Media Reports from the convention floor
Wisconsin’s organized labor seeks to reverse political fortunes in midterms
By Bill Glauber, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
On Tuesday, national AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka will address the group.
Trumka is a long-time foe of Walker, who last week accused his Democratic rival Tony Evers of being “bought and paid for by the unions.”
The state AFL-CIO is going through a leadership transition. Phil Neuenfeldt is retiring after serving as president for eight years.
He was succeeded by Stephanie Bloomingdale, who was unanimously elected president Monday afternoon. Bloomingdale, formerly the secretary-treasurer, became the first woman to lead the state AFL-CIO.
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Neuenfeldt was upbeat about labor’s chances this fall, noting a string of Democratic successes in special elections.
“You’re seeing more and more engagement, more and more involvement and people are ready for a change,” he said.
Neuenfeldt said his tenure has been “interesting” with all the labor law changes pushed through by Republicans, which he called a “low-wage strategy” for Wisconsin.
“No matter what they’ve thrown at us, we’ve stood together in solidarity, we continue to organize, we continue to build,” he said. “We’re continuing to be a force in the political world. That’s why they attack us so much. If they weren’t afraid of us they wouldn’t attack us.”
Bloomingdale said labor will “win in November. Working people are ready for a change in Wisconsin and union membership is united behind our candidate, Tony Evers.”
Complete article at Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
