The column below reflects the views of the author, and these opinions are neither endorsed nor supported by WisOpinion.com.
Labor Day reminds me of what I am proud of: organizing the first Wisconsin union of 1199W, National Union of Hospital and Nursing Home Employees, AFL-CIO, winning a landmark case before the National Labor Relations Board and working for the Progressive Alliance, a national coalition led by Doug Fraser, then president of the UAW.
Labor Day reminds all Americans of what the labor movement has accomplished: worker rights, higher wages, good benefits, eight-hour day, overtime pay and safer working conditions. In a nutshell, economic security. Trump is undermining these accomplishments.
A Gallup survey shows that “Republican support for unions plunged this year” (AXIOS), declining to 41 percent. Why? “Since regaining office, Trump has put through a flurry of anti-labor measures – including stripping federal workers of their union protections, kneecapping the National Labor Relations Board and backing a major (steel) merger over the objections of the Steelworkers Union. And unions have been perhaps the most forceful resistors to the administration, repeatedly heading to court to block the administration’s actions” (AXIOS).
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Time to celebrate three Wisconsin heroes who have made extraordinary contributions to standing up for working people and against plutocracy: Bob Amsden, Rebecca Cooke and Tom Nelson. They listen to working people, advocate economic security, never give up and are practical. I am proud to call these bold and tireless individuals my friends.
Bob Amsden, a retired truck driver, was a leader in the fight to save the hard-earned retirement benefits of over one million workers and retirees, including over 20,000 Wisconsinites, imperiled by corporate greed-mismanagement and larger economic forces. Amsden and other retirees worked closely with Wisconsin Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin, other congressional Democrats and President Biden to successfully save their pensions. Amsden said: “I joined Teamsters Local 200 in 1973. … Very strong union activist all my life.” He never took no for an answer and kept on organizing to win.
Then there’s Democratic congressional candidate Rebecca Cooke, running in the 3rd CD. She almost won in 2024; the margin was about 11,000 votes. Cooke grew up on a dairy farm and is the real deal: “Over 1,000 people showed up (Viroqua) to make clear that the status quo isn’t working for working families. I am grateful to everyone who made the trip to the Driftless to rally in support of flipping WI-03 and help take back the House” (Cooke). Organize and vote for Cooke, best candidate I’ve ever seen!
Finally there’s 4-time elected Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson. This Democrat wins in rural Wisconsin. Why? “We assembled a broad and deep coalition of Democrats, Republicans and independents who affirm the good work we are doing here, all that we accomplished and all that we will do … .” He knows the Social Gospel, and has written “Wrecked The Edmund Fitzgerald and the Sinking of the American Economy”. It’s a powerful book rebuking corporate mismanagement, calling for economic security and rebuilding the industrial base. Wisconsin isn’t done yet with Nelson.
Celebrate Labor Day, and think of Amsden, Cooke and Nelson.
– Kaplan wrote a guest column from Washington, D.C., for the Wisconsin State Journal from 1995 – 2009.
