By Stephanie Bloomingdale, President,  Wisconsin AFL-CIO This Labor Day, as we enjoy the day off that has become a cherished American part of our late summer calendar, let’s take a moment to reflect on the history this holiday commemorates and role our resurgent labor movement is playing going forward. By the late 1800’s, the Industrial […]

• This afternoon (July 7, 2022), President Biden posthumously honored former AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, our nation’s highest civilian honor. • In awarding the medal, President Biden said: “No one did more work for American workers than he did. For Rich, his work was synonymous with the word that […]

In Memoriam Marilyn J Wigdahl  December 16, 1931 to October 25, 2021 Marilyn worked tirelessly on behalf of the union movement for decades. She was a President of AFSCME 1449 and Vice President of the WWAFL-CIO, as well as serving her community as a La Crosse City Councilwoman.

Richard L. Trumka (1949 – 2021) Our brother and AFL-CIO leader Richard Trumka passed away on August 5, 2021, at the age of 72.The labor movement, the AFL-CIO and the nation lost a legend. Rich devoted his life to working people, from his early days as president of the United Mine Workers of America to his unparalleled leadership […]

Labor Day 2021 Op-Ed Steven M. Galloway General Vice President, Midwest Territory International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers It’s Labor Day – a day to celebrate workers. But why, as Americans, have so many of us resolved to quitting our jobs instead of banning together to effect change in our workplace? A recent report […]

Liz Shuler Elected President as Part of Most Diverse Leadership Team in AFL-CIO History August 20, 2021 The AFL-CIO Executive Council today (8/20/2021) elected Liz Shuler, a visionary leader and longtime trade unionist, to serve as president of the federation of 56 unions and 12.5 million members. Shuler is the first woman to hold the […]

Western Wisconsin AFL-CIO President Mike Davis Jr recently got the chance of a lifetime to meet President Biden. After the president gave a speech pushing his $1 trillion infrastructure plan at the La Crosse Municipal Transit Utility in Wisconsin, Davis was one of a select few union leaders chosen to meet the president backstage. “This […]

by Richard Trumka Democracy is prevailing. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ victory in this free and fair election is a win for America’s labor movement. Everywhere in every way, working people are heroically and resiliently fighting back against this pandemic, its economic fall out, chronic income inequality and systemic racism. President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect […]

Richard Trumka November 5, 2020 AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka delivered the following remarks at his post-election press conference: Good afternoon. Thank you for joining this call. More than that, thank you for your role in making our democracy strong. I am hopeful that the end of the Trump presidency will bring a newfound respect for […]

by Tyler Tubbs For Coulee Region residents, Labor Day is a hard-won and richly deserved day off, and on behalf of the Western Wisconsin AFL-CIO Central Labor Council, we hope that all residents had a happy and safe Labor Day, full of family, friends and relaxation. But, why do we celebrate Labor Day? In addition […]