Support workers and workers’ families by Josh Skubal
Editor:
Wisconsin has a proud history when it comes to supporting workers and working families. Looking back, we are proud of the men and women who came together to ensure that employment practices protected workers and kept them safe. We’re grateful for the men and women who rallied around the 40-hour work week-and for those who stood up to ensure equal pay for equal work.
Today, organized workers representing truck drivers, tradesmen and women, educators, nurses, state employees, laborers and workers and community leaders of all sorts, continue to come together to shed light on the issues affecting modern-day politics and workers across this state.
We’re your neighbors, family members and friends-and we’re standing up and speaking out about issues like the rising cost of health care-and how deep funding cuts to programs such as SeniorCare and BadgerCare will affect the people in Northern Wisconsin.
We’re speaking out about the negative consequences that come when you cut $1.6 billion from public education-the deepest cuts to education in our state’s history. Class sizes increase, programs are lost, teachers are laid off and student fees increase. And ultimately, the kids who live in the Northwoods lose out on the kind of quality educational opportunity they are entitled to.
We’re asking elected officials some tough questions-such as how can you claim to be a champion for fair treatment for working women and yet quietly repeal Wisconsin’s “Equal Pay Enforcement Act”?
Or, how can you promise to create 250,000 new jobs through legislation and yet have Wisconsin go in the record books having lost the most jobs in the nation in 2011?
And how can you be for transparent government and have local representatives signing pledges of secrecy to hide plans to shift voting districts from their constituents?
Clearly we’re more active than we have been in a while-but that’s because someone needs to represent the people of this community, because, unfortunately, Wisconsin’s governor and area representatives have lost their way and are failing to represent the people of this community-the working families of Northern Wisconsin.
Don’t be fooled by politicians who give lip service to the issues we care about-their actions show us they don’t support working families. When push comes to shove, they’re at the mercy of out-of-state corporate interests. We need elected officials who will support the people of North Central Wisconsin. It’s time for change.
The North Central Labor Coalition asks you to support working families where you live, and to get involved in reclaiming Wisconsin.
Josh Skubal, Co-Chair
North Central Labor Coalition
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