CONTACT: Pam Fendt
Cell Phone: 414-659-3803
pam@milwaukeelabor.org
MILWAUKEE — The members of the Milwaukee Area Labor Council welcome the many initiatives announced by Governor Tony Evers as part of his budget proposal. There are many serious issues that need addressing in our state, and the plans to increase access to affordable health care as well as increased funding for K-12 education, technical college and UW system fulfill campaign promises.
We are appreciative that this budget acknowledges the important role organized labor plays in benefiting workers. Repealing Right to Work is absolutely the right thing to do for a state that wants to grow its economy. Research shows that in states with so-called Right to Work laws, workers actually earn less money, not more. After 8 years of demonization of the union movement by state leaders, we applaud this administration’s support for the organizations that look out for the average worker.
Raising the state’s minimum wage and eventually indexing it to inflation is a policy idea that is long overdue in Wisconsin. Government is standing up for workers when it seeks to ensure that they can afford housing and other basic necessities for their families.
In addition, we believe that restoring the prevailing wage standard will help create a level playing field for bidders on public projects, as the standard ensures that project budgets are not balanced on the backs of the workers, but in fair competition on quality.
With these budget proposals amongst others, we can see the manner in which Governor Evers and his administration is seeking to help shape the Wisconsin economy for shared prosperity and long-term success.
