Show Support for MTI

It is time to support Madison Teachers Incorporated (MTI) in their efforts to secure a contract extension with the Madison Metropolitan School District. Attend the special meeting scheduled for Monday, September 24th at 6:00 PM. Come to the Doyle Administration Building, 545 W. Dayton, next to the Kohn Center.

The ruling by Judge Calas last week, voiding much of Act 10 and re-instating collective bargaining for teachers, county and municipal workers, opens a window for employers to reach agreements in good faith with the working women and men whose rights were trampled by the overlords of Fitzwalkerstan. Madison teachers want to work with school administrators and the board to reach an agreement that extends the current contract in a way that benefits the children, while protecting worker rights and holding the line on property taxes.

AFSCME workers were successful earlier this week reaching such an agreement with Dane County. The parties were able to come together in less than three days to fashion a contract extension that contains zero pay increases, will not increase taxes, and preserves the County’s ability to use furloughs and layoffs, if needed. In addition, the agreement contains language that could save taxpayers up to $5 million, if increases in the costs of employment cause the County to exceed levy limits.

Now teachers in Madison want their turn to show the parents and the community that good labor relations trump the politics of divide and conquer forced into place by Governor Walker and the Fitzgerald brothers. They need your help to convince a skeptical School Board that working families support collective bargaining. Please join me at the administration building on Monday evening. Let’s show people across America that here in Wisconsin we don’t do things the Rohm Emanuel way. Workers and management can work together to do what is right for the kids and taxpayers, while protecting the dignity and collective bargaining rights of those who teach.

Labor Day Weekend

Please join me in thanking the working women and men of Wisconsin who are getting their children ready for the classroom once more. This Labor Day, join with me to both remember the sacrifices these folks make every day for their families and their communities.

The American way of life has been under attack for thirty years. You know the symptoms: increasing concentration of wealth, declining wages and benefits, loss of retirement protections. All the while, the economy itself is doing just fine. Income and wealth disparity is as high as it has been since before the Great Depression. The last recession supposedly ended more than two years ago, but you would not know it walking down Main Street.

There is no single answer to our current economic mess. Many of the answers require courage vision from our leaders, which does not appear to be anywhere in sight. We do hold one part of the answer in our hands, or more accurately, our wallets. Retail consumption currently accounts for 70% of all economic activity in America. The decisions we make every time we spend money is critical to the future working and middle class families. The answer is simple: BUY UNION, BUY LOCAL, BUY AMERICAN.

It can take work to find union made products. First stop for every working household should be the Union Label & Service Trades Department of the AFL-CIO website. Find out which contractors in your area are union and patronize them whenever you need repairs or remodeling. Shop at local farmers markets or sign up for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares. Give gifts made by local artisans.

Remember, even though you spend more to for union-made or local products and services, you get so much more. Your money stays in our economy, circulating around and around. That has been the magic of the American Dream. As we grew and flourished in the middle of the last century, we plowed that money back into buying the goods and services we produced. That virtuous cycle it the essence of a strong economy.

We cannot, as individuals, change the world; but only individuals can do their part. We cannot give our children the America we want for them if we continue to fill our homes with massive amounts of cheap foreign crap. The true struggle for economic freedom in America can only be won when me make smart decisions with our hard earned wages.

Happy Labor Day! BUY UNION, BUY LOCAL, BUY AMERICAN!