Work & the Economy
Can a Milwaukee janitors’ contract plant the seeds of a new middle class?
As a janitor in a downtown Milwaukee office building, James Rudd has often felt invisible. “People think we’re just mimes — we walk through silently,” says Rudd. “No — we have skills we can use.” Skills, he says, that make the building cleaner and safer. “As a janitor, we see everything.” At 29, Rudd has […]
Evers, Democratic lawmakers propose $25 million package to help farmers
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and a group of Democratic lawmakers proposed on Tuesday a legislative package that would spend $25 million on helping the state’s agricultural industry. Evers announced the package at the World Dairy Expo in Madison alongside Sen. Brad Pfaff (D-Onalaska), State Rep. Dave Considine (D-Baraboo) and Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and […]
Huge uptick in pandemic ‘air rage’ hits flight attendants
Flight attendants have been subject to unprecedented harassment over masks and more during the pandemic, and a U.S. House panel on Thursday heard the raw details of those “air rage” incidents. While there’s no hard data, the leader of the flight attendants’ union said the most aggression appears to occur in Southern states where there’s […]
Wisconsin could see major changes if Congress passes ‘Build Back Better’
In Washington, D.C., two intertwined pieces of legislation are ensnared in bickering among House and Senate Democrats while Republicans mostly look the other way. But this week, a pair of conversations 850 miles west of the nation’s capital brought the potential impact of those bills home to Wisconsin — a brief slice of real life […]
Madison alders pass unanimous resolution backing UW Health nurses’ union
A Madison Common Council resolution calling for a “fair and fast union election” by the end of 2021 for nurses at UW Health garnered unanimous approval from the body this week. The vote, conducted by acclamation Tuesday night, followed testimony from several nurses who support unionization at UW Hospital and Clinics. The resolution was introduced […]
Here’s how to boost employment for people facing tough times
Tyrone in Milwaukee knows how difficult it can be to find a good job. The well-paying ones require an in-demand skill, but it’s hard to pursue training for those in-demand skills when you need to work. “The problem with training is that you don’t get paid and you have bills to pay,” he says. Eighteen […]
Rural policymakers, leaders look for long term answers for economic growth
Leaders and officials in Wisconsin’s rural communities must be creative and work together to turn around decades of decline and build sustainable local economies, experts said at a WisPolitics event held in La Crosse on Tuesday. The results of Wisconsin’s 2020 census show declining populations in many rural areas and a 4% decrease in the […]
Coalition proposes alternative plan for Milwaukee freeway project
With more bicycles, more buses and less highway pavement, environmental and transit advocates proposed an alternative Tuesday to a controversial state plan to widen part of Interstate 94 in Milwaukee. The pitch is the latest step in efforts by critics to push back against the state’s $1.1 billion plan for Milwaukee’s I-94 East-West corridor following […]
Billions of dollars in federal rental aid remains stalled in slow-moving states, localities
WASHINGTON — Make it simpler to apply for rental assistance money. Allow landlords to apply on behalf of unresponsive tenants. And consolidate two overlapping federal programs aimed at getting financial help to struggling renters. Those were among the proposals that U.S. House members weighed during a hearing Friday on how to better help states and localities […]
A fresh face for the Wisconsin Farmers Union
Eyes sparkling over a face mask decorated with little black-and-white cows, Vivienne Kerley-de la Cruz, the energetic new policy coordinator for the Wisconsin Farmers Union, slipped into a booth at Ancora coffee shop near the Capitol. Brand new in her job, which she started in June, Kerley-de la Cruz has a background in rural organizing […]
Uber, DoorDash want lawmakers to guarantee their drivers aren’t employees
Drivers for ride-share businesses such as Uber and app-based delivery services such as DoorDash would be blocked from collecting workers’ compensation or unemployment benefits in Wisconsin under legislation that would define them as independent contractors rather than employees. The proposed measures — Assembly Bill 487 and Senate Bill 485 — would also allow those sorts […]
Federal lawsuit seeks to overturn state ban on jobless pay for disability recipients
Eight Wisconsin residents who receive Social Security disability payments and who have also held part-time jobs sued Wisconsin in federal court Tuesday, charging that a state law that disqualified them from collecting unemployment insurance when they lost their jobs violates federal laws that protect people with disabilities. “Workers who received Social Security Disability Insurance benefits […]