Obama Milwaukee Visit Draws Protests, Supporters

Around 250 people stood outside the Master Lock factory in Milwaukee as President Obama spoke of the necessity to bring manufacturing jobs back to the US. A mixture of protestors and supporters showed up.

Protestors were there to criticize the President for not taking a strong enough stance (and acting on) healthcare reform, ending the war in Afghanistan, creating a meaningful amount of jobs (especially in Milwaukee) and making the banks pay their fair share in the foreclosure crisis.

Angela Walker discusses the shortcomings of President Obama’s policies and says he needs to be more aggressive when dealing with healthcare and foreclosures

“I would like the President’s attention drawn to the actual conditions in the city. We have a real problem with board-ups and foreclosures. We need the money that has been brought to the state to address these issues to be put in the communities that the most. We need health care. This area has the highest infant mortality rate in the city. We need the President to do a little bit more than he’s doing.”

What President Obama is doing right…plus more video … Continue Reading

Milwaukee Co. Example of “Insourcing” Jobs Says Obama

Bringing back jobs to America from oversees, or “insourcing” is key to an economic recovery says President Obama. On Wednesday he praised a Milwaukee company for doing just that and called for changing the tax code to stop rewarding businesses that ship jobs overseas, and start rewarding companies that create jobs right here in America.

Master Lock Company, the world’s largest manufacturer of padlocks and related security products, is leading by example and bringing jobs back to the United States. Since mid-2010, Master Lock has returned approximately 100 jobs back to Milwaukee, Wisconsin that had previously been off-shored. Master Lock is improving productivity at their plant in Milwaukee by upgrading equipment and the company plans to continue bringing jobs back to Wisconsin.

The President has highlighted the emerging trend of insourcing – companies bringing jobs back and making additional investments in the United States. During the past two years, we have begun to see positive signs in American manufacturing, with the manufacturing sector adding more than 300,000 jobs since December 2009.

Link to a recent White House report on the emerging trend.

Transcript of President Obama’s speech in Milwaukee … Continue Reading

Milwaukee Tightens Security When Occupy Coalition Visits

A group of 50 activists from the Occupy Coalition gathered in downtown Milwaukee recently to hold a protest of unequal distribution of city funds and a conversation with Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. They were met with an enhanced police presence but did not get to meet the Mayor

The Occupy Coalition includes Occupy the Hood, Occupy Milwaukee, Occupy Riverwest and Decolonize the Barrio.

On Monday, February 6, the group met at the intersection of Wells and Wisconsin downtown Milwaukee and marched to the Milwaukee city hall.

The group of activists was met by an enhanced police presence that required participants to have their bags searched upon entering the building.

About 15 police officers were in and around city hall for the demonstration, a presence that is very unusual.

Michael Horne has been a correspondent at Milwaukee Magazine for over two decades. Horne said he commonly goes to city hall to gather information for stories and has never been searched upon entering the public building and was surprised at the police presence for the demonstration.
… Continue Reading

Senator Tells Unemployed: US Faces Debt Crisis, Can’t Afford Benefit Extension

Video by Tracey Pollock
Quoting right-wing talking points, US Senator Ron Johnson (R)-Wisconsin, spars with unemployed and underemployed constituents in his Washington, DC office over unemployment benefits.

Senator Johnson brushes off constituents requests for increasing taxes on the rich, saying the US is facing a debt crisis and says we should be fearful of what is happening in Greece because it could spike interest rates and cost the US $1.2 trillion more in debt payments. Strangely enough, that’s approximately the same amount of money the US Treasury has lost because of the Bush tax cuts that Republicans have refused to let expire as they were slated to this year.

“We don’t have a debt crisis, we have a revenue crisis and we need the rich to pay their fair share” said one of Senator Johnson’s constituents. “If we increase taxes on the rich we can fund those programs that put people back to work right now. Bridges, roads, schools. We can put them back to work. Those are real jobs.”

“I’m concerned the disparity between the top and the bottom. I am”, says Senator Johnson. “The solution isn’t to tear the top down. The solution is to get our economy going again.”

That disparity according to Senator Johnson isn’t as large as others have described. He says the top 1% only earn 17% of the country’s wealth. However constituents crowding in his office quickly reminded him that the 1% controls 45% of the nation’s wealth.

Senator Johnson quotes Bush administration era statistics on government regulation costs. … Continue Reading

“Union Busting Language” Forces Strike In Wisconsin

Video by Tracey Pollock
Emboldened by Governor Scott Walker’s attack on public unions, private Wisconsin employers are attempting to bust the unions in their labor contract negotiations.

In Manitowoc, the machinists union is on strike not over wages, but because of “union busting” language the Manitowoc Crane company wants included in the contract.

An estimated 2,000 to 3,000 people attended Machinists local 516 strike rally on December 10 in Manitowoc, WI. The machinists are on strike after a new contract was overwhelmingly voted down (183-2) that included language to eliminate collective bargaining rights for the union.

Several union leaders and members of the community attended the rally to show support of the nearly 200 machinists on strike. Leaders of several unions attended, including American Federation of State, Municipal and County Employees (AFSCME), Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC), Ironworkers, United Steelworkers (USW), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), Professional Firefighters (PFF), and the WIsconsin state president of the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO).

Union members say company trying to follow union busting example from the State of Wisconsin. … Continue Reading

“A Good Worker” Doesn’t Make Minimum Wage For Long Says Senator

Video by Tracey Pollock
US Senator from Wisconsin Ron Johnson speaks with constituents in his office about living on the minimum wage. Johnson says he once worked for minimum wage, but had to live with his parents and work as many as 96 hours a week. Yet he has voted at least twice against raising it.

Transcript of Senator Ron Johnson’s conversation about minimum wage. … Continue Reading

Workers Need To End Rich Buying Politicians

Video by Tracey Pollock

Randy Bryce Political Director of the Ironworkers Union local 8, discusses the importance of Occupy Milwaukee and unions endorsement of the movement Randy Bryce- Iron Workers Local 8

What does the Occupy Milwaukee mean to you?

It means there are 99 percent of the people that don’t control the majority of the wealth in this country and there’s one percent that seems to have control over everything including elections, what goes on, the rules. Basically just buying all of the politicians.

And it’s not a democracy, it’s a plutocracy. This was warned about by Thomas Jefferson that banks are more dangerous than standing armies.

Bryce sees a deep connection of purpose between Occupy Wall Street and the unions “It’s the people who build America being able to control how decisions are made in America.”

Bryce sees the parallels between this and the Wisconsin uprising earlier this year. “It’s the big money that supports (Wisconsin Governor) Scott Walker deciding that he needs to be put in power and it was all a result of big money coming in from outside groups.”

Bryce says the banks were bailed out, but instead of helping people “they give big bonuses to their CEOs, the ones that made the decisions that tanked their companies in the first place.” “People know if something is not done right now, the next step is the masses not being able to have any say.”

“It’s about time. I’m glad to see that something that started in Madison, and I see this whole movement as an offshoot of that because all of the parallels and all of the similarities of why we were marching in Madison.”

Occupy Movement Targets Big Businesses That “Control” Political System

Video by Tracey Pollock

Todd Stoner and Anthony D Williams Jr discuss the importance of Occupy Milwaukee and why Milwaukee as a community is crucial to this movement.

Why is Occupy Milwaukee important to you both?

Anthony B. Williams: “It’s a way to bring light on a touchy subject that’s been going on in America for centuries. It didn’t just start.”

Williams says “The 99 percent will no longer stand for the things that have been going on in America that have brought us tot where we are right now as far as a recession.

Todd Stoner sees Occupy Wall Street as an opportunity to educate the public about inequality, corruption and the connection between “big business, big money and politics.”

“It’s working. We have wide support despite what you can see on corporate media, the vast majority of the people in Milwaukee agree that things are messed up. That’s there’s far too much money in the hands of the one percent. And that we the 99 percent need more of a voice.”

Income inequality and joblessness should be at “the forefront of the media” says Stoner. He sees Occupy Milwaukee is one way of doing that.

Poverty and segregation motivating “occupy” movement in Milwaukee … Continue Reading

Occupy Movement Already Successful Says Organizer

Video by Tracey Pollock

Peter Rickman, a member of UW-Madison’s Teaching Assistant Association describes the importance of Occupy Milwaukee, drawing a connection to the protests that occurred in Madison in the spring of 2011.

Rickman says Occupy Milwaukee is part of a global movement for social and economic justice. He says Milwaukee has seen economic injustice for decades. He says people are “pissed off” over the “general screwing over of the working people.”

Peterson says we need to force a discussion about economic inequality and the concentration of political power.. that discussion can lead to a change.

Peterson says the occupy movements are creating “a new political space where anger and frustration over the state of affairs is a valid political expression.” He says the movement is having an impact on the discussion.

Rickman sees a direct link between the Wisconsin uprising in February and March which led to the recall of two Republican senators and leaving the GOP with a slim one vote majority in the state senate. He was involved in that uprising and says people found there is power in protest. The masses can influence politics and policy.

He says not to worry if Occupy Milwaukee doesn’t look exactly like Occupy Wall Street. “Movements have many faces” says Rickman… it’s OK to be different in different places all over the world.

Video: Occupy Milwaukee Draws 3,000 People
… Continue Reading

Teachers Union Supports Occupy Wall Street in Milwaukee

Video By Tracey Pollock

Milwaukee Teachers Education Association President Bob Peterson discusses the MTEA endorsement of Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Milwaukee and the impact of education on Milwaukee public schools.

Peterson notes that about 10% of Milwaukee public school employees have been cut because of the budget.

He says judging education by scores alone is wrong. Teachers aren’t “robots” and children aren’t “bank accounts” that you can deposit bits of information in. Learning is hard.

He also says the uprising in Wisconsin this past spring probably inspired some of the Occupy Wall Street movement.

“The bottom line” says Peterson, ” is 99% of the people aren’t going to take it anymore.”