The famous Manitowoc County Pig Roast is set for Tuesday, July 9, at Manitowoc’s Lincoln Park. The event will be held in Cabin 2. Tickets will not be sold at the door, so order now. As in past years please make checks payable to Michelle Kohlbeck, $15 per person, BUT mail them to Cindy Satori, 6820 Hartlaub Lake Road, Manitowoc, WI, 54220. A registration form may also be found on our website..  Ticket order form Read more >>>

WALA is back! Build power in your local. Get your local leadership team signed up or call (608) 836-6666 TODAY!

What is the Wisconsin AFSCME Leadership Academy?

• Two-day training for local union leadership teams.
• Learn how to move members to action.
• Work as a team to develop and carry out a solid action plan for your local.
• Network, and build solidarity with local union leaders from other councils.
• Learn a little bit of labor history and a lot about what’s happening now.
• Hear about Wisconsin locals that are fighting and winning today.
• Return home inspired, reinvigorated, and ready to build power in your local.
• Have fun!

When is WALA and where is WALA for 2013?

• Madison, WI – June 22 and 23
• Milwaukee, WI – September 7 and 8
• Northwest WI – October 5 and 6
• Green Bay area – September 28 and 29

Read more >>>

 A Wisconsin appeals court has refused to put on hold a judge's decision repealing major parts of Gov. Scott Walker's law effectively ending collective bargaining for most public workers.

Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen asked the 4th District Court of Appeals to place the September ruling of Dane County Circuit Judge Juan Colas on hold while an appeal is pending. Colas refused in October and the appeals court on Tuesday upheld that decision.

The appeals court says it sees "no basis to set aside the circuit court's decision that a stay was not warranted."

A spokeswoman for Van Hollen did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Last year's ruling overturned the law as it pertained to school and local government workers.  (read more)  (read decision)

Feb. 27, 2013 by Ina Jaffe for NPR

Part of a special NPR series "Working Late: Older Americans on the Job"

Politics is one field that has long been associated with people working into their later years — sometimes even into their 80s or 90s. And at 85, state Sen. Fred Risser of Wisconsin, the longest-serving state lawmaker in the country, shows no signs of slowing down.

Read more >>>

Feb. 25, 2013 by Scott Schneider for The Capital Times

At first glance, Gov. Scott Walker's budget provision to do away with residency requirements for city and school employees makes for some strange bedfellows — aligning the governor made famous for slashing the power of public worker unions with police officers, firefighters and other city workers who have long sought an end to residency requirements through collective bargaining.

Look again.
 

Read more >>>

The University of Wisconsin’s School for Workers has announced a special Madison-based training series, led by Corliss Olson. Although this training is not sponsored by Council 40, we encourage locals to consider sending members to this event. The application form is available here and the agenda follows: Read more >>>

2011 will be a very busy year. On the flipside of this Update is a list of several important union-related events for your new year’s calendar. (click here for more) 

On Sunday, 1,900 members of UAW Local No. 833 joined fellow workers at companies like Harley Davidson and Mercury Marine by voting to accept a contract from the Kohler Corporation. The concessions freeze wages and cut benefits for current production employees and new hires will start at a significantly lower wage tier and be offered limited benefits.

Throughout Wisconsin, this recession has driven state manufacturers to force similarly severe concessions from their workers. (read more)

Wisconsin Gov.-elect Scott Walker and the new Republican Legislature have declared war on working people. They want to abolish public employee unions and turn Wisconsin into a so-called right-to-work state, meaning no more union shops and no more dues from anyone who objects. This also means no more pressure from anywhere to keep wages at a livable level for anyone, union or not. (read more)

Much of today's political rhetoric about public employee pensions does not match reality. In fact, Wisconsin's retirement system is viewed nationally as an example of how to do it right. Read more here.

The city of Madison appears to be backing away from a plan to replace dozens of parking cashiers who staff parking ramps with automated machines. But the fight is not over. Read more here.

The State Journal's recent coverage of City of Madison employee compensation policies has revealed a curious case of tunnel vision. The newspaper focused on a narrow sliver of total compensation for a tiny group of employees. It was like an automobile review that fixates on cup holders. (more)

Through the cooperation of AFSCME, the AFL-CIO and Council 40 we are pleased to announce a new free service for Local Unions. Laborweb is a simple and free tool to build websites and strengthen communication. (more)