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Report: With pension bill, revenue constraints, fiscal tipping point looms for Milwaukee
The city of Milwaukee is closer than ever to a major fiscal tipping point that could lead to severe cuts in services in the coming years and require swift action by the city and state lawmakers to avert a crisis, according to a new report released Tuesday. In search of a long-term resolution, “city and […]
Medical bills they thought were covered sock dissolved company’s former employees
When Yvonne Rhead got foot surgery in May, she expected that her bill would be covered by the health insurance she had with her former employer. Instead, she’s gotten nothing so far — and a $40,000 bill is staring her in the face. Rhead spent 22 years working for Hufcor Inc., a Janesville-based manufacturer of […]
News outlet scrutinizes Favre scandal involving Mississippi welfare money for stadium
Former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre is at the center of a Mississippi scandal that involves $5 million in welfare funds used to finance a volleyball stadium. On Friday, the Mississippi Free Press published an extensive account of the transactions involved in the scandal. The story takes readers through the mounting court records in […]
New Marquette Law School poll points to tight races for Senate, governor
The race between Republican Sen. Ron Johnson and his Democratic challenger, Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, has tightened into a dead heat, with Johnson now leading by a percentage point in the latest Marquette Law School poll. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers maintains a slight 3-point lead over Republican challenger Tim Michels in the Marquette poll released […]
UW Health, nurses reach agreement on resolving question of union rights
UW Health, nurses and the union seeking to represent them have agreed to a legal process to establish whether the hospital system can recognize and bargain with a union. Hospital and union representatives along with Gov. Tony Evers announced the deal Monday — averting a threatened three-day walkout by nurses that was to begin Tuesday […]
Finance committee adds police to $31M opiate settlement spending plan
A three-week squabble over how the state should spend its first $31 million payment from litigation against the opiate industry ended Thursday as the Legislature’s budget committee approved a revised plan for using the money to combat the state’s opioid addiction crisis. Republicans on the Joint Finance Committee rewrote a plan originally drafted by the […]
Union organizers share their experiences as the economy shows workers their power
A half-dozen activists were wrapping up a 90-minute conversation Wednesday when Conner Erickson offered his tip to people trying to organize a union where they work. “Frustration is an incredibly strong weapon that spreads rapidly,” said Erickson. “Reassuring folks that their frustrations are not theirs alone — that does a lot for a worker who’s […]
DHS gives monkeypox vaccine wider distribution
The vaccine for monkeypox virus will get wider distribution, Wisconsin health officials said Tuesday, as the eligible population has expanded and the reserve of vaccine supplies has increased. The rate of infections from the virus has been declining in recent weeks, said Dr. Ryan Westergaard, chief medical officer for the bureau of communicable diseases in […]
Democrat’s write-in Assembly bid puts Vos in three-way match after narrow primary win
With a write-in Republican challenger already running against Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) in November, a two-time Democratic rival is joining the race as well. Joel Jacobsen announced Tuesday he would run as a write-in candidate for the 63rd district state Assembly seat Vos holds. In a statement and in an interview, Jacobsen identified his […]
Biden makes a hit with union workers in Labor Day visit to Milwaukee
Under bright sunshine at Milwaukee’s first official Labor Day celebration since 2019, President Joe Biden rallied 6,000 union members in a speech that lived up to the holiday’s unofficial role: kicking off the final stretch of the fall election campaign season. Biden’s speech, delivered at Laborfest on the Milwaukee Summerfest grounds, was an opportunity for […]
Report finds conditions are looking up for workers in Wisconsin — including increased power
Unemployment is down, wages are up and Wisconsin workers are more willing to talk union this Labor Day. That’s the summary of the newest State of Working Wisconsin report from COWS, a University of Wisconsin research center that looks at the state of the economy through the eyes of the broad workforce. “The question we’re […]
How government aid helped Ron Johnson
In his two terms in office, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) has run hard against government spending. Since his first Senate campaign in 2010, the Oshkosh Republican has described himself as an outsider and business creator who has succeeded without government help. He has dismissed big-ticket bills as wasteful, telling a TV host in June that […]