Union Labor News: September 2008

• START Helps Allied Folks Move Forward, Not Out!
  Complimenting the city’s efforts to revitalize the troubled Allied Drive neighborhood, the local Building Trades Council, through its START program, is launching Allied’s residents into good, family-supporting careers in the construction trades. Last month, four new apprent... [More]
• Big Business Attacks Employee Free Choice
  The Wall Street Journal reported on August 1 that Walmart “is mobilizing its store managers and department supervisors around the country to warn that if Democrats win power in November, they’ll likely change federal law to make it easier for workers to unionize companies – including Walmart.” According to the article, thousands of employees had been &... [More]
• UFCW Shines a Light on Anti-Union Woodman’s
  Since January, workers at the Madison area Woodman's stores have been subjected to unfair treatment, threats and intimidation from their employer who is attempting to bust their union. UFCW Local 1473, the union representing Woodman’s workers, has filed over 70 separate allegations of federal labor law violations against Woodman’s in the past six months. While the partie... [More]
• Activists Visit Postville After Historic ICE Raid
  Two buses and several carloads of labor supporters left Madison, June 27, traveling to Postville, Iowa, the site of the largest immigration raid in U.S. history. In the small town just across the Mississippi River from Prairie du Chien, they joined several thousand protesters from all over the Midwest calling for justice for nearly 400 workers arrested at a meatpacking plant three months ago... [More]
• Worst of Times? Or Best of Times!
  Charles Dickens’ classic novel “A Tale of Two Cities” was written nearly 150 years ago. It’s about a time of great turmoil and immense change in Europe. Its opening lines are: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness… it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of desp... [More]
• Retirees: Vote Nov. 4 To Save Social Security
  Retired union activists gathered to light candles and eat birthday cake to celebrate the 73rd anniversary of Social Security, August 14, at the Warner Park Community Center. Seventy-three years ago, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law. Today, more than 42 million Americans count on that monthly check to help buy groceries, pay the rent or get medicine. F... [More]
• Report: Bush Years Have Battered Wis. Workers
  This is a stressful time for Wisconsin workers, according to a recent report, The State of Working Wisconsin 2008. Produced by the UW’s Center on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS), the report tells us that the “jobless” recovery from the 2001 recession never gathered sufficient strength to bring Wisconsin families back to 2000 levels of income. Then, instead of long-awaited g... [More]
• Walmart Shows Need for Employee Free Choice Act
  On August 1, the Wall Street Journal reported that Walmart stores had held mandatory captive audience trainings to demand their supervisors and management employees vote against Democrats. Why? Because a Democratic Congress and President would pass the Employee Free Choice Act to allow workers - including Walmart workers - to decide for themselves whether or not to form unions and barg... [More]