Madison, WI – The OPEIU Local 39 union workers, 500 strong, started their strike against CUNA Mutual Group, now formally rebranded as TruStage, this past Friday, May 19. The action is making history not only as their first strike in their 80-year long relationship with TruStage, but also as being the largest strike in the city of Madison since the Act 10 protests on the capitol a dozen years ago. After over 400 days of stalled bargaining processes, refusal to provide information, retaliation against union leaders, and TruStage’s bargaining in bad faith, workers were left with no other option but to strike.
On Monday, May 15, Fight Back! interviewed Michael Jones, president of the teachers’ unit with Madison Teachers, Incorporated (MTI), which represents nearly 2700 educators employed by the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD), to discuss current conditions and a recent week of action where teachers worked to rule.Fight Back!: How long have you been working in Madison schools?
Madison, WI – 400 people braved snowy conditions to join the Day of Resistance to Trans Genocide rally on March 18. The rally, organized by a grassroots coalition from southern Wisconsin, was held to demonstrate stalwart opposition to the recent flood of anti-trans legislation, rhetoric and violence across the United States.
Madison, WI – On the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, January 22, Reproductive Justice Action-Milwaukee (RJA-M) joined the Madison Area Reproductive Rights Coalition for Healthcare (MARCH) for a march and rally of thousands in Madison, the Wisconsin capital city. The event called on people to vote in the spring primary Wisconsin Supreme Court election, but it also heavily emphasized that this fight is “Bigger Than Roe.”
Madison, WI – On September 12, a tentative agreement was reached between nurses at University of Wisconsin Health (UW Health) and administration over management recognition of their union, represented by SEIU Healthcare Wisconsin. Nurses at UW Health had lost their union after their contract expired in 2014 and the administration refused to bargain, citing Wisconsin's “Act 10” law. The effort for renewed recognition was restarted as of 2019.
Madison, WI – 200 people came out in Madison in the late morning of May 15, the 73rd anniversary of the Nakba, to stand with Palestinian people resisting genocide at the hands of the racist Israeli government. The demonstration took place on the steps of the Wisconsin State Capitol building. Over 130 people have been killed, nearly 1000 wounded, and many more thousands have been displaced from their homes in Israel’s most recent string of attacks that began on May 10.
Madison, WI – Nurses at Meriter Hospital in Madison represented by Service Employees International Union (SEIU) are coming to what could be their final bargaining session with management from UnityPoint Health.
Madison, WI – On a sunny May 1 afternoon which marked both May Day and A Day Without Immigrants, a caravan comprised of about 20 different vehicles made its way to the Capitol Square in a careful procession in support of a timely cause.
Madison, WI – Back in December of 2019, the professional nurses working at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics Authority (UWHCA) demanded the voluntary recognition of their union from the UWHCA Board of Directors.
Madison WI – Thousands gathered on, May 1 in celebration of May Day in Wisconsin’s capital. Voces de la Frontera hosted the event and were able to bring in more than 17 different cities to attend.
Madison, WI – On April 5, graduate workers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison occupied Bascom Hall for three hours, organized by the Teaching Assistants Association (TAA). The primary demands were that segregated fees be waived for graduate workers, that the international student fee also be waived, and that the university respect the collective bargaining process. Over 400 graduate workers and supporters, including undergraduates, the faculty and staff union, and community members, turned out in the TAA’s largest action in roughly a decade.
Madison, WI – On January 12, members of local progressive organizations joined forces at Wisconsin's capitol for a rally to unite against fascism and alt-right movements.
Madison, WI – On May 9, dozens of students, faculty, campus workers and supporters gathered on the steps of the capitol building just off of State Street in Madison, to protest the continued attacks against public education. These attacks predate Governor Scott Walker's administration but have intensified significantly since he took office in 2011. People came from Steven's Point, Eau Claire, Kenosha, Oshkosh (represented by UW-Oshkosh Students for a Democratic Society), Madison and elsewhere.
Madison, WI – More than 15,000 Mexicanos, Chicanos and Latinos, including students, workers, businesses owners and professionals joined a rally at the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison, occupying the rotunda. The huge masses of protesters came out in support of “El dia sin Latinos” or “A day without Latinos” to protest two anti-immigrant bills, AB 450 and SB 533. Some schools and businesses were half empty or closed as students walked out, and farms, factories and work places across Wisconsin were noticeably short-handed.
Madison, WI – 200 community members organized by the Milwaukee based Voces de la Frontera and Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES) traveled to the state capitol in Madison to oppose anti-immigrant legislation on Jan. 20. There are three bills in the assembly currently targeting immigrants: AB-450, AB-533 and LRB-2818.
Madison, WI – Last month, the Republican-dominated State Assembly continued their attempts to shame the 856,000 Wisconsin people using the food stamp program (called FoodShare), passing measures that would restrict what food could be purchased and requiring drug testing. The senate has yet to take up the measures. Governor Scott Walker has been advocating for the changes.
Madison, WI – Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker signed into law a ‘right to work’ measure, March 9, that impacts workers in the private sector. The law is expected to harm trade unions and depress wages.
Madison, WI – Right to Work passed in the Wisconsin State Assembly along party lines, 62-35, after a 24-hour debate. The bill is on Governor Scott Walker's desk.
Madison, WI – Thousands of union members and their supporters converged on the Wisconsin state capitol building, Feb. 28, to oppose a Republican-sponsored ‘Right to Work’ measure that aims at undermining labor unions in the private sector. The rally was organized by the AFL-CI0.
