Half a dozen activists ended a 90-minute conversation Wednesday as Conner Erickson tipped off people trying to form a union where they work.
“Frustration is an incredibly powerful weapon that spreads quickly,” Erickson said. “Assuring people that their frustration isn’t just their own — that does a lot for a worker who is insecure or unsure how to make a difference.”
Erickson works at the Pabst Theater Group, which owns a group of entertainment venues in Milwaukee, where he was involved in the successful union organizing campaign in early 2022.
He was one of two involved in the action, along with a collection of other workers campaigning for better conditions, who took part in a panel discussion Wednesday on Wisconsin’s recent upsurge in unionization: How it is, why it is now happens and what keeps them going.
The panel discussion, held via Zoom, was organized by COWS, the University of Wisconsin’s center that measures the economy from a worker’s perspective. It follows the release of COWS’ latest State of Works in Wisconsin report last week. Reports key result was that, for many reasons, Wisconsin workers had reached a tipping point where they discovered their potential power to improve the conditions of their jobs.
Laura Dresser, courtesy of the University of Wisconsin
“It’s not a time to withdraw from work, it’s a time to engage and workers are taking this moment to recognize their power,” said labor economist Laura Dresser, deputy director of COWS and co-author of the report, as she set the stage for the discussion.
Wisconsin workers have expressed this power in many ways. “In 2022 there was an increase in the official [union] organize,” said Dresser. “But also, coupled with the full breadth of work, individual and collective, formal and informal, workers are demanding more from work.”
On Wednesday, attention was focused on collective action by unionized and non-union workers.
Victoria Gutierrez, a nurse at Meriter Hospital in Madison, said union representation is important to her ability to represent herself and the people in her care. “I think the only way I can really ensure my own safety or the safety of my patients and provide quality care is to have that union voice,” said Gutierrez, who works at SEIU Healthcare Wisconsin, part of Service Employees International Union, is active.
This was particularly evident, she said, in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, which culminated in March 2021 with contract negotiations addressing issues such as time off and workers’ compensation insurance for employees who had contracted COVID-19, as well as appropriate Information about the personal protective equipment available to them.
Mary Jorgensen, a UW Health nurse who was involved in the three-year campaign to reintroduce union representation in the healthcare system, agreed. “We’ve had worse and worse working conditions since we lost our contract in 2014,” said Jorgensen. “The pandemic has only exacerbated whatever problems we’ve had.”
Maids at a Madison chain hotel didn’t have a union and wanted the reviews and raises they were promised when they were hired. They turned to Worker Justice Wisconsin, a non-profit organization supported by unions and faith groups that helps non-union workers; The organization helped the group achieve better pay and other improvements in working conditions, said Delia, one of the housekeepers who attended the panel.
Delia, who gave only her first name, spoke in Spanish while Worker Justice Wisconsin staffer Frida Ballard translated.
Ballard also interpreted for another woman employed at an athletic apparel and screen printing factory in Madison, which had women workers complained of missed paychecks and overheated working conditions.
“I was about to leave,” said the worker. But after being linked to Worker Justice, she and her colleagues concluded that “these are our jobs and we don’t have to leave them — we can defend them.”
After the workers complained to the owner and were fired, they filed complaints of unfair labor practices with the National Labor Relations Board. Ballard said Wednesday that all of the laid-off workers were reinstated following agency intervention.
Panellists said younger generations of workers seemed particularly enthusiastic about union representation and rights in the workplace. Younger nurses have been among the most vocal in UW Health’s union movement, Jorgensen said.
Troy Brewer, a Fiserv Forum chef and union representative for the Milwaukee Area Service and Hospitality Workers (MASH), shared similar experiences. When faced with unacceptable situations at work, “the young people are – ‘I’m not going to let that happen and I’m definitely not going to do that,'” he said.
Erickson said the Pabst Theater Group union, which is part of MASH, emerged as workers sought to make their jobs more sustainable. As part of the entertainment industry, “We have a passion for arts and culture in Milwaukee,” Erickson said. “We have a passion for the arts and culture industry as a whole.”
Instead of quitting their jobs, “now we have an opportunity to work with them and create a culture in Milwaukee that cares about their entertainment workers.”
“This is much more than just our workplace or just the entertainment industry,” said James Stapleton, another union activist with the Pabst Theater Group.
It’s about “workers’ rights as a whole,” Stapleton said. “Every worker has the right to a good wage, a good job and a say in their workplace because at the end of the day it is the workers who make it all possible.”
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