involves recording the voter number, time, etc. in order to account for the destroyed ballot (the voter rips it up and throws it away).
The day ended about 9:30pm for the workers. The chair has to deliver the equipment and results and ballots to the City Clerk's office. I'm sure that's not a quick process.
I'll be doing 2 more elections this year, but, decided because of my campaign work, that it wouldn't be appropriate for me to work at the November election.
BTW, WSEU members, if you're interested in working at the polls, we have contract language that allows us to be away from work to do that and not have to use vacation. It works very similar to jury duty. Check your contract or with your local reps. if you're interested and then contact your City Clerk!
Oh ya, the best part of the day Obama won!
--LC2
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Oshkosh is gonna be jumping on Friday
Wow, Oshkosh must be living right. On Friday we will be graced with two Presidential candidates. That should drive local law enforcement crazy. John McCain will be appearing at EAA and possibly Oshkosh Corp (they recently dropped the "truck" part). Wonder how the UAW folks there feel about that visit. Whoopee! Although UAW isn't endorsing until after the primaries. Smart move in a way.
Even more exciting is that Barack Obama is going to be on the UW Oshkosh campus in the afternoon. I've had a gut feeling since last week that we'd be seeing him in town. I probably won't attend,I'll either be at the SEPAC meeting, or home dealing with this @#$! cold that I came down with yesterday. Even if I was here and healthy, I probably wouldn't go. I've seen Obama twice, ALA and also at the AFSCME convention in 2006. Saw both Hillary and Obama there. I would love to just people watch folks going in and coming out, the campus kids are going to be so pumped for this! I've asked someone who is going to give a full report, she's already pumped for it. The other reason I wouldn't go is the fact that I voted yesterday. It's a done deal. Since I'll be working at the polls on Tuesday, I usually vote after our training session. The City Clerk is expecting pretty good crowds. We'll see.
Needless to say, LC1's discussion on shooting the bull with Caroline Kennedy a few years ago did indeed influence my decision. Hey, she's only a month younger than me! Another rockin' 50 year old!
--LC2
Even more exciting is that Barack Obama is going to be on the UW Oshkosh campus in the afternoon. I've had a gut feeling since last week that we'd be seeing him in town. I probably won't attend,I'll either be at the SEPAC meeting, or home dealing with this @#$! cold that I came down with yesterday. Even if I was here and healthy, I probably wouldn't go. I've seen Obama twice, ALA and also at the AFSCME convention in 2006. Saw both Hillary and Obama there. I would love to just people watch folks going in and coming out, the campus kids are going to be so pumped for this! I've asked someone who is going to give a full report, she's already pumped for it. The other reason I wouldn't go is the fact that I voted yesterday. It's a done deal. Since I'll be working at the polls on Tuesday, I usually vote after our training session. The City Clerk is expecting pretty good crowds. We'll see.
Needless to say, LC1's discussion on shooting the bull with Caroline Kennedy a few years ago did indeed influence my decision. Hey, she's only a month younger than me! Another rockin' 50 year old!
--LC2
Monday, February 11, 2008
Don't ask, don't tell
It's no secret our union, AFSCME is supporting Hillary Clinton. I just can't support her, because I don't think she can win. I know that sounds fickle and I am very excited that a woman is finally being taken seriously as a presidential candidate, but why oh why does it have to be Hillary? The Republicans are rumored to be secretly funneling money into her campaign.
I have heard Barack Obama speak at the American Library Association convention when it was in Chicago a few years ago. He is a fantastic speaker. I think he'll do a really good job. The clincher for me was when Caroline Kennedy endorsed Mr. Obama. My mother told me that when I was a little girl (I'm dating myself, I know) and they talked about or showed her on television, I would stop whatever I was doing and watch her in fascination. A couple years ago when LC2 and I were helping with Gordon Hintz's campaign (it was also a presidential year), Caroline Kennedy was speaking at the UAW Labor Hall in Oshkosh in support of John Kerry. Well, we were making phone calls for Gordon in one of the rooms there, and, long story short, we had a very nice chat with Caroline Kennedy. It was surreal, to be sure. Anyhow, I am supporting Barack Obama. Sorry AFSCME, I can't go with you blindly on this one.
--LC1
I have heard Barack Obama speak at the American Library Association convention when it was in Chicago a few years ago. He is a fantastic speaker. I think he'll do a really good job. The clincher for me was when Caroline Kennedy endorsed Mr. Obama. My mother told me that when I was a little girl (I'm dating myself, I know) and they talked about or showed her on television, I would stop whatever I was doing and watch her in fascination. A couple years ago when LC2 and I were helping with Gordon Hintz's campaign (it was also a presidential year), Caroline Kennedy was speaking at the UAW Labor Hall in Oshkosh in support of John Kerry. Well, we were making phone calls for Gordon in one of the rooms there, and, long story short, we had a very nice chat with Caroline Kennedy. It was surreal, to be sure. Anyhow, I am supporting Barack Obama. Sorry AFSCME, I can't go with you blindly on this one.
--LC1
Friday, February 08, 2008
Countdown to the Primary
The machines of the Democratic candidates are moving into the state to coordinate activities leading up to the Primary on February 19. It appears things might be heating up (political, not temperature). I'd love to really see the national media have to come here and freeze their "arses" to cover things. Everytime they talk about upcoming primaries, they glance over Wisconsin. I think they really would like to avoid being here and would rather stay in those warm "southern teir" states.
Anyhow, here is what we know....
AFSCME is setting up an office in Appleton to coordinate their activities in support of Hillary Clinton and local races that are having primaries. If you're an AFSCME member and interested in working, you can contact the AFSCME International office in Madison 608-836-6666 (that's not a joke--it's the real number) for details.
Ran into folks who are setting up operations for the Obama campaign this morning. There will be an office in downtown Oshkosh and the promise of "a lot of activity". Hmmm....that sounds interesting.
We'll keep you updated!
---LC2
Anyhow, here is what we know....
AFSCME is setting up an office in Appleton to coordinate their activities in support of Hillary Clinton and local races that are having primaries. If you're an AFSCME member and interested in working, you can contact the AFSCME International office in Madison 608-836-6666 (that's not a joke--it's the real number) for details.
Ran into folks who are setting up operations for the Obama campaign this morning. There will be an office in downtown Oshkosh and the promise of "a lot of activity". Hmmm....that sounds interesting.
We'll keep you updated!
---LC2
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Edwards drops out of Presidential race
I just read about John Edwards dropping out of the Democratic Presidential race. This makes me sad, because I truly believe that he was the only candidate who was speaking about the real problems we're facing, and not worried about spin or the media. I'm really in a dilemma about who I will support now. I think Hillary is trying to speak on the issues, but what she is trying to say gets lost in the hoopla of "Bill and Hill". I know she is a smart and intelligent, but, can she beat McCain, who appears to be the Republican frontrunner. Recent polling said no. I think Obama is a very motivating and inspiration speaker, but, I'm not really sure where he stands on a lot of things. Guess I have some work to do before February 19.
Stay tuned.....
LC2
I am very sad as well. Who will I support now?
--LC1
Stay tuned.....
LC2
I am very sad as well. Who will I support now?
--LC1
Monday, January 28, 2008
Food for thought
Just something I've been mulling over today.... if you were someone who primarily leaned toward a Democratic philosophy, and decided to run for office, would you run as a Republican just because you feel that you could not get elected as a Democrat in that area. I just have a really tough time dealing with this kind of attitude from would be politicians----what kind of scruples does a person have who could do that? Would I want them for my elected official? No way!
--LC2
--LC2
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Early candidate likes
We want to go on the record saying we don't agree with our union on their early pick and subsequent endorsement for President. We like John Edwards. Whatever.
We also like (in no particular order):
Jess King for the 18th Senate district in Wisconsin.
Roger Kittleson who's running against Tom Petri.
Gordon Hintz for 54th Assembly district in Wisconsin.
Mark Westphal for 55th Assembly district in Wisconsin.
Any Democrat who will do a good job in the 53rd Assembly district. All you have to do is be able to stay awake during Assembly sessions and you will be doing better than the incumbent, who's said she's not running again.
--LC1
We also like (in no particular order):
Jess King for the 18th Senate district in Wisconsin.
Roger Kittleson who's running against Tom Petri.
Gordon Hintz for 54th Assembly district in Wisconsin.
Mark Westphal for 55th Assembly district in Wisconsin.
Any Democrat who will do a good job in the 53rd Assembly district. All you have to do is be able to stay awake during Assembly sessions and you will be doing better than the incumbent, who's said she's not running again.
--LC1
Hey, we're not dead--we're still peeping!
Yes, there's no excuse for our absence. Laziness, you name it.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Privitization
The Legislature passed the Budget Repair Bill yesterday. Among the items included in the bill, besides 31 positions for the State Crime Lab (an issue that form AG Peg Lautenschlager acknowleged and was working on before ol' JB Van Hollen decided to make it a campaign issue), the bill also restored 270 positions for State Power Plants. Most people are probably saying "huh", what da heck, why? Here's the story...
Back in 2005, good ol' Scott (Scooter) Jensen managed to get his dream of privitizing the Power Plants that produce heat at all state institutions (prisons, universities, mental health facilities, etc) into the state budget. The plan was to sell the facilities at a fraction of their value to some private interest that would operate them more cheaply and get the state out of the Power Plant business. The employees would have been offered jobs with these private firms (whoopee), but, you can bet that we would have found out the same thing that Minnesota did. That the private companies don't care very much for the facilities, they care more about the bottom line. Minnesota had major issues with their privatized plants and is ending up going back to state run, at a major cost. Fortunately for Wisconsin, the Governor vetoed this, but, he was not able to restore the positions of the roughly 271 human beings who work to keep those plants running 24/7. The bottom line is that 271 individuals would have been out of a job as of July 1, 2007. In order for this not to occur, the positions had to be restored by April 1, 2007. The Republicans in control, wanting to distance themselves from ol' Scooter (what is it with Republicans and that name) promised they would take care of this minor technicality right away back in '05. Well, it was February '07 and they hadn't done that. They had lost the Senate and a few seats in the Assembly and seemed more interested in making some political hay out of this. So, about 40 Power Plant Operators visited the Capitol on a pretty cold day and reminded the folks that it could get pretty cold in their offices if there was no heat. Well, the Republicans played a few more games, but, they had to take care of the Budget Repair Bill to get J.B.'s positions in the crime lab. Steve Nass, tried pretty hard to change the bill, but, when all was said and done, the Budget Repair Bill passed. So, thanks to all the Legislators who supported the Repair Bill, including our Assembly rep from the 54th!
Speaking of privatization, there were some outspoken comments at a City Council forum held prior to tonights Democratic Party meeting. Three candidates were solid in their positions against privitization of core public services, Bryan Bain, Jess King and Tony Palmeri. Bob Cornell and Meredith Scheuermann were willing to "consider it as an option", as was Frank Tower. Mr. Nielsen and Mr. Esslinger did not attend the forum. Tony got applause from the audience when he reminded the group that privitization is what caused the issues at Walter Reed Hospital.
I felt that this forum actually brought out more of the true colors of the candidates and indicated that several are using the coattails of others to hang on to---ie., the me to candidates. I'm pretty sure where my votes are going, at least for City Council.
LC2
Back in 2005, good ol' Scott (Scooter) Jensen managed to get his dream of privitizing the Power Plants that produce heat at all state institutions (prisons, universities, mental health facilities, etc) into the state budget. The plan was to sell the facilities at a fraction of their value to some private interest that would operate them more cheaply and get the state out of the Power Plant business. The employees would have been offered jobs with these private firms (whoopee), but, you can bet that we would have found out the same thing that Minnesota did. That the private companies don't care very much for the facilities, they care more about the bottom line. Minnesota had major issues with their privatized plants and is ending up going back to state run, at a major cost. Fortunately for Wisconsin, the Governor vetoed this, but, he was not able to restore the positions of the roughly 271 human beings who work to keep those plants running 24/7. The bottom line is that 271 individuals would have been out of a job as of July 1, 2007. In order for this not to occur, the positions had to be restored by April 1, 2007. The Republicans in control, wanting to distance themselves from ol' Scooter (what is it with Republicans and that name) promised they would take care of this minor technicality right away back in '05. Well, it was February '07 and they hadn't done that. They had lost the Senate and a few seats in the Assembly and seemed more interested in making some political hay out of this. So, about 40 Power Plant Operators visited the Capitol on a pretty cold day and reminded the folks that it could get pretty cold in their offices if there was no heat. Well, the Republicans played a few more games, but, they had to take care of the Budget Repair Bill to get J.B.'s positions in the crime lab. Steve Nass, tried pretty hard to change the bill, but, when all was said and done, the Budget Repair Bill passed. So, thanks to all the Legislators who supported the Repair Bill, including our Assembly rep from the 54th!
Speaking of privatization, there were some outspoken comments at a City Council forum held prior to tonights Democratic Party meeting. Three candidates were solid in their positions against privitization of core public services, Bryan Bain, Jess King and Tony Palmeri. Bob Cornell and Meredith Scheuermann were willing to "consider it as an option", as was Frank Tower. Mr. Nielsen and Mr. Esslinger did not attend the forum. Tony got applause from the audience when he reminded the group that privitization is what caused the issues at Walter Reed Hospital.
I felt that this forum actually brought out more of the true colors of the candidates and indicated that several are using the coattails of others to hang on to---ie., the me to candidates. I'm pretty sure where my votes are going, at least for City Council.
LC2
WCLC and PEOPLE endorsed candidates
Just to make things clear, here are the endorsements for City elections from two area labor groups...
First, Winnebago County Labor Council (represents AFL-CIO affiliated unions in the Oshkosh area). Endorsements were based on responses on candidate questionaires and voting by Council delegates at the monthly meeting 2/27/07)
City Council
Bryan Bain
Jessica King
Tony Palmeri
Mayor
No endorsement
School Board
Karen Bowen
Teresa Thiel
AFSCME PEOPLE (Political Action Committee for the City & County employees who are members of AFSCME Council 40 (does not include State Employees). Endorsements based on responses to questionaires and interviews conducted by area Council 40 local members.
City Council
Bryan Bain
Jessica King
Mayor
Frank Tower
First, Winnebago County Labor Council (represents AFL-CIO affiliated unions in the Oshkosh area). Endorsements were based on responses on candidate questionaires and voting by Council delegates at the monthly meeting 2/27/07)
City Council
Bryan Bain
Jessica King
Tony Palmeri
Mayor
No endorsement
School Board
Karen Bowen
Teresa Thiel
AFSCME PEOPLE (Political Action Committee for the City & County employees who are members of AFSCME Council 40 (does not include State Employees). Endorsements based on responses to questionaires and interviews conducted by area Council 40 local members.
City Council
Bryan Bain
Jessica King
Mayor
Frank Tower
New Radio program for working families
"Big Wild Communications launches state wide radio show dedicated to Wisconsin's working families."
Big Wild Communications (BWC) launches "Lunch Pail Logic" The first ever radio program dedicated to Wisconsin's working families. Lunch Pail Logic will launch state wide syndication on 7 stations the weekend of March 17th & 18th. Lunch Pail Logic will air in Oshkosh on WOSH-1490AM on Saturday mornings from . 11-11:30am.
Working with prominent organizations in Wisconsin, Lunch Pail Logic was planned and arranged to promote the concerns of Wisconsin's working families. It is a cutting edge, entertaining platform in which the concerns of working families will be heard. We will feature leaders from labor, government, and industry. Lunch Pail Logic is brought to you by the Wisconsin Laborers' District Council, The PGU Law Firm, The Operating Engineers Local 139, The Construction Labor Management Council, and AFSCME Council 24. "To my knowledge this is the only Wisconsin specific, "working families" talk radio program in the state. We are breaking ground for the future of working families in Wisconsin", explained Joe Wineke, Co Host. John "Sly" Sylvester, Co Host, Lunch Pail Logic; commented, "Lunch Pail Logic is exactly what we need for Wisconsin's working families to be heard. We are tailoring specific interviews and segments to timely issues and concerns of Wisconsin's working families. This radio show will make people stand up and take notice."
Big Wild Communications (BWC) launches "Lunch Pail Logic" The first ever radio program dedicated to Wisconsin's working families. Lunch Pail Logic will launch state wide syndication on 7 stations the weekend of March 17th & 18th. Lunch Pail Logic will air in Oshkosh on WOSH-1490AM on Saturday mornings from . 11-11:30am.
Working with prominent organizations in Wisconsin, Lunch Pail Logic was planned and arranged to promote the concerns of Wisconsin's working families. It is a cutting edge, entertaining platform in which the concerns of working families will be heard. We will feature leaders from labor, government, and industry. Lunch Pail Logic is brought to you by the Wisconsin Laborers' District Council, The PGU Law Firm, The Operating Engineers Local 139, The Construction Labor Management Council, and AFSCME Council 24. "To my knowledge this is the only Wisconsin specific, "working families" talk radio program in the state. We are breaking ground for the future of working families in Wisconsin", explained Joe Wineke, Co Host. John "Sly" Sylvester, Co Host, Lunch Pail Logic; commented, "Lunch Pail Logic is exactly what we need for Wisconsin's working families to be heard. We are tailoring specific interviews and segments to timely issues and concerns of Wisconsin's working families. This radio show will make people stand up and take notice."
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Snow removal
I want to thank the Advance Titan for publishing an article about the Grounds crew and other Facilities Mangement employees on campus who have been working pretty hard over the past week and a half to clear snow from campus walks and parking lots. Reporter, Aubrey Krystek did a great job covering the work that is done in the early mornings to make it possible for students and staff to park their cars and get to their buildings. Oftentimes this is a thankless job, and you sometimes get more insult then kudos. If you'd like to read the article, just follow this link.
http://www.advancetitan.com/story.asp?issue=11339&story=5941
The other thing I'd like to say, in relation to this article, at least the students are showing some understanding and appreciation for the work that is done by public employees. Before someone smart says, but, "they don't pay taxes to pay those overpaid workers" , ask a student how much more they are paying for tuition compared to a few years ago. No, their tuition doesn't directly pay for the support and maintenance staff on campus, but, the students still are paying more of the costs for their education. So, keep that in mind, all you whiners on other blogs who love to rip the public employees in the city. If City employees weren't working, your street wouldn't be plowed! Granted, it's not a lot of fun clearing the miniature version of the Rocky Mountains that the plow deposits at the end of your driveway, but, it's winter and this is Wisconsin. And yes, I was cursing the plows when I was shoveling my own version of the front range before I left for work yesterday, but, my street is looking pretty good. So, thanks City of Oshkosh plow drivers, you've been working hard for all of us.
LC2
http://www.advancetitan.com/story.asp?issue=11339&story=5941
The other thing I'd like to say, in relation to this article, at least the students are showing some understanding and appreciation for the work that is done by public employees. Before someone smart says, but, "they don't pay taxes to pay those overpaid workers" , ask a student how much more they are paying for tuition compared to a few years ago. No, their tuition doesn't directly pay for the support and maintenance staff on campus, but, the students still are paying more of the costs for their education. So, keep that in mind, all you whiners on other blogs who love to rip the public employees in the city. If City employees weren't working, your street wouldn't be plowed! Granted, it's not a lot of fun clearing the miniature version of the Rocky Mountains that the plow deposits at the end of your driveway, but, it's winter and this is Wisconsin. And yes, I was cursing the plows when I was shoveling my own version of the front range before I left for work yesterday, but, my street is looking pretty good. So, thanks City of Oshkosh plow drivers, you've been working hard for all of us.
LC2
Monday, March 05, 2007
2007 City Council Endorsements
The snow has been great for snowshoeing. Yesterday, we spent a wonderful day up in Door County enjoying Peninsula State Park. If you've never been there in winter, it's a whole different world. Snowshoeing and knitting or "playing with the sticks and strings" as the cats would say, has been keeping the chicks out of trouble.
I want to call your attention to the posting on Eye on Oshkosh regarding the endorsements recently done by the Winnebago County Labor Council
http://eyeonoshkosh.blogspot.com/2007/02/winnebago-county-labor-council-endorses.html
It's interesting that the union endorsements are drawing some attention in the City Council Campaign. Especially the endorsements of Wisconsin AFSCME PEOPLE. AFSCME PEOPLE, for the uninitiated, is the Political Action Committee for the AFSCME councils that represent the City and County AFSCME employees around the state. The State employees (WSEU), also an AFSCME Council, has a separate Political Action Committee, SEPAC, and does not participate in City/County races unless a WSEU employee is running.
Anyhow, seems on some of the blogs, folks and at least one candidate are trying to equate an AFSCME endorsement with the City Employees trying to buy a candidates vote on the council. The candidate who is suggesting this should observe that PEOPLE also endorsed Frank Tower for Mayor. Obviously, those who are implying this have never participated in a candidate interview or the endorsement process. The process has nothing to do with telling the candidate what you want, the interview process involves finding out where the candidate stands on issues that are important to the members of the organization. It also gives participants a chance to get to know the candidates if interviews are conducted. Those who get endorsed are the candidates who have views that fit most closely to those of the organization making the endorsement. Sometimes, there are no candidates that fit the needs, and no endorsement is made (the Labor Council did not endorse a candidate for Mayor).
Endorsements are valuable to a candidate, no doubt. Yes, sometimes they can involve a monetary contribution from the group. In the Labor Council case, we do not have a PAC, so we cannot offer money to candidates. So, there is no way we're "buying" votes on the council. We can offer the support of our members, and we also use our ability to spread the word on our endorsement to AFL-CIO affiliates in the councils jurisdication.
Hope that helps clarify some misconceptions that are out there.
LC2
I want to call your attention to the posting on Eye on Oshkosh regarding the endorsements recently done by the Winnebago County Labor Council
http://eyeonoshkosh.blogspot.com/2007/02/winnebago-county-labor-council-endorses.html
It's interesting that the union endorsements are drawing some attention in the City Council Campaign. Especially the endorsements of Wisconsin AFSCME PEOPLE. AFSCME PEOPLE, for the uninitiated, is the Political Action Committee for the AFSCME councils that represent the City and County AFSCME employees around the state. The State employees (WSEU), also an AFSCME Council, has a separate Political Action Committee, SEPAC, and does not participate in City/County races unless a WSEU employee is running.
Anyhow, seems on some of the blogs, folks and at least one candidate are trying to equate an AFSCME endorsement with the City Employees trying to buy a candidates vote on the council. The candidate who is suggesting this should observe that PEOPLE also endorsed Frank Tower for Mayor. Obviously, those who are implying this have never participated in a candidate interview or the endorsement process. The process has nothing to do with telling the candidate what you want, the interview process involves finding out where the candidate stands on issues that are important to the members of the organization. It also gives participants a chance to get to know the candidates if interviews are conducted. Those who get endorsed are the candidates who have views that fit most closely to those of the organization making the endorsement. Sometimes, there are no candidates that fit the needs, and no endorsement is made (the Labor Council did not endorse a candidate for Mayor).
Endorsements are valuable to a candidate, no doubt. Yes, sometimes they can involve a monetary contribution from the group. In the Labor Council case, we do not have a PAC, so we cannot offer money to candidates. So, there is no way we're "buying" votes on the council. We can offer the support of our members, and we also use our ability to spread the word on our endorsement to AFL-CIO affiliates in the councils jurisdication.
Hope that helps clarify some misconceptions that are out there.
LC2
Monday, December 11, 2006
Tunnel Vision and Health Insurance
Greetings, it’s that time of the year. Time for cutting down and decorating Christmas trees, building snowmen, drinking eggnog, snowshoeing (if it would snow), and nomination papers for local elections. I’ve got two sets going here for candidates and I thought if I’m going to be doing this, I better start becoming more aware of what the issues are going to be out there. I admit, I’m much more in tune with what is happening at the state level then the local level. So, having a bit of time at the computer today, I started looking at what was out there for some of the declared City Council candidates.
My first stop was Kent Monte’s blog (http://monteforcouncil.blogspot.com/). I was attracted to the thread on Union Contracts that was started last week Monday (12/4/06). The gist of the discussion is that personnel costs are the largest portion of the City budget and how the City Council has little influence on the negotiation of those contracts. One of the big parts of the labor costs is for health insurance. What a surprise! In reading the 94 postings (as of tonight) that responded to Mr. Monte’s posting, it was obvious that the majority of those participating in that Blog would be in favor of pulling health insurance or at least reducing the benefits of the City employees. After all, “I don’t get dat kind of benefit from my employer. We gotta pay a lot for our health insurance, so should dose city employees”. Oh ya, and the City Council should also get the State Med/Arb. Laws changed, because that’s the biggest road block in being able to screw over the City Employees. These folks actually believe that all of the problems that the City of Oshkosh faces would be solved by reducing the benefits of the City employees. Oh and the service we would get would be fine after that. Exactly what kind of employee are you going to have willing to work for the peanuts these folks are willing to offer. Here is a thought from one Labor Chick to those bloggers.
GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR BUTT!
Health insurance and the skyrocketing cost of this benefit to employers is probably the biggest challenge facing every employer in this country. Look at the problems being faced by Ford and GM….it’s about benefits that the companies can no longer afford to pay for. What was one of the reasons that Federal Signal moved the Leach plant out of Oshkosh---cheaper health insurance in Canada. There is example after example that I can come up with that shows that health insurance is the biggest issue facing the middle class of this country. Unfortunately, instead of facing up to the issue and trying to work to find a solution, many folks look at their neighbor with the attitude, you have something I don’t have, if I can’t have it, you shouldn’t either. “I work for Bemis and I have to pay more for my health insurance, if you work for the City, so should you.” Instead of this selfish point of view being exhibited by the posters on Mr. Monte’s blog, I’d suggest that we work together to find a solution to the Health Insurance crisis. In the State of Wisconsin, several groups, including yes, the AFL-CIO have developed proposals to start looking at a solution. Mr. Monte and his followers might do a little research on that as a solution to the problem. Just go to the Wisconsin AFL-CIO website (http://www.wisaflcio.org/) and click on the box about the Wisconsin Health Care Partnership Plan. This will tell you more about this idea. This is not Universal Health Care (aka Hillary Clinton). This bill would be a start by making health insurance available to those who cannot get their own health insurance (either because of economics or pre-existing conditions). One of the options would give individuals the opportunity to buy into the same health insurance pool that State Employees participate in. There are also discussions to offer local governments this opportunity. Last December, the Winnebago County Board voted to support the AFL-CIO plan, knowing that it would save money with their employees. Perhaps the City Council could also add their support to this plan.
Instead of embracing these ideas, many middle class workers listen to the big business endorsed concept of Health Savings Accounts. All these do is switch more of the cost to the worker, and give those who make more money a better opportunity to get better health care. It doesn’t do anything about the juggernaut that the Health Insurance industry has created. This is why the Health Insurance industry supports the candidates who are against reforming Health Insurance and push the HSA’s. These are not the answer folks.
Bottom line, it’s time for middle class workers to stop being selfish and work together to change the system. Whether you are working in a union represented position or not, you can support the concept of Health Insurance reform. Wisconsin could be the first state to accomplish this with all of our support. We were a front runner on the issue of Worker’s Compensation, let’s show the country that we can be innovative and fresh.
----LC2
My first stop was Kent Monte’s blog (http://monteforcouncil.blogspot.com/). I was attracted to the thread on Union Contracts that was started last week Monday (12/4/06). The gist of the discussion is that personnel costs are the largest portion of the City budget and how the City Council has little influence on the negotiation of those contracts. One of the big parts of the labor costs is for health insurance. What a surprise! In reading the 94 postings (as of tonight) that responded to Mr. Monte’s posting, it was obvious that the majority of those participating in that Blog would be in favor of pulling health insurance or at least reducing the benefits of the City employees. After all, “I don’t get dat kind of benefit from my employer. We gotta pay a lot for our health insurance, so should dose city employees”. Oh ya, and the City Council should also get the State Med/Arb. Laws changed, because that’s the biggest road block in being able to screw over the City Employees. These folks actually believe that all of the problems that the City of Oshkosh faces would be solved by reducing the benefits of the City employees. Oh and the service we would get would be fine after that. Exactly what kind of employee are you going to have willing to work for the peanuts these folks are willing to offer. Here is a thought from one Labor Chick to those bloggers.
GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR BUTT!
Health insurance and the skyrocketing cost of this benefit to employers is probably the biggest challenge facing every employer in this country. Look at the problems being faced by Ford and GM….it’s about benefits that the companies can no longer afford to pay for. What was one of the reasons that Federal Signal moved the Leach plant out of Oshkosh---cheaper health insurance in Canada. There is example after example that I can come up with that shows that health insurance is the biggest issue facing the middle class of this country. Unfortunately, instead of facing up to the issue and trying to work to find a solution, many folks look at their neighbor with the attitude, you have something I don’t have, if I can’t have it, you shouldn’t either. “I work for Bemis and I have to pay more for my health insurance, if you work for the City, so should you.” Instead of this selfish point of view being exhibited by the posters on Mr. Monte’s blog, I’d suggest that we work together to find a solution to the Health Insurance crisis. In the State of Wisconsin, several groups, including yes, the AFL-CIO have developed proposals to start looking at a solution. Mr. Monte and his followers might do a little research on that as a solution to the problem. Just go to the Wisconsin AFL-CIO website (http://www.wisaflcio.org/) and click on the box about the Wisconsin Health Care Partnership Plan. This will tell you more about this idea. This is not Universal Health Care (aka Hillary Clinton). This bill would be a start by making health insurance available to those who cannot get their own health insurance (either because of economics or pre-existing conditions). One of the options would give individuals the opportunity to buy into the same health insurance pool that State Employees participate in. There are also discussions to offer local governments this opportunity. Last December, the Winnebago County Board voted to support the AFL-CIO plan, knowing that it would save money with their employees. Perhaps the City Council could also add their support to this plan.
Instead of embracing these ideas, many middle class workers listen to the big business endorsed concept of Health Savings Accounts. All these do is switch more of the cost to the worker, and give those who make more money a better opportunity to get better health care. It doesn’t do anything about the juggernaut that the Health Insurance industry has created. This is why the Health Insurance industry supports the candidates who are against reforming Health Insurance and push the HSA’s. These are not the answer folks.
Bottom line, it’s time for middle class workers to stop being selfish and work together to change the system. Whether you are working in a union represented position or not, you can support the concept of Health Insurance reform. Wisconsin could be the first state to accomplish this with all of our support. We were a front runner on the issue of Worker’s Compensation, let’s show the country that we can be innovative and fresh.
----LC2
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Hogwash and Nerds
It's Sunday night and life is slowly going back to normal. No more 9:30 strategy meetings at headquarters, no more lit drops, no more phone calls (I'm sure everyone is happy about that).
LC1 pretty much summed up the experience of working on Gordon Hintz's campaign, but, I thought it was time to add my thoughts---especially since a union bud in Madison begged us to post (are you happy now Mitchell?).
I'm still amazed that we started campaigning with Gordon over two years ago, taking on what seemed like a Goliath candidate. A guy who had been in office for 17 years that everyone seemed to like (or so it seemed). I personally didn't think he was that awful (hey he wasn't John Gard, OK). He was a little out of touch with his constituents and an entrenched, wrong thinking, Republican. That is until the day he kicked us out of his office because we didn't agree with his view on TABOR and we didn't thank him for all the wonderful things he had done for state employees. Representing his constituents was his job for crying out loud, I sure don't get thanked everytime I do something at work. That was a declaration of war to the Labor Chicks!
Anyhow, two years ago, Gordon Hintz ran a campaign that spent way less than $50,000 and we were proud of the showing he made in that race against the entrenched encumbent (EE) and two other candidates (Green Party and Independent). He did well enough to show the "EE" that he may not be as secure as he wanted to be. We still wonder if that entered into EE's decision not to run (HMMMMM.....).
Well, two years later, money in this Assembly campaign was ridiculous! I never imagined that we would be involved in a race where the candidates spent at least a quarter of a million dollars----on an Assembly campaign. That of course includes all the input from WMC and "All Children Matter". I give Gordon credit for not accepting special interest money this time around. That's despite the special interest money flowing to help the Pung-Leschke campaign. What that means is that the money he raised to run against WMC and all the other nasty groups came from donations from many community members, along with supporters and friends from around the state and country. The chair of the Winnebago County Republicans, Michelle Litjens, had a problem with a fundraiser Gordon had in Milwaukee, complaining about "out of district money". Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black Michelle? "Your girl" (your words, not mine), Julie, had money coming from Michigan based groups. To you Michelle, I give you a big dose of your own HOGWASH!!!!
The other thing that was so inspiring was the number of community members who volunteered to help Gordon's campaign in one way or another. The folks coming for the lit drop the last weekend before the election was awesome! There were folks from all types of backgrounds and ages, kids and retired folks. You'd see folks all over the city that weekend dropping lit house to house, and it was Gordon's stuff! The only sign of the challenger's campaign that weekend was two guys in a red Toyota pickup. Hey, you gotta walk up to the houses, not just drop off the lit in newspaper boxes and behind mailbox flags. Didn't you see it all piled up, no one was looking at it.
One more thing that LC1 forgot to say....to Stew Rieckman of the Northwestern...
You must have taken your happy pills before writing todays column, how things have changed since you called Gordon a nerd a few weeks ago. All I can say to that is, don't ever forget, in the movie "Revenge of the Nerds", the nerds won and so did we!
In the meantime, it was great to do whatever I wanted this weekend and not feel guilty about what I should be doing on the campaign (Craig, you brainwashed us). After January 3, I'm looking forward to walking into Gordon's office and putting my feet on his desk (just once). Oh ya, and being able to visit offices on lobby day that have Donkeys instead of stupid Elephants. My dream come true.
Almost Monday.... back to the real world.
LC2
LC1 pretty much summed up the experience of working on Gordon Hintz's campaign, but, I thought it was time to add my thoughts---especially since a union bud in Madison begged us to post (are you happy now Mitchell?).
I'm still amazed that we started campaigning with Gordon over two years ago, taking on what seemed like a Goliath candidate. A guy who had been in office for 17 years that everyone seemed to like (or so it seemed). I personally didn't think he was that awful (hey he wasn't John Gard, OK). He was a little out of touch with his constituents and an entrenched, wrong thinking, Republican. That is until the day he kicked us out of his office because we didn't agree with his view on TABOR and we didn't thank him for all the wonderful things he had done for state employees. Representing his constituents was his job for crying out loud, I sure don't get thanked everytime I do something at work. That was a declaration of war to the Labor Chicks!
Anyhow, two years ago, Gordon Hintz ran a campaign that spent way less than $50,000 and we were proud of the showing he made in that race against the entrenched encumbent (EE) and two other candidates (Green Party and Independent). He did well enough to show the "EE" that he may not be as secure as he wanted to be. We still wonder if that entered into EE's decision not to run (HMMMMM.....).
Well, two years later, money in this Assembly campaign was ridiculous! I never imagined that we would be involved in a race where the candidates spent at least a quarter of a million dollars----on an Assembly campaign. That of course includes all the input from WMC and "All Children Matter". I give Gordon credit for not accepting special interest money this time around. That's despite the special interest money flowing to help the Pung-Leschke campaign. What that means is that the money he raised to run against WMC and all the other nasty groups came from donations from many community members, along with supporters and friends from around the state and country. The chair of the Winnebago County Republicans, Michelle Litjens, had a problem with a fundraiser Gordon had in Milwaukee, complaining about "out of district money". Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black Michelle? "Your girl" (your words, not mine), Julie, had money coming from Michigan based groups. To you Michelle, I give you a big dose of your own HOGWASH!!!!
The other thing that was so inspiring was the number of community members who volunteered to help Gordon's campaign in one way or another. The folks coming for the lit drop the last weekend before the election was awesome! There were folks from all types of backgrounds and ages, kids and retired folks. You'd see folks all over the city that weekend dropping lit house to house, and it was Gordon's stuff! The only sign of the challenger's campaign that weekend was two guys in a red Toyota pickup. Hey, you gotta walk up to the houses, not just drop off the lit in newspaper boxes and behind mailbox flags. Didn't you see it all piled up, no one was looking at it.
One more thing that LC1 forgot to say....to Stew Rieckman of the Northwestern...
You must have taken your happy pills before writing todays column, how things have changed since you called Gordon a nerd a few weeks ago. All I can say to that is, don't ever forget, in the movie "Revenge of the Nerds", the nerds won and so did we!
In the meantime, it was great to do whatever I wanted this weekend and not feel guilty about what I should be doing on the campaign (Craig, you brainwashed us). After January 3, I'm looking forward to walking into Gordon's office and putting my feet on his desk (just once). Oh ya, and being able to visit offices on lobby day that have Donkeys instead of stupid Elephants. My dream come true.
Almost Monday.... back to the real world.
LC2
Friday, November 10, 2006
Buh bye
Oh, and a big post-election buh bye to John Gard. Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out. We won't miss you.
Maybe Daddy can get you a job on the farm, since you are just a Lena farm boy. Bet you'll miss that extra $88 per day in per diems.
--LC1
Maybe Daddy can get you a job on the farm, since you are just a Lena farm boy. Bet you'll miss that extra $88 per day in per diems.
--LC1
We're tired but happy
The Labor Chicks are really tired. After 2 1/2 years of helping Gordon Hintz with his campaign to be our representative for the 54th Assembly District in the legislature, we can proudly say we helped him win--with 62% of the vote! He won in every single ward in the city. The Labor Chicks had a lot of adventures in the 2 weeks they were off work to help with GOTV on his campaign.
We now know where all the network television stations in Green Bay are located after our trip up there a couple of weeks ago to bring ads to them (and write really big checks) to put on Green Bay network TV for Gordon. Keep in mind, not everyone has cable (the candidate and now Representative-elect does not have cable).
I have gained a new respect for pollworkers, as both the Labor Chicks had to wait around for vote totals at a ward on election night and report them to Madison. We were there until 10PM. The pollworkers were nowhere near ready to leave when we left. They were all grandpa and grandma age and we salute their dedication to keeping our democracy running. Let me just say, I will never vote absentee again after seeing the trouble it causes. My advice--go to your City Hall and vote early.
We also had the experience earlier on election night of being called to the UW Oshkosh campus voting ward to help with registration of new voters. Nearly 1800 people voted on campus. It was really inspiring to see all those new voters waiting in line to cast their first ever ballot.
I should charge Gordon's campaign for new shoes for all the literature I dropped at people's doors. I felt he might win when the Labor Chicks were making member-to-member phone calls to find out how AFL-CIO folks might vote and for the most part, union people from all different kinds of unions were saying they were voting for Gordon. I didn't want to jinx it by even thinking or saying he might win out loud, so I kind of kept it to myself.
At about a week out from election day, the opponent's treasurer called it quits on her campaign. It was after that happened, combined with the negative ads and literature being put out by special interest groups such as All Children Matter and WMC, that we heard reports of people removing their Julie Pung Leschke signs from their yards and some of them put up Gordon Hintz signs. My personal feeling is that WMC and all the special interest ads created a backlash effect and helped her demise as a candidate along.
Of course, she was no help to her campaign. (This is the "meow" portion of this post) Not to denigrate mothers, but perhaps she should have not concentrated so much on telling people she's a mom to four boys and actually done a little research into the issues. It never came up as an issue in the campaign per se, but she continually kept saying how much she loves the University in Oshkosh--yet she sent 3 of her 4 boys (one is still in high school) out of state to private universities. Apparently her love isn't that genuine.
Now, I'm sure she is a perfectly nice woman. She just shouldn't have been running as a candidate. Perhaps she should concentrate on community service work or her music.
The Labor Chicks made a lot of new friends while we were helping Gordon. We want to say "hi" to Craig, Glenn, Nathan, Ian, Erin, Marcia, Erika, Elias, Dan, Jef and everyone else who helped on his campaign. You guys helped keep me personally going. I love you guys! I'm sure we'll be seeing you all at Gordon's swearing in on January 3, 2007. I wouldn't miss it for the world. A special thanks to Craig, Glenn and Nathan for taking off of work from their jobs at the Capitol to come and help us here. We could not have won without you. Thanks for teaching us more about running a political campaign. The Labor Chicks attended Camp Wellstone, but learning and doing, as we all know, are two different things.
Well, soon it will be time for candidates to take out nomination papers for Oshkosh Common Council positions (like, December 1). I hope I am rested by then--because we start all over to help a friend get re-elected to City Council!
One more thing--thank you to Gordon, from the bottom of my heart for putting yourself out there and running to represent us. It's been a long campaign and we're all tired. I am sad that we're sending you away to Madison where we won't see you all that often, but happy that you will be representing our interests. We're glad to have become personal friends with you and we hope you won't forget us while you're there.
--LC1
We now know where all the network television stations in Green Bay are located after our trip up there a couple of weeks ago to bring ads to them (and write really big checks) to put on Green Bay network TV for Gordon. Keep in mind, not everyone has cable (the candidate and now Representative-elect does not have cable).
I have gained a new respect for pollworkers, as both the Labor Chicks had to wait around for vote totals at a ward on election night and report them to Madison. We were there until 10PM. The pollworkers were nowhere near ready to leave when we left. They were all grandpa and grandma age and we salute their dedication to keeping our democracy running. Let me just say, I will never vote absentee again after seeing the trouble it causes. My advice--go to your City Hall and vote early.
We also had the experience earlier on election night of being called to the UW Oshkosh campus voting ward to help with registration of new voters. Nearly 1800 people voted on campus. It was really inspiring to see all those new voters waiting in line to cast their first ever ballot.
I should charge Gordon's campaign for new shoes for all the literature I dropped at people's doors. I felt he might win when the Labor Chicks were making member-to-member phone calls to find out how AFL-CIO folks might vote and for the most part, union people from all different kinds of unions were saying they were voting for Gordon. I didn't want to jinx it by even thinking or saying he might win out loud, so I kind of kept it to myself.
At about a week out from election day, the opponent's treasurer called it quits on her campaign. It was after that happened, combined with the negative ads and literature being put out by special interest groups such as All Children Matter and WMC, that we heard reports of people removing their Julie Pung Leschke signs from their yards and some of them put up Gordon Hintz signs. My personal feeling is that WMC and all the special interest ads created a backlash effect and helped her demise as a candidate along.
Of course, she was no help to her campaign. (This is the "meow" portion of this post) Not to denigrate mothers, but perhaps she should have not concentrated so much on telling people she's a mom to four boys and actually done a little research into the issues. It never came up as an issue in the campaign per se, but she continually kept saying how much she loves the University in Oshkosh--yet she sent 3 of her 4 boys (one is still in high school) out of state to private universities. Apparently her love isn't that genuine.
Now, I'm sure she is a perfectly nice woman. She just shouldn't have been running as a candidate. Perhaps she should concentrate on community service work or her music.
The Labor Chicks made a lot of new friends while we were helping Gordon. We want to say "hi" to Craig, Glenn, Nathan, Ian, Erin, Marcia, Erika, Elias, Dan, Jef and everyone else who helped on his campaign. You guys helped keep me personally going. I love you guys! I'm sure we'll be seeing you all at Gordon's swearing in on January 3, 2007. I wouldn't miss it for the world. A special thanks to Craig, Glenn and Nathan for taking off of work from their jobs at the Capitol to come and help us here. We could not have won without you. Thanks for teaching us more about running a political campaign. The Labor Chicks attended Camp Wellstone, but learning and doing, as we all know, are two different things.
Well, soon it will be time for candidates to take out nomination papers for Oshkosh Common Council positions (like, December 1). I hope I am rested by then--because we start all over to help a friend get re-elected to City Council!
One more thing--thank you to Gordon, from the bottom of my heart for putting yourself out there and running to represent us. It's been a long campaign and we're all tired. I am sad that we're sending you away to Madison where we won't see you all that often, but happy that you will be representing our interests. We're glad to have become personal friends with you and we hope you won't forget us while you're there.
--LC1
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Why political involvement matters to union people
I've been reading stuff on other blogs, comments on stories lately about why unions involve themselves in elections. There have been plenty of other rude comments about unions on them as well, but I won't get into that now. Perhaps another time.
Anyhow, for some of us who belong to unions, especially public employees, whomever is in political office often has a direct effect on what happens at our workplaces. For example, the Republicans in the state legislature (and beyond also) seem to think TABOR/TPA is the neatest thing since sliced bread. This sort of legislation directly threatens the way we do our jobs and provide services to the people of the state of Wisconsin. If there is less money or if there are less people to operate with, folks will be faced with longer lines at DMV offices (aren't they long enough already?), less books and research materials for students who attend school at our University system (while the students pay more and more for school), less people, money and equipment to maintain roads--well, you kind of get the picture. This kind of legislation hurts John and Jane Q. Public in many hidden ways that they may never see or think much about. Hence, the political involvement, at least on my part, to try and get people into office who will at least give a little thought to what effects passing legislation will have not only on the welfare of the general public but also it's effects on the employees who have to serve those people directly.
I'm not asking that our legislators to pander to unions, but keep in mind what benefits unions have fought and won for workers over the years that people take for granted. A few examples are: the 40 hour work week, 8 hour days, and child labor laws. People died for many of these rights. It's up to us to make sure that people who respect working people get elected to public office. We all have choices in our lives--some of us can't just sit on the sidelines any more and hope that good people get into elected office. We choose to continue the fight that our union brothers and sisters began as early as 1791 when Philadelphia carpenters went on strike to try and get a 10 hour working day.
When we fight--we win!
In solidarity,
LC1
Anyhow, for some of us who belong to unions, especially public employees, whomever is in political office often has a direct effect on what happens at our workplaces. For example, the Republicans in the state legislature (and beyond also) seem to think TABOR/TPA is the neatest thing since sliced bread. This sort of legislation directly threatens the way we do our jobs and provide services to the people of the state of Wisconsin. If there is less money or if there are less people to operate with, folks will be faced with longer lines at DMV offices (aren't they long enough already?), less books and research materials for students who attend school at our University system (while the students pay more and more for school), less people, money and equipment to maintain roads--well, you kind of get the picture. This kind of legislation hurts John and Jane Q. Public in many hidden ways that they may never see or think much about. Hence, the political involvement, at least on my part, to try and get people into office who will at least give a little thought to what effects passing legislation will have not only on the welfare of the general public but also it's effects on the employees who have to serve those people directly.
I'm not asking that our legislators to pander to unions, but keep in mind what benefits unions have fought and won for workers over the years that people take for granted. A few examples are: the 40 hour work week, 8 hour days, and child labor laws. People died for many of these rights. It's up to us to make sure that people who respect working people get elected to public office. We all have choices in our lives--some of us can't just sit on the sidelines any more and hope that good people get into elected office. We choose to continue the fight that our union brothers and sisters began as early as 1791 when Philadelphia carpenters went on strike to try and get a 10 hour working day.
When we fight--we win!
In solidarity,
LC1
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