Battleground Wisconsin

Wisconsin Manufacturing Wages Declining - Media Call 9/1/16

Magnitude of the Decline Varies

Citizen Action of Wisconsin will host a media call on Thursday September 1st at 11:30 AM to release data showing a precipitous decline in the wages of manufacturing workers in Wisconsin. The data will include wage declines for every major metro area.

While more attention has been paid to impact of rigged global trade and state economic development programs on outsourcing Wisconsin jobs, they are also driving down the wages of jobs that remain in Wisconsin. Declining wages are damaging Wisconsin’s economy because working families have fewer dollars to spend in their local communities.

Speakers:

State Senator Dave Hansen

Stephanie Bloomingdale, Secretary Treasurer, WI State AFL-CIO

State Representative Evan Goyke

Kevin Kane, Organizing Director, Citizen Action of Wisconsin

Dr. Robert Kraig, Exec. Director, Citizen Action of Wisconsin

“Early Voting Victory” Battleground Wisconsin Podcast

Our panel looks at a federal Appeals Court decision preserving a judge’s ruling allowing municipalities to expand early voting dates and locations in Wisconsin. Robert tells us more about a Citizen Action media event focusing on WEDC’s fraudulent job creation numbers for Milwaukee’s Sherman Park neighborhood and how WEDC’s failed strategy is not up to the scale of the problem. Jorna discusses dropping ACT scores for Wisconsin students and makes the obvious connection to cuts in school funding and attacks on teachers which has resulted in a growing teacher shortage throughout the state. The Trump campaign hires Stephen K. Bannon, chairman of the Breitbart News website and launches Wisconsin Women for Trump which includes Darlene Wink who was convicted of doing Scott Walker campaign work while in the county executive's office and a GOP operative granted immunity to testify in the probe, which led the convictions of six individuals.

We reflect on Milwaukee Sherman Park unrest and its implications, including the right-wing effort to exploit the situation and the desperate need to get serious about expanding economic opportunity in Milwaukee’s African-American community. We also discuss a Citizen Action revelation that Governor Walker's jobs agency misrepresented job creation in Sherman Park. The panel bats around news that Johnson Controls shareholders approved the company's merger with Tyco International enabling them to dodge $150 million in U.S. taxes and dole out lavish gold parachutes to top executives on our dime. Finally, we dig into the shocking news that one of the nation's largest health insurance corporations is pulling out of ObamaCare in retaliation for the Obama Administration's move to block a proposed mega merger.

We look back at this week’s primary election and peer forward towards the November general election. A new MU Law Poll shows Clinton and Feingold with substantial leads, Trump stunningly unpopular and Johnson both unpopular and little known. We discuss a Federal Appellate Court decision blocking a workaround for Photo ID. We encourage listeners to become poll workers, and review Donald Trump’s latest proto-fascist ravings, including his unveiled threat to Hillary Clinton and his pronouncement that President Obama is the 'the founder of ISIS'.

We welcome Citizen Action of Wisconsin organizer Anita Johnson to review a federal judge’s ruling that major parts of the voting restrictions laws passed by the conservative legislature and signed by Governor Walker between 2011 and 2014 are unconstitutional. In the case brought by Citizen Action of Wisconsin the judge found that several of the voting restrictions constitute intentional racial discrimination against African American and Latino voters in Milwaukee. We also talk about news that Affordable Care Act insurance rates in Wisconsin could increase anywhere from 5% to 36% in 2017 and how these costs are being driven by prescription drugs and underlying price of medical services. Finally the panel weighs in on Donald Trump’s surreal week, a national push back against payday lenders, and next Tuesday’s Wisconsin primary elections.

We review this week's Democratic National Convention and the nomination of Hillary Clinton and discuss Trump’s call for Russia to commit a cyber attack on Clinton’s private computer server. We welcome Mary Bottari, a journalist from the Center for Media and Democracy, to discuss the dark money special interests involved in trying to defeat Milwaukee County District Attorney, John Chisholm. We conclude with a discussion of a developing GOP split on the state’s $1 billion transportation funding shortfall.

Our full panel discusses the news that an affidavit option must be in place for voters without photo ID’s by the November election and the Eau Claire County Board passes a living wage ordinance. We also review the Cruz missile that exploded at the GOP convention this week. Tommy takes a shot at Scott Walker in Cleveland and Ron Johnson losses $2.2 million of Koch Brothers ads.

On this episode Jorna and Robert predict the Trump VP pick (that happens Friday) and discuss the speakers for the upcoming RNC convention. Later in the show Matt Rothschild, Executive Director of WI Democracy Campaign, joins the team to talk about the not so amazing transition from the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board to the Elections and Ethics Commission. Our favorite failed Walker agency, WEDC, is back once again in the news. This time they want to place a gag order on their Board members. Really, you can't make this stuff up!

Citizen Action of Wisconsin is releasing a new report on Tuesday at 11 AM highlighting the hundreds of millions in consumer out of pocket savings possible if insurers decide to introduce Low Out-of-Pocket Health Plans for 2017 by the deadline 10 days away. The report analyzes 2016 individual health insurance deductible variations for doctor's visits and prescription drugs within Wisconsin.

Citizen Action will be joined by the American College of Physicians Wisconsin Chapter and community members with high health costs.

For the first tim, the federal government is encouraging insurance companies that offer plans on Healthcare.gov to introduce Low Out-Of-Pocket Health Plans. Wisconsin insurers must decide whether to do so before a July 22nd deadline. A main feature of Low Out-Of-Pocket Health Plans is the elimination of deductibles on many health services and all prescription drugs. This represents thousands in annual savings for the average consumer.

The report will include savings itemized for each major metro regions of the state and for all insurance companies.

--Robert Kraig, Executive Director, Citizen Action of Wisconsin

--Dr Kesavan Kutty, Physician, American College of Physicians - Wisconsin Chapter

--Consumers with high health cost

--Kevin Kane, Organizing Director, Citizen Action of Wisconsin (Report Lead Author)

Jorna continues her magic hosting ways while Matt wonders out yonder. Speaking of out yonder...WEDC finally gives up the goods per the Citizen Action Open Records request and what did we get? Zilch cakes! Robert explains how WEDC can't find any awarded companies downsizing or laying off workers in Wisconsin, #strange. We then chat about Mr. Christie, Mr. Walker, Mr. Johnson and Mr. Ryan, and how they all love Mr. Trump so much that they may or may not show up for the Republican National Convention. As Robert jumps on a plane to Orlando for the 2016 Democratic Platform meeting, he gives us all the juicy details on the almost progressive platform. Who said TPP? Robert also challenges Right-Wing radio chat-o-matic Vicki McKenna to a debate on Free Speech, or to an arm wrestling contest. What's going on? Listen and find out!