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Reps in the News: Walker Takes on Federal Unions

Governor Scott Walker

Walker, whose battles with labor unions in his own state made him a hero to Republicans, is now proposing huge restrictions on unions nationally as he seeks to revitalize his presidential campaign. On Sept. 14, Walker released an eight-page plan to take on unions, titled “My Plan to Give Power to the People, Not the Union Bosses.”

He’s vowing to:

  • Eliminate the National Labor Relations Board, or NLRB.
  • Eliminate unions at the federal level.
  • Until unions are eliminated at the federal level, earmark the amount of federal worker union dues used for political activity and withhold that money.
  • Require online disclosure of union expenditures.
  • Have the Labor Department issue reports on state collective-bargaining agreements and note what would be saved if those agreements were overhauled.
  • Push for all states to become so-called “right-to-work” states, which means that no union could require dues to be paid by members.
  • Push to allow workers, who would otherwise be union, to be allowed to negotiate contracts non-collectively.
  • Push for a federally supervised, so-called “secret ballot” for workers to approve a strike.
  • Repeal the Davis-Bacon Act, requiring federal contractors to “pay their laborers and mechanics employed under the contract no less than the locally prevailing wages and fringe benefits for corresponding work on similar projects in the area.”

In his run for the White House so far, Walker has stumbled on foreign policy and immigration, so he’s back to singing a familiar tune in this post-Labor Day push. “I think it is, in a way, Walker playing his greatest hit, especially after a summer in which he’s had difficulty finding a theme and sticking to that theme,” said Charles Franklin of Marquette University.

Source: National Public Radio

Representative Reid Ribble

Ribble’s staff will host students and parents interested in an appointment to a U.S. military service academy in an informational session on Saturday, Sept. 19, from 10 am to 12:30 pm, at the Experimental Aircraft Association Aviation Center,
 3000 Poberezny Road,
 Oshkosh.
 Interested students are encouraged to learn more about the academy nomination process (ribble.house.gov/serving-you/military-academy-nominations-faq) and to bring their applications and any questions they may have with them to the event. No RSVP is necessary for participants, and the deadline for nomination applications is Oct. 14, 2015.

Source: Ribble press release

Senator Ron Johnson

Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters and coalition partners urged Johnson to support the Clean Power Plan and delivered petition signatures and letters from constituents. Congress could soon be considering a vote on the EPA’s Clean Power Plan.

The petition delivery coincides with League of Conservation Voters and Environmental Defense Fund Action’s $1.6 million dollar ad campaign during the month of September aimed at Johnson’s destructive environmental policy. Jonah Hermann, communications director of Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters, said, “During the past few weeks, we’ve talked to Wisconsinites in their communities and are finding that people are concerned about Johnson’s inaction on climate change. Today we are sending a clear message to Senator Johnson that residents of the Badger State are in favor of the Clean Power Plan. In poll after poll, we are seeing a solid majority of Wisconsinites recognize that climate change is a real problem, and it’s time that Senator Johnson hear them out.” Hermann added, “The facts are clear that the Clean Power Plan would lower the health risks for our citizens and create clean energy jobs. However, Senator Johnson has led the fight to allow unlimited carbon pollution and must be held accountable for his destructive environmental policy.”

Source: Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters press release

Senator Tammy Baldwin

Baldwin released the following statement after Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch announced $41 million in grant awards to 20 jurisdictions to eliminate or reduce the number of untested sexual assault kits across the country, including $2 million for the Wisconsin Department of Justice. Baldwin sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Lynch calling for the Department of Justice to take “immediate steps” after a recent USA Today investigation revealed at least 70,000 sexual assault kits remain untested nationwide, including more than 6,000 in Wisconsin. “Today’s announcement from the Department of Justice is a major step toward helping victims of sexual assault in Wisconsin and across the country access the swift and thorough justice they deserve,” said Baldwin. “The current backlog in Wisconsin and across the country leaves victims and their families without closure and potentially puts other members of our communities at risk of sexual violence, but I am hopeful this federal investment will provide local law enforcement with resources and technical assistance that can help them eliminate the backlog as quickly as possible.”

Source: Baldwin press release

President Barack Obama

The President announced the launch of a new College Scorecard, meant to help students and parents identify which schools provide the biggest bang for your buck. Designed with input from those who will use it most, the Scorecard offers reliable data on factors important to prospective students, such as how much graduates earn, and how much debt they have when they graduate. In an economy where some higher education is still the surest ticket to the middle class, the choices that Americans make when searching for and selecting a college have never been more important. The audio and video of the address is available online at whitehouse.gov.

Source: White House press release

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