Dear Family,

Nate Hamilton along with folks from the Coalition for Justice family and many other concerned citizens came out and voiced their concerns/questions about the Body Worn Cameras last night at the Fire and Police Commission listening session. Thank you to all of you raised your voices last night. We will be sharing video of the meeting last night very soon!

If you missed your chance last night, there’s another chance THIS THURSDAY at the next Fire and Police Commission meeting at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall Room 301-B. They will respond to questions/concerns raised at the last FPC meeting on 9/17 about the Body Worn Cameras. There’s an opportunity to share public comments at the end of the meeting.

http://wisaflcio.typepad.com/

Wow, it didn’t take long for Scott Walker to continue his attacks on Wisconsin’s working people. Just days after Scott Walker deserted his Presidential bid because his union-busting message was rejected by American voters, he is back to attacking workers by supporting legislation to destroy Wisconsin’s landmark civil service laws, impacting over 30,000 workers and the public they serve.

Wisconsin has a proud tradition of fairness, openness and impartiality in our civil service system that allows for hiring based on skill and merit, not political connections. We believe that people should be hired based on what they know, not who they know. Currently, numerous safeguards are built in to the system to ensure integrity and public trust. A bill drafted by Sen. Roger Roth (R-Neenah) and Rep. Jim Steineke (R-Kaukauna) calls for the destruction of Wisconsin’s long standing, landmark civil service laws.

These changes to our civil service system open the flood gates for political payback and favoritism. The GOP plan will no longer requirement government employees to take a test to prove their knowledge. This will allow Scott Walker and his buddies to hire their friends, relatives and political cronies. The move promotes corruption and malfeasance in hiring of governmental personnel.

Changes to our civil service law include:

• Removing entrance exams for new job applicants and replacing them with a resume only based system;
• Giving hiring authority to the Department of Administration, a direct extension of Walker’s office;
• Extending the probationary period for new hires from 6 months to two years.
• Changing the layoff process from seniority-based to subjective performance analysis.

Remember, Scott Walker never once mentioned changing the civil service system while campaigning for Governor and he even touted its importance while defending Act 10. Since taking office in 2010, Gov. Walker has repeatedly eroded workers’ rights, wages and protections in the both the public and private sector. Gov. Walker’s record is clear: he does not have the best interests of workers in mind.

Do you trust Scott Walker to hire the best, most qualified person for the job?

Stripping working people of their rights and rigging the system so it is easier to hire candidates with political connections does nothing to help Wisconsin.

In Solidarity,

Phil Neuenfeldt, President

Stephanie Bloomingdale, Secretary-Treasurer

http://revolutionarymedicine.org/

Revolutionary Medicine, true to its title, is a provocative, 45-minute documentary by Beth Geglia, an independent, activist documentarian based in Washington D.C., and Jesse Freeston, a film maker based in Montreal, who had been a key member of the Real News Network.

Dr. Luther Harry Castillo, a Cuban-trained Garifuna doctor is our lively guide. He retraces the journey of the people of Ciriboya, a town in northeastern Honduras, to self-determination and empowerment, through the building of a community hospital. It is a heroic and inspiring struggle, told with intelligence, strength and humor, through the power of story, song and dance—and with an ever present historical context. The music of Aurelio Martinez and the Garifuna Soul Band provides the film’s ‘trilling wire.’

YGB’s own Alix Shabazz, T. Banks, Lexy Ware and many others held down the Dane County Court House this morning to support Cierra Finkley in her quest not to be persecuted for defending herself against a brutal domestic abuser. Fortunately, the D.A. brought no charges for today! ‪#‎HandsOffBlackWomen‬ ‪#‎communitycontrolofpolice‬

#Justice4Cierra

YGB Press Release: http://ygbcoalition.org/blog/item/632-a-victory-for-the-people

September 24, 2015 Madison