Harriet Rowan's News Articles

News

Spring Has Returned to Wisconsin and So Have the Rallies

by Harriet Rowan — March 12, 2012 - 8:58am
  • Topics: Activism, Democracy, Labor, Wisconsin Protests

    • "Change is in the air and I'm not just talking about the weather," Lori Compas told a crowd of an estimated 50,000 people gathered at the Wisconsin State Capitol last Saturday on a sunny and unseasonably warm afternoon. "I'm talking about an awakening all across Wisconsin. A renewed sense that all of us matter, [that] all of us have a voice, and by working together we can bring our state back to its best traditions." The mass rally at the Wisconsin Capitol, marking the anniversary of the passage of Governor Scott Walker's collective bargaining bill, displayed a sense of celebration rather than protest.

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    Schedule of Events for "Reclaim Wisconsin" Weekend of Action

    by Harriet Rowan — March 7, 2012 - 7:07pm
  • Topics: Activism, Democracy, Labor, Politics, Wisconsin Protests

    • This weekend, marks the one-year anniversary of the passage of Wisconsin's Act 10, the so-called "Budget Repair Bill" which stripped most public employee unions of their right to collectively bargain and sparked what has become known as the "Wisconsin Uprising." There will be a series of events in Wisconsin this weekend to mark the anniversary.

    News

    Wisconsin Senate Recalls Heat Up, Lori Compas Enters Race Against Fitzgerald

    by Harriet Rowan — February 28, 2012 - 9:35am
  • Topics: Left Wing, Right Wing, Democracy, Politics, Wisconsin Protests

    • Lost in the constant news about the recall of Governor Scott Walker is the fact that four Wisconsin Senators are facing recall as well. Today, political neophyte Lori Compas will declare her candidacy against Wisconsin's Senate Majority Leader, rounding out a slate of candidates who are attempting to wrest control of the Wisconsin State Senate away from Republicans.

    On January 17, 2012 the recall petitions for four Wisconsin state senators were delivered to the Government Accountability Board (GAB) along with recall petitions for Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and his Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch. The Senate recalls are targeting four Republicans; Senator Pam Galloway (R-Wausau), Senator Van Wanggaard (R-Racine), Senator Terry Moulton (R-Chippewa Falls), and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau).

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    Are You a Card Carrying Member of WI Local 1848?

    by Harriet Rowan — February 23, 2012 - 12:18pm
  • Topics: Democracy, Labor, Media, Wisconsin Protests

    • Last week, the Center for Media and Democracy reported on the amusing mistake made by a Politico reporter who misidentified the blue Wisconsin state flag as a "union flag" that signaled President Obama's support for the Wisconsin labor struggle. The story rocketed around the state and caused many chuckles.

    News

    Wisconsin GOP Goes After Equal Pay for Equal Work

    by Harriet Rowan — February 23, 2012 - 9:58am
  • Topics: Democracy, Race / Ethnic Issues, Wisconsin Protests, Women

    • Late in the evening, on February 22, the Wisconsin Legislature turned back the clock gutting key provisions of Wisconsin's Equal Pay Enforcement Act (Act 20).

    Rep. Chris Taylor (D-Madison), a long time women's rights advocate lamented: "It's like we're going back to 1912. We are fighting the same fight our mothers fought, just to be treated equally."

    Senate Bill 202, authored by Senator Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend), passed on a party line vote. According to the Wisconsin Alliance for Women's Health, Act 20 sought "to secure equal pay for the thousands of working families who are denied fair pay due to wage discrimination based on race and gender." Specifically, the act was intended to deter employers from discriminating by opening an avenue to bring discrimination cases in state court with stiff penalties. Previously, victims were required to pursue lengthy administrative remedies through a state agency. SB 202 removed the compensatory and punitive damages for violations of Act 20, leaving it a toothless tiger.

    News

    Wisconsin GOP Attempts to Ram Through Special Interest Mining Bill

    by Harriet Rowan — February 22, 2012 - 12:21pm
  • Topics: Democracy, Environment, Lobbying, Wisconsin Protests

    • Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald are pushing for radical changes in Wisconsin's current mining law to benefit a single out-of-state company.

    Gogebic Taconite, based out of Florida, has proposed a massive twenty-one mile long iron-ore strip mine in some of the most beautiful and pristine land in the northern part of the state. Walker and the GOP are promoting the mining bill as the most important "jobs bill" of the session. Since Governor Walker's austerity budget kicked in on July 1, Wisconsin has lost jobs for six straight months, the worst record in the country.

    The Assembly proposal (PDF) would make numerous changes to current law, including regarding how mines can affect waterways, wetlands and groundwater. The new bill drastically limits the time available to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for processing permit requests to 360 days. Similar permit requests in Minnesota took between two and four years. The new bill also places a two million dollar cap on the amount a company must reimburse the DNR for costs associated with processing a request. Any expense beyond the two million dollar cap would come from the DNR's budget. Similar mining permits elsewhere have cost between three and four million dollars, and the DNR already faces severe cuts.

    News

    WI GOP Lawmakers Sign Secrecy Pledge

    by Harriet Rowan — February 12, 2012 - 8:37pm
  • Topics: Democracy, Wisconsin Protests

    • Governor Scott Walker signed Wisconsin's newest redistricting maps into law on August 9, 2011. The maps had drawn criticism when they were released to the public one month before, on July 8. Democrats in the legislature criticized Republicans for not allowing them input and many observers poked fun at the contorted districts that gave Republicans an edge. Redistricting is largely a partisan process, and the party in charge works hard to draw maps that favor their members. A short five days after the maps were released, the legislature held the first and only public hearing on them.

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