Activists Plan Bus Trip to Labor Notes Conference

Madison union members are expected to join hundreds of labor activists who will come together in Dearborn, Michigan, April 23-25, at the 2010 Labor Notes Conference to strategize, learn new tactics, and come back to their unions and communities stronger and bolder. With a theme Organizing a Rank-and-File Recovery, this year’s conference aims to help workers and their unions negotiate a tough economy and unprecedented rollbacks on wages and benefits. Workers today are in the fight of their lives for pensions, affordable healthcare, and the right to organize for a voice at work.

The Labor Notes conference is a unique opportunity to meet activists from other cities, unions, and industries – and workers from abroad. The 3-day conference will offer more than 50 workshops, from nitty-gritty skills-building workshops to sessions tackling strategic debates for the labor movement.

Conference Details
Registration fee for the conference is $85 for those who register before February 19 and $115 thereafter. Nightly room rates at the Dearborn Hyatt Regency hotel are $115 for a single/double. For more information or online registration visit Labor Notes online at: www.LaborNotes.org

Take the Bus from Madison
Traveling by bus is a safe and convenient alternative to costly mileage reimbursements or airfare. A bus will depart from the Madison Labor Temple early Friday morning, April 23, and return late on Sunday, April 25. The expected round trip cost is $75 per person. For more information click here.

Labor's Future Workshops

The School for Workers is offering the following workshops prior to SCFL’s monthly Delegate meetings on the Third Monday, during March, April and May. Workshops take place at the Madison Labor Temple, 1602 S. Park St. in Madison. A light supper will be provided so please RSVP for each workshop (email Sharon<at>SCFL.org or call 608 256-5111) so that the right amount of food will be available.

Using Social Media - March 15, 5:15 - 6:45 pm
Newspapers are struggling, TV viewing habits are changing, and more people than ever are relying on new ways of getting information and communicating. We will discuss how demographic and technology shifts have impacted our communication effectiveness, and review how social media can improve our ability to reach members (particularly those under 30). Instructor: Michael Childers

The Economy, Where to Next? - April 19, 5:15 - 6:45 pm
Today's economy has become a disaster for working people in the United States and around the world. What caused this disaster, how is it affecting workers, and what can we do about it? What governmental, trade and investment policies should workers and their unions advocate? Let's put our heads together to sort through the economic mess our corporate policies have led us to. Instructor: David Nack

Workers and Immigration - May 17, 5:15 - 6:45 pm
This workshop will build constructive discussions about the economic and political aspects of the immigration debate, and will separate myths from facts. We will discuss how the changing nature of the American workforce affects our unions, and how we can reach across communities and build even more inclusive organizations. Instructor: Don Taylor

Please remember, RSVP to: Sharon<at>SCFL.org or call (608) 256-5111.

Anti-War Rally Set For Sat. March 20

The Madison Area Peace Coalition (MAPC) will hold a rally and march marking the 7th anniversary of the Iraq invasion, Saturday, March 20. On February 15 delegates to the South Central Federation of Labor unanimously endorsed this march and urged the participation of local union delegations. The demonstration will call for bringing the troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan now. Read more ...

Recent Court Decisions Expand Corporate Power

Jim Cavanaugh | In just the very first month of this new year the courts, at both the state and federal level, have awarded to corporations new tools with which to pillage our economy and our democracy. Read more ...

Trades, Factory Workers Bare Brunt of Recession

Job loss continues to batter area workers with those in construction and manufacturing bearing the worst of the pain. Nationwide, unemployment in lower-income households has reached Depression era levels, as the Wall Street banksters take another round of bonuses. According to State officials 163,000 jobs have been lost in Wisconsin, the worst job loss since WWII. Read more ...

Scott Walker Plans to Derail State’s Recovery

Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Walker is threatening to turn down $823 million in recovery dollars designated for high-speed rail and slash the wages and benefits of public employees, if elected in November. Read more ...

Madison Teachers’ Inc. Backs “Penny for Kids”

Madison Teachers’ Inc. recently endorsed a new campaign called Pennies for Kids, which has been picking up steam as public school budgets are being cut further into the bone. The new Pennies for Kids campaign, under the organizational umbrella of the Wisconsin Alliance for Excellent Schools (WAES), proposes an increase in the sales tax of 1 percent. Read more ...

Greg Neil Named New State Fed Area Organizer

Greg Neil has been named the new Wisconsin AFL-CIO Service Area Organizer. Neil replaces Jim Giedd who reconsidered his retirement options last December, after several months in the job. A graduate of the University of Evansville in his home state of Indiana, Neil has worked as an organizer in various political campaigns in the Midwest since 2006. Read more ...

U.S. at Bottom for Bread & Butter Basics

When it comes to ensuring working families have the bread-and-butter basics, the United States is an outlier, there’s no doubt. For example: 177 nations guarantee paid leave for new mothers; the U.S. does not. Read more ...

Meriter Union Braces For Hard Bargaining

The new management at Meriter Hospital doesn't seem to get what being a unionized employer in a Union town means. At a February 3 exchange of bargaining issues for the Service and Support bargaining unit represented by SEIU Healthcare District 1199 Wisconsin, Meriter management certainly showed not only an ignorance of unions, but a real disdain for union wages and benefits. Read more ...

State Tells Palis Cafe to Give Workers Their Pay

Workers at the recently opened Palis Cafe on Madison’s near west side are standing up against wage theft and continuing to demand their pay. Two workers, Shannon and Andres, came to the Workers’ Rights Center in November to report that they had not been paid for months of work. They finally quit their jobs after multiple requests for their pay fell on deaf ears. Read more ...

Why Use a Union Contractor?

SCOTT VAUGHN | This past summer I had some work done on my house to prepare it for sale. As most home owners would find, I had reservations about whether a union contractor would do a job as small as working on a single-family home. Read more ...

Wanted: Mural Painters to Make History

If you have a steady hand and a couple hours a week to spare, consider volunteering for the Madison Labor History Mural project this summer. Depicting more than a century of Madison labor history, the two-story mural is beginning to fill three walls inside the south entrance to the Madison Labor Temple, 1602 S. Park St. 

Progress on the mural stalled when Muralist Marcus Nickel began experiencing some debilitating health problems, shortly after he began putting paint on the walls. Unable to completely recover, Nickel has been providing guidance to a number of volunteers from various unions who are working to complete the project.

A crew paints regularly, scheduled based on volunteers’ availability. Volunteers can also work independently whenever they have free time.  Each volunteer receives a complimentary 45 min. video (DVD), Madison Labor: Building a City, Building a Movement.

Artistic ability is welcome but NOT required. Come enjoy relaxing work and meet new friends – while being a part of this remarkable community art and labor history project. Mural painting might also be appropriate for high school students interested in extra credit or community service. Must be 14 years old to participate.

Interested? Send an e-mail with available times (Subject: Mural Painting Volunteer) to TheMuralProject(at)SCFL.org.

New DVD on Madison's Labor History Available

As work progresses on the Madison Labor History Mural project, the South Central Federation of Labor has released a new DVD, Madison Labor: Building a City, Building a Movement. The DVD includes The Early Years (30 min.), originally produced in 1985, and Madison: A Union City, 1985-2005 (15 min.) which brings Madison’s labor history up to date. Read more about the Madison Labor History Mural project and the DVD, which is available for $25, here.

SCFL Scholarships

The South Central Federation of Labor is offering four $1000 scholarships to union members or their children. In addition, SCFL’s Dodge Chapter is offering two $500 scholarships. Applicants (or one of their parents or legal guardians) must belong to a union affiliated with the South Central Federation of Labor and live or work in Dane, Dodge, Columbia, Sauk, Jefferson or Iowa counties. Winners will be determined by lottery drawing. Deadline for applications is Monday, July 12, 2010. Scholarship rules and an application, which can be submitted electronically, are available by clicking here.

Click here for the draft minutes of the last SCFL Delegate Meeting.

United Way Volunteers Sought

Labor volunteers are being sought to fill seats on three of United Way's Community Solutions Teams that address the problems in the community of homelessness, access to health care, and senior independence. Read more ...

As a result of the New Alliance, a statewide labor reorganization, the Dodge and Jefferson County Central Labor Councils merged with SCFL and became Chapters. Click here for more information on the Dodge and Jefferson Chapters.

Union Sectors in Brief

The South Central Federation of Labor is preparing brief introductions to the various union sectors in the area. These articles are meant to foster a greater understanding of the unions and the issues facing workers in each sector. Click on any of the following sectors to read the briefing:

Additional sector briefings will be added as they become available.

Here's a Tax Cut for the Working Class

Do You Qualify for Income Tax Credits? Earned Income Credit is a special tax benefit for working people who earn low or moderate incomes. The purpose of the credit is to reduce the tax burden on these workers and, in effect, supplement wages.

This year the EIC is worth more than ever – over $5,657 for some families. Many families also may qualify for the Child Tax Credit, worth up to $1,000 for each child. Tax credits for educational and job training expenses are also available. Read more ...