Wisconsin AFL-CIO Labor 2008

Now What?

The Wisconsin labor movement really did usher in a new day in Washington.  Every leaflet handed out, every door knocked, every piece of mail sent and every phone call placed made a difference.

But now that we have a new administration and a more worker-friendly congress, we must remember that the substantial changes to rebuild the middle class will not happen automatically.

Click here to visit our new Employee Free Choice Act blog and find out what you can do to make sure that our elected officials keep their promise to rebuild the middle class.

We did it

Milwaukee GOTV Election Day efforts on National AFL-CIO NOW blog

Once again, Wisconsin's GOTV efforts made it onto the National AFL-CIO NOW blog.  Check it out:
"Illinois AFSCME Members Join Milwaukee Unionists in GOTV"

Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Executive Vice-President Sara Rogers reminds you to vote TODAY!

Sara Rogers, Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Executive Vice-President, jumped on the phone in Milwaukee today to remind union members to get to the polls and VOTE!
 

Photos from TODAY's GOTV Election Day efforts in Milwaukee

From left: Melissa Aponte and Pat Reed, AFSCME Local 432 president, from Chicago with their driver Dave Parkinson of IUOE Local 139 in Milwaukee, before hitting the streets to Get Out The Vote for Barack Obama and other Wisconsin State AFL-CIO-endorsed candidates.  CLICK HERE for more photos from this morning on Flickr

Two buses with approximately 80 members from AFSCME District Council 31 in Chicago arrived in Milwaukee this morning to take part in the Wisconsin AFL-CIO Labor 2008’s Get Out The Vote (GOTV) mobilization.

IUOE Local 139 business agents Steve Buffalo, Tim Goetz, Travis Martzahl, Dave Parkinson, Rick Parrent, Dan Schultz, Greg West and Milwaukee Area Labor Council President Willy D. Ellis (also an IUOE Local 139 member) are each taking out teams of the AFSCME District Council 31 members to knock on union members doors and remind them to VOTE for Barack Obama and other Wisconsin State AFL-CIO-endorsed candidates.

Friday through yesterday Wisconsin had 1,983 volunteers knock on 50,743 doors and make 105,731 GOTV phone calls. 

UFCW Local 21 members from Seattle talk about canvassing in Milwaukee

UFCW Local 21 members Danny Boyer, Rae Saetern and Brian Smith from Seattle talk about their experience canvassing in support of Barack Obama in Milwaukee:

Afternoon photos from GOTV activity in Milwaukee

Congresswoman Gwen Moore visits the Milwaukee Area Labor Council staging location today plus some last-minute GOTV worksite leafleting (CLICK HERE to see this photo set on Flickr):

Milwaukee GOTV efforst on National AFL-CIO NOW Blog

Check it out:

"International Visitors Observe Milwaukee Union Movement’s GOTV Efforts"

International visitors observe Milwaukee labor movement's GOTV efforts

This morning, the labor walk and member-to-member phone bank staged out of the Milwaukee Area Labor Council had the honor of welcoming two international visitors.  (CLICK HERE to view this photo set on Flickr)

Abdelwahad DRIOUCHE, Administrative Adviser and Budget Analysis Office Unit Coordinator for the Parliament of Morocco and Anas A. Binsaeed, Researcher, Shura Council, Inter-Parliamentary Unit of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are in Milwaukee as part of an international group observing the United States’ electoral process.  They stopped by the Milwaukee Area Labor Council to see how union members are working to remind their union brothers and sisters to Get Out the Vote!

Steve Kwaterski, Wisconsin AFL-CIO Labor 2008 Southeastern Wisconsin political coordinator, and Ryan Neibauer, AFSCME Take Back America staffer, gave an overview of the Labor 2008 member-to-member program, while Greg Hinds, USW Local 2-1324, explained a walk packet to the visitors.  Kwaterski then showed the call center with the predictive dialers, explaining how much more efficient such a computer-based system is over traditional land lines. 

Statewide, Wisconsin’s GOTV efforts Friday, October 31 through Sunday, November 2 resulted in 1349 volunteers making 68,502 phone calls and knocking on 35,853 union members’ doors. 

November 3rd Spotlight on the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO

From left: Sara Rogers, Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Executive Vice-President; Terence O'Sullivan, LIUNA International President and Phil Neuenfeldt, Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer at Saturday’s rally kicking off the Milwaukee GOTV labor walk and member-to-member phone bank. 

(Notice Neuenfeldt is holding his walk packet and coffee – now that’s a man who’s ready to knock some doors!)

CLICK HERE to WATCH Sara Rogers speak at Saturday’s walk and phone bank kick-off rally in Milwaukee

The Wisconsin State AFL-CIO, or State Fed, is a major driving force in this year’s Labor 2008 program in Wisconsin.  All three State Fed officers - President David Newby, Secretary-Treasurer Phil Neuenfeldt and Executive Vice-President Sara Rogers – are tireless road warriors.  They each participated in walks and rallies, phone banks and worksite leaflets in towns and cities across Wisconsin.

For example, Newby participated in the September 4th National Day of Action labor walk in Eau Claire and spoke at Saturday’s rally in Green Bay, which kicked off a labor walk and the USW caravan.

Neuenfeldt, who started in the labor movement as a member of IAM, was instrumental in putting together the meetings that resulted in the outstanding statewide Building Trades worksite leaflet program spotlighted in yesterday’s email.  This GOTV weekend, he spent time knocking on union members doors to get out the vote for Barack Obama.   

Rogers serves not only as the State Fed’s Executive Vice-President, but as its Political Director.  Last night, she phone banked using one of the predictive dialers in Milwaukee.    

CLICK HERE to LISTEN to Rogers talk about the value of union members talking to union members at the worksite and at the door with host Carole Weidel on WORT radio in Madison