Family & Community
Why I Am A Retired Union Member
Unions serve a number of useful purposes for working people. They give workers a voice in the workplace. They provide protection from arbitrary treatment by an employer with workplace rules and grievance procedures. They negotiate better pay and benefits.
But a retired worker no longer has an employer. So why would a retired person join a retiree union? There are many reasons why I joined my retiree local.
Unions give you a collective voice even in retirement. That voice can continue to protect your economic interests. Through lobbying, policy research, and political ...
School Bells Ring: Local Schools See Fewer Dollars While Private “Voucher” Schools Win Big
The following article is a reprint of a recent news release by Senator Kathleen Vinehout to the people of Wisconsin. Middle Wisconsin feels strongly that the citizens need to be aware of the harm being done to our public schools and our children by the transfer of tax dollars to private institutions.
School Bells Ring:
Local Schools See Fewer Dollars While Private "Voucher" Schools Win Big
by
Senator Kathleen Vinehout
“How is it possible that private voucher schools can receive almost four and a half times the state funding per student as our public ...
Choices for a Happy, Healthy Planet
After a bitterly cold winter, a pretty chilly spring and what seems to many of us here in Wisconsin a darn mild summer, global climate change may not be our most pressing concern. I, for one, find it easy to mistake my home for the whole world, so it came as a surprise to discover that globally 2014 ranks as the fourth hottest year on record, at least through the end of June, and that many scientists are betting we’ll end up breaking the all time record before the year is out. Globally, May and June were the hottest months since 1880 when we started keeping records....
Walker Squanders Public Dollars, Perpetuates Job Creation Myth
The 7-23-14 Marquette Law School Poll shows that 51% of Wisconsin voters hold a mistaken impression on job creation:
9% of voters say Wisconsin is creating jobs faster than other states,
42% say Wisconsin is creating jobs at about the same rate as other states.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports results of the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages -- the government's most reliable source of employment data and the one Walker endorsed as the authoritative measure of job trends at the state level -- as follows:
Instead of 250,000 new private-sector jobs, ...
Unions: The Folks That Brought You the Weekend
We are all better off because of unions and this is true even if you have never been represented by one. A good example is the weekend. The standard work week used to be 60 to 80 hours a week in the early 20th century. Everyone, including children, were expected to work 10 or 12 hour days six days a week. Sunday was a day off only because you were expected to go to church.
The weekend did not come about because employers cared about their employees. Employers had to be forced, through laws and union contracts, to allow workers time for their families or some ...
How Climate Changes Affect Wisconsin Agriculture
by Dan Dieterich
You’d think that global warming would be good for Wisconsin farmers, wouldn’t you?
After all, it means a longer growing season. In central and northwest Wisconsin, the growing season is already 20 days longer than it was in 1950. Global warming is also giving us warmer spring soil temperatures, less risk of frosts in late spring and early fall, and higher demand for food production. All of that’s good news for Wisconsin agriculture!
So, what’s the problem?
Our atmosphere is getting hotter, which is causing more droughts and wildfires. ...
An Open Letter To Dr. Susan Hedman – EPA Region 5 Administrator
Dr. Susan Hedman
EPA Region 5 Administrator
Environmental Protection Agency
77 West Jackson Boulevard
Chicago, IL 60604-3507
Dear Dr. Hedman:
In support of the formal request to you on May 27, 2014 from the Six Bands of the Anishinaabeg Territory Watersheds and Waters of Lake Superior: Bad River Band of Lake Superior, Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior, Lac du Flambeau Band, Lac Courtes Oreilles Band, St. Croix Band, Sokoagon Band I request that the Environmental Protection Agency initiate a public process under Section 404c of the Clean Water Act to protect ...
Move to Amend – Delivery of 2500+ Signatures
Monumental grassroots efforts, led by concerned citizens, Rita and Milt Pachal of Wausau, culminated in the one week early delivery of the Move To Amend petitions with more than 2500+ signatures - 500 more than necessary - on August 7, 2014. Rita and Milt are shown in the photos with several of the 50 volunteers who helped acquire signatures.
***Action Alert*** Bad River Tribe asks for Letters to the EPA
Send your letter now. And forward this message to others who are concerned about pollution of the Bad River watershed & Lake Superior.
Led by Bad River, six Ojibwe bands have asked the EPA to undertake a 404c process, which would allow them to preemptively stop proposed iron mining in the Penokee Hills because of the importance of the resources that it threatens.They need your help. This is a very simple “ask” but ...
Outsourcing Superior
The decline of good jobs has been the defining feature of our economy for some time. The results have been disastrous for working families and the economy as a whole. The trend is continuing in Superior, only this time it is our public employers killing jobs.
UW-Superior is planning to outsource the custodians and grounds maintenance staff to a for-profit company. These jobs have always been state civil service jobs. They were usually full time, paid modest wages, but had good benefits. The 26 affected employees only average about $12 per hour.
The community reacted ...
