Public Policy

Public Policy Chair
Barbara Peterson
lbpeters@dishup.us

Our Badger State Needs YOU!!

This has been a year when Wisconsin is mentioned in the national news on a regular basis. The nation has been watching as Wisconsin struggles with partisan politics. I’m afraid we’re not done yet!

I suspect that our volatile political scene may be one reason that AAUW-WI was awarded a $1000 impact grant by the AAUW Association for “Women to Women Voter Turnout; Community-Based Campaigns to Mobilize Women to Vote.” As the state public policy coordinator I was called last month with the news.

In our current legislative climate it will be difficult or impossible to gain passage of legislation that assures women’s health, education and safety rights. We can all work together to cut spending but AAUW will continue to work so that women and children do not take the brunt of these cuts. There is a shared economic responsibility here and legislation should be equalized across the board. The best way to achieve this is by getting women to the polls in 2012. AAUW – WI has been challenged to do that across our communities in this state.

On Saturday, October 22nd, 2011, from 9:30 to 3:30 I am asking each branch to send 2, 3, 4, or 5 members to a meeting at the Holiday Inn in Stevens Point for training on Get Out the Vote (GOTV) in your community. The Association is sending a speaker to train us and materials for you to take home to your branch for use in your community. I am asking that you make this a branch focus in 2012. We will use AAUW issues to make the case for voting in this important election. I know you are all committed to AAUW issues; that is one of the reasons you joined. At this training you will learn how to best interest and influence others to vote. We will also be inviting other women’s organizations who are members of the Wisconsin Women’s Network to join us in this training. The cost will be $15 for the luncheon meal and well worth your time.

In 2012, the Association will be hiring a part time person (AAUW-WI member preferred) to track our GOTV efforts in Wisconsin. I hope to have a job description for this position by the end of the year. If you would like to apply, please contact me via email and I will forward the information when it is available. The Association has asked us to gather names of interested candidates.

I look forward to meeting many of you at the October 22nd meeting in Stevens Point. Please contact me if you have questions. Use the registration form below.

Barbara Peterson, AAUW – WI Public Policy Coordinator
lbpeters@dishup.us
715-425-5638

Please use this form to register for the meeting. Late registrations should call Barbara Peterson 715-425-5638 so we have meals for all attendees. Download the form

Name_________________________________________

Street_______________________________________ City
_____________________ Zip_____________

Phone______________________
Email_____________________________________________________

Your AAUW Branch:
___________________________________________________________________

Registration Fee Enclosed? $15 (checks preferred) Yes________________
Make Payable to AAUW – WI (In Memo space) GOTV training
Mail to: Barbara Peterson
548 Omaha Road
Hudson, WI 54016 (On or before October 15th, 2011)

Rooms are available at the Holiday Inn in Stevens Point on Friday evening for $89. Double occupancy available.
Please call the Holiday Inn and ask for the “AAUW Block” —
(715) 344-0200 (Room rate available until Oct 7)
Located at 1001 Amber Avenue, Stevens Point, WI 54482

In November of 2008 the voters of Milwaukee voted by 69% to approve mandatory sick pay leave for employees of companies doing business in Milwaukee. A large business employer would need to pay for up to 10 days of sick leave; a small business would pay for up to 5 days per year. The ordinance was challenged by the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce and a Milwaukee circuit judge halted it. The ordinance has traveled up to the WI Supreme Court and sent back down to the Appeals Court which upheld the ordinance. You will find more detail in this Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article:

http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/119701054.html

Meanwhile, the WI Senate passed a bill (19-0) that would not allow municipal governments to pass sick pay ordinances and would nullify the Milwaukee ordinance. This was done while 14 Democratic Senators were in Illinois in a dispute over collective bargaining for most state employees. In recent days the Assembly has passed (59-35) the same bill and it has been sent to the Governor for his signature.

At all times, and especially in this economy, women and men need to know that they can stay home sick without losing their jobs. They also need to be able to use these days when their children are home sick.

AAUW believes that creating work environments that help employees balance the responsibilities of work and family is good public policy – good for workers, good for families, and good for business.

AAUW’s 2009-2011 Public Policy Program supports “greater availability of and access to benefits and policies that promote work-life balance,” which are critical for women for “equitable access and advancement in employment.”1

We are not asking you to take action at this time. However, you may want to inquire on how your legislators voted, let them know your feelings on this issue, and remember their vote on this issue and others in the next election cycle.

Read the AAUW-WI Public Policy Program changes for 2008-2010.

Play a role in shaping Wisconsin!
Public Policy

Connect to Washington!

AAUW members lead busy lives, so AAUW has made it simple for you to add your voice to important policy debates on Capitol Hill.

  • Join AAUW’s Action Network to receive e-mail updates on today’s issues affecting women and girls. (The new Action Network replaces Get the Facts.)
  • Use the online Two-Minute Activist to tell your members of Congress where you stand.
  • Read the monthly Action Alert to learn about priority issues under consideration. The January issue offers a comprehensive forecast for the 109th Congress.
  • Keep abreast of women’s issues on the national scene by reading the AAUW Blog

Take action today. Only with members’ involvement in the political process can AAUW achieve equity for all women and girls.

WW=P Wisconsin Women = Prosperity

Visit WW=P to learn the latest on the Lt. Governor’s programs for women in Wisconsin. This is a follow-up on the AAUW State convention presentation by Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton.

Women’s Council

Check out the extraordinary public programs and action items from the Women’s Council

Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health

Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health offers a special report on the state of women’s health. Read it today! www.supportwomenshealth.org

In Memoriam: Roe v Wade at 35

In accordance with Public Policy priority in #3 “To guarantee equality, individual rights and social justice for a diverse society, AAUW-WI advocates: ‘Preserving rights of individual choice in the determination of one’s reproductive life.’”
One article.


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