Union Labor News: February 2009

• Economy Hits Trades, Manufacturing Hard
  While the greater Madison region usually fares better than most in an economic downturn, hard times are taking a toll on workers here, especially in construction and manufacturing. Construction workers are “on the bench” in numbers not seen in decades and huge plant closings and layoffs make headline news almost daily. The numbers, 550 at Quad Graphics near Milwauke... [More]
• Watch Supreme Court’s Ruling on Boss’s Greed
  A high profile case soon to be decided by the Wisconsin Supreme Count is a case all about corporate power. At issue is whether business owners can freely siphon off huge profits without regard to the well-being of the corporation itself and its obligations to other stakeholders. The case concerns Daniel Virnich and Jack Moores, absentee owners of Communication Products (later to become... [More]
• Bill Fletcher Returns To Speak on Feb. 25
  One of the labor movement’s most respected and insightful speakers, Bill Fletcher, will be welcomed back to Madison, February 25, to give a talk “Progressives and the Possibilities for Renewing the Labor Movement.” Fletcher will speak at 7 p.m. at the Madison Labor Temple, 1602 S. Park St, as part of a seminar series, Labor Studies for the 21st Century, being held this spring... [More]
• Legislators to Address Labor’s Agenda, Feb. 16
  By Jim Cavanaugh, SCFL President With the new Wisconsin legislature, workers have a great opportunity to achieve legislative goals that for years have stalled in one House or the other. On February 16 the South Central Federation of Labor will hold a reception at 6 pm at the Madison Labor Temple for all Legislators who represent substantial portions of our six counties – Columbi... [More]
• House Passes Fair Pay, Paycheck Fairness Acts
  By Mike Hall, AFL-CIO Lilly Ledbetter says she knows she’ll never recover the hundreds of thousands of dollars she lost from her paychecks because of nearly 20 years of pay discrimination. But on January 9, the U.S. House of Representatives, with a big push by Ledbetter’s refusal to go away quietly, took the first step to make sure millions of other women don’t suffer... [More]
• Baldwin Backs Family Leave for Part-timers
  On the day the House passed two important pieces of legislation to help working families, (the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act), Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced the Family Fairness Act.  This legislation would allow the protections of the existing Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to some part-time workers. “While today’s suppo... [More]
• Labor Movement’s Turnaround, Now or Never?
  Following are excerpts from the address of David Newby, president of the Wisconsin State AFL- CIO, delivered at the 50th Anniversary of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO, made on September 22, 2008 at the Wyndham Airport Hotel in Milwaukee. Reprinted from the Wisconsin Labor History Society’s Newsletter. We face two severe crises. … The first is the crisis of ou... [More]
• Solis Would Restore Trust at Labor Dept.
  By Mike Hall, AFL-CIO Rep. Hilda Solis, a four-term House member from California's 32nd Congressional District and a true friend of America’s workers, appeared before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, January 9, in a confirmation hearing on her nomination to be Labor Secretary. That was the first occasion to hear of how Solis plans to return the U.S. Dep... [More]
• Workers’ Rights Center Wins $8,000 for Three
  Since 2002, the Madison area’s Workers’ Right Center has been leading the fight for the rights of many low-wage workers who do not have the benefit of union representation and face exploitation by their employers on an almost daily basis. In one of a string of similar victories, the Workers’ Right Center recently won an $8,000 settlement for a group of Latina workers... [More]
• Union Members Made Miracle on the Hudson
  By Dom Noth, Milwaukee Labor Press “Miracle on the Hudson” – as New York Gov. David Patterson described the January 15 rescue – produced wall to wall coverage on TV and in newspapers around the country, an astounding story … except that several important aspects went unreported or perhaps deliberately ignored by outlets such as Milwaukee's main... [More]
• 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 $4,824 for some families. Many families also may qualify for the Chil... [More]