Immigration Issues, Voting Rights Draw Thousands To Milwaukee May Day March

Several thousand people converged in Milwaukee’s Walker’s Point neighborhood in front of the Voces de la Frontera office for the annual May Day march and rally. Activists marched a few miles from Walker’s Point through downtown Milwaukee to Veteran’s Park on the lake front.

The event was organized by Voces De La Frontera, an immigrant rights organization and allies from around Milwaukee. This year’s march centered around the issues of deportation, voting rights, funding for education and health care and restoration of in state tuition and drivers licenses for immigrants.

Wisconsin has been a whirlwind of political activity and protests since Governor Scott Walker was elected, now facing a historic recall. A piece of legislation that did not receive attention was a copy cat bill of Arizona’s SB 1070 introduced in the 2011 state legislative session. The bill did not make it out of committee, likely resulting from the attention to the mass protests that labor held throughout the session.

Deportations, voter suppression important issues … Continue Reading

Tom Morello Receives Hillman Award for Supporting Madison, Occupy Protests

Rage Against the Machine musician and activist Tom Morello, who played for and inspired demonstrators in front of the Wisconsin State Capitol during the workers’ rights uprising last year, will receive a special public service award at the annual 2012 Hillman Prizes ceremony on May 1 in New York City. Previous awards have gone to such figures as Eleanor Roosevelt, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. and Harry Belafonte.

Last year, Morello also performed at Occupy Wall Street protests in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver. He donated the proceeds from his Justice Tour concerts in Madison, Flint, Mich., and Cleveland to the Nation Institute.

“Tom Morello’s work in pursuing social and economic justice — and in telling the stories of working men and women — is exemplary and inspiring,” said Bruce Raynor, president of the Sidney Hillman Foundation. “Tom’s music, energy and leadership brings attention to causes that matter and inspires others to become more active on the public commons. In the words of another American songwriter, there’s a battle outside and it’s ragin’ — and almost any time we look, there’s Tom Morello right out in front.”

More video: GRITtv’s Laura Flanders interviews Morello in Madison last February … Continue Reading

Occupy/Union Led Protests Greet Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel In Milwaukee

Chicago Mayor and former advisor to President Obama Rahm Emanuel was in Milwaukee Wednesday to raise money for Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. He also ended up raising a howl of protest from people upset over privatization of city services, union rights and the upcoming NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) summit in Chicago.

A coalition of activists from Occupy Milwaukee, Occupy Chicago, Occupy the Hood-Milwaukee, Occupy the Hood-Chicago, Occupy Riverwest, Students for a Democratic Society, Peace Action WI, Southside Together Organizing for Power, the Milwaukee Coalition to Protest NATO, Progressive Democrats of America, Wisconsin Bail Out the People Movement, the Milwaukee Graduate Assistants Association, International Action Center, and the Chicago Mental Health Movement, and AFSCME assembled to protest Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel at a fundraiser for Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett at the Italian Community Center in Milwaukee, Thursday. The cost of entry to the fundraiser ranged from $400 and $2,500.

Protesters say Emanuel has moved to privatize Chicago city services, including recycling, a push for charter schools while closing several public schools and closing community health centers. Chicago’s new city budget privatizes all seven of the cities neighborhood health centers as well as closing half (6 of 12) of the cities mental health facilities. In the last year, Emanuel has issued lay off notices for more than 600 city employees, replacing these positions with private contracted workers.

Impact of Chicago’s privatization … Continue Reading

2011 UpTake Stories With The Most Impact

Workers' Rights Supporter In Madison Wisconsin - Photo by Natalie Rosen	Representative Steve Simon talks about gay marriage
Sparking Occupy Wall Street-Robert Reich debunks six right-wing "lies"	Tornado Hits Economically Depressed Minneapolis Neighborhood

At the end of every year at The UpTake we’ve traditionally highlighted the most interesting videos of the year. But this year, several big stories transcended any one video. So instead, we’re looking back at those stories we covered that have had the most impact.
… 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

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

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.”

Wisconsin GOP Senate Majority Remains At 1 Vote

Wisconsin Republicans failed to pick up any breathing room Tuesday, losing both Senate recall elections leaving their majority at just one vote. Before the recall elections spurred by anger over Governor Scott Walker’s anti-union legislation, Republicans had a comfortable five vote margin.

Senator Jim Holperin (D-Conover) beat challenger and tea party activist Kim Simac of Eagle River. Senator Bob Wirch (D-Pleasant Prairie) easily topped Republican lawyer Jonathan Steitz.

Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Mike Tate said the recalls will force Governor Walker to take a more moderate approach. “The victories tonight of Senators Wirch and Holperin cap off successful recall elections this summer for Democrats, progressives, moderates and independents. Democrats won more races, recalled two Republican senators, protected every Democratic incumbent, shifted the balance of power in the state Senate away from conservatives, and forced Walker and the GOP to pay public lip service to moderation and bipartisanship for the first time since they took power in January. All of these facts show that voters gave Democrats the overall victory in this summer’s historic senate recall elections.”

Wisconsin GOP Majority Whittled Down To One Vote

Wisconsin Republicans’ grip on the state’s Senate has been reduced to the smallest margin possible. One vote separates Democrats from Republicans in the state’s Senate after Tuesday’s recall elections. That margin could be widened again as two Democratic Senators face recall elections next week.

Anger over Republican backed laws that weakened unions and the way the laws were passed fueled the six recall elections on Tuesday. Democrats needed to win three of the seats to take control of the Senate. They won two.

Unofficial vote totals showed incumbent Republicans hanging on to their seats Surviving the recalls were Senator Alberta Darling of River Hills, Senator Sheila Harsdorf of River Falls, Senator Luther Olsen of Ripon and Senator Rob Cowles of Allouez.

Democrats Jennifer Shilling of La Crosse and Jessica King of Oshkosh defeated incumbent Republican Senator Dan Kapanke of LaCross and Senator Randy Hopper of Empire.

Despite the election being held in August, more votes were cast In the western Wisconsin race to recall Senator Harsdorf than were cast in that district for the Governor’s race in 2010.

More coverage including analysis from The Nation’s John Nichols and report on the Wisconsin turnout from The UpTake’s Sam Mayfield in Portage, Wisconsin. … Continue Reading