P.O. Box 1222, Madison, WI 53701 | www.prodane.org | office@prodane.org | (608) 257-4985
To the countless friends & supporters of the Healthy Families, Healthy City Campaign:
We know that all of you share our disappointment about the Common Council's vote against the proposed paid sick leave ordinance. The vote to defeat this reasonable, fair and groundbreaking proposal to create a minimum standard for at least 30,000 of our community's lowest paid workers was certainly hard to take. But the show of support you all demonstrated for this ordinance - both at the Council meeting and in the nine months leading up to the vote - was simply unprecedented and all of you should be incredibly proud of the role you played in making the campaign such a tremendous success.
Hundreds of you sent emails into the Common Council and the Mayor, urging them to support this ordinance. You spoke at the numerous hearings and committee meetings held throughout the campaign. More than a hundred showed up to register and speak in support Tuesday night, with dozens waiting until well after 1:30 in the morning to share their stories. Over the course of this nine-month community conversation, the public and the Council heard from child care professionals, public health nurses, low wage workers, clergy, Allied Drive neighborhood association leaders, labor and political leaders, homeless service providers, leaders in both the African American and Latino communities, and numerous others, all who spoke eloquently and passionately about the difference this ordinance would make in the lives of so many Madisonians.
As Bert Zipperer put it, the Council had a rare opportunity to take a vote on the "conscience of Madison." In contrast to the Chamber of Commerce's doom and gloom scenarios, Barbara Wright, owner of the Dardanelles restaurant on Monroe Street, said she didn't understand why this was such a big deal; she called the proposal a "safety net" and something that she can afford to do for her employees. Lindsey Lee, owner of Cargo Coffee and Ground Zero coffee, said that this ordinance was "small potatoes." And Linda Curtis, a single mother of two, who waited hours with her small children to get her chance to speak, urged the Council to take action to benefit thousands of single moms like herself throughout our city. Too many of you to list here shared personal and powerful reasons why this ordinance was so critically needed.
Unfortunately, in this round of the debate, a majority of the Common Council, instead of doing what they knew was the right thing to do, and what their constituents wanted them to do, succumbed to the Chamber of Commerce's big money campaign, unsubstantiated scare tactics and dire predictions. Several members of the Council - particularly Brian Benford, Tim Gruber, Judy Olson, Robbie Webber, Mike Verveer and Brenda Konkel - showed great leadership and support for this issue; others, including Santiago Rosas, Tim Bruer and Lauren Cnare, ignored their constituents' wishes and the clear support from the community in voting down this ordinance.
But we urge you to not give up. The city council vote loss is just a temporary setback in what will eventually be victory for us. The groundswell of support from such a broad and diverse coalition of Madison's religious, labor, social service, community, poverty, housing, and progressive organizations is truly unprecedented and inspiring. Several alders said they have not ever seen such overwhelming and broad support for a piece of legislation. The 45 organizations that make up the Healthy Families, Healthy City Coalition were made even stronger by the incredible grassroots mobilization of support from ordinary residents across this city, who flooded the email inboxes and voicemails of the Common Council members and Mayor Cieslewicz with their support.
This incredible nine-month campaign, launched on the same steps of the City County building where we also held our pre-vote rally last Tuesday night, has made real to Madison the realities of Madison's low-wage workforce and the often harsh realities of life for the thousands of hardworking Madison residents who struggle every day to make ends meet. This campaign has illustrated, again and again, how for many Madison workers, the idea of "choice" - in where they work, the benefits or compensation they receive, and the conditions in which they work - is simply nonexistent. This campaign has illustrated how for so many workers, there is no opportunity to "negotiate" with their employers for better benefits. They take what hours, pay and conditions they're offered or they're shown the door.
This fight is not over. Madison overwhelmingly supports a guarantee of paid sick leave. You have made that clear through your tremendous and sustained support of this campaign. We invite you to join with us to continue this critical fight to raise standards for Madison's most vulnerable workers. The disappointment of Tuesday's vote is already turning into numerous exciting opportunities for further action: the possibility of a spring 2007 referendum campaign; clearly necessary challenges in several aldermanic districts to get a more responsive, more progressive Common Council; statewide efforts to secure paid sick leave; the possibility of seeking additional funds and support for childcare, apprenticeship and job training programs to support low-income families...the list goes on.
If you share our disappointment about Tuesday's vote but are willing to join with us in continuing this fight to not only get paid sick leave for Madison's workers, but to continue to raise awareness about the real life issues and struggles of so many of these Madison families, we urge you to send those sentiments to the rest of the Common Council and Mayor Cieslewicz at allalders(at)cityofmadison(dot)com and mayor(at)cityofmadison(dot)com. Lets show 'em this mobilization isn't going anywhere soon.
And if you're interested in getting connected to the next steps the coalition takes, please just contact us at healthyfamilies(at)gmail(dot)com.
Thank you for all you did to make this campaign such an inspiration. Looking forward to reaching victory with you all soon!
Posted by prodane at 09:14 PM
County Board 101 with Chuck Erickson and John Hendrick
WHEN: Tuesday, May 30 at 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: Main Conference Room in the Social Justice Center, 1202 Williamson St.
As a part of the Progressive Dane Training Series, County Board Supervisors Chuck Erickson and John Hendrick will present " County Board 101" on Tuesday, May 30. If you are curious about how the County Board works and want to know how you can effectively influence county policy, County Board 101 is a great place to start. Supervisors Hendrick and Erickson will explain the County Board 's legislative process, the various important committees, offer assessments of current County Board Members and much more. Please contact Progressive Dane with any questions.
Posted by prodane at 06:36 PM
Do you like to ride bicycles?
Do you like living in a progressive city like Madison?
Do you support all the individuals and organizations that have made our city great?
Then come participate in Progressive Dane's first ever "Progressive Dane salutes Progressive Madison 2006 Bike Tour!" On Saturday, June 3, folks from all over Dane County will meet in Burrows Park at 10:30 a.m. to kick off our bike tour.
It's not too late to register! You can register online until noon on Friday, June 2. You can also register on the day of the tour starting at 9:30 a.m. at Burrows Park. The registration fee is $25 and includes a American Apparel (non sweat shop) t-shirt. For an extra $11 you will recieve a complimentary 1 year PD membership (new members only). Click here to register online. We also encourage you to have your friends and family sponsor your ride, click here for a sponsorship form.
The tour is a time for us to celebrate our diverse, forward-thinking city, to unite people and community organizations, and to celebrate Madison’s proud history of independent political action - it is Progressive Dane's way of saying, "Thank you, Madison!"
We will ride to 10 different progressive locations in the greater Isthmus area, including the Labor Temple, Centro Hispano, WORT Community Radio Station, the Social Justice Center, Neighborhood House and more! At each location, elected officials and other community leaders will be waiting to check in riders - meet folks like Alders Brenda Konkel, Austin King and Brian Benford, as well as newly elected School Board Member Arlene Silveira.
This is a fun event for folks of any age and ability. This is a do-it-yourself ride - you may ride as quickly or as slowly as you like, stopping at as many or as few stops as you like. The entire tour covers 10 locations and 15 miles of bike paths and streets. We only ask that you return back to Burrows Park by 1:00 p.m. for a lunch and awards ceremony.
We are also looking for volunteers to help out! Call (257 4985) or contact our office to help out.
Posted by prodane at 03:55 AM
Progressive Dane needs volunteers to help table and hand out literature for 1-hour or 2-hour shifts between noon and 5 p.m. on Sunday May 14th. This is a fun tabling event and there will be food and live music including Charlemagne, the Selfish Gene, Natty Nation and more. Our table will be near the station located on the 600 block of Doty Street. Contact PD via the web or call the office 257-4985 to sign up for a shift!
Shifts available:
noon - 1 p.m.
1 p.m. - 2 p.m.
2 p.m. - 3 p.m.
3 p.m. - 4 p.m.
4 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Posted by prodane at 01:31 AM
From Johnny Winston, Jr.
It is with great humility that I announce that I have been elected to serve as President of the Madison School Board. I am honored to have the opportunity to provide leadership to our school district and community. Serving as President is the culmination of part of a life long dream to be a public servant.
I was elected to the board in 2004. During my tenure, I have served as Chair of the Finance and Operations and Partnership Committees and most recently as role of Vice President. I welcome working with the entire elected school board. Some of the critical matters for us to address include but are not limited to: the building of new schools to accommodate our growing district, student achievement, parent involvement and strengthening communication and partnership efforts in our community. Together, we can identify and implement creative solutions to these issues.
I am a product of Madison schools thus believe in the vital role they have in our community. I welcome this opportunity to collaboratively lead the school board for the betterment of the Madison Metropolitan School District.
Johnny Winston, Jr.
President, Madison School Board
jwinstonjr@madison.k12.wi.us
(608) 441-0224
The Madison Metropolitan School District is located in Madison, Wisconsin and is the second largest in the state. It has 53 schools/programs including two charter schools and several alternative programs. Enrollment is 24,491 students pre-kindergarten thru twelfth grade. 44% are students of color. 42% receive free and reduced lunch. The district is one of the largest employers in Madison and Dane County with 5,921 employees. The budget for the 2006-07 school year is $332 million.
Posted by prodane at 09:18 PM