Dylan Brogan
State Sen. Fred Risser (right) and Madison Ald. Maurice Cheeks (middle) chat up people at LaborFest.
Madison is still a union town. Just ask state Sen. Fred Risser. He’s attended LaborFest at the Madison Labor Temple every Labor Day since he was first elected to the Legislature in 1957.
“Turnout is good today. Parking lot is full. There’s good bratwurst. Good beer. Good people. It’s just a nice way to spend Labor Day,” said Risser, a Madison Democrat, upon arriving at the festival. “This is a place where you’ll find a lot of politicians. They come to show their commitment to labor. Unions built the middle class after all.”
Gov. Scott Walker’s six years in office have not been kind to Wisconsin unions. Membership in unions is half what it was just a decade ago. In 2006, nearly 20 percent of Madison workers were in a union, but today only 5.4 percent of the city’s workforce is. But that hasn’t stopped local politicians and candidates from paying their annual dues to organized labor.
Officials making the rounds at Monday’s festival said that unions remain an important base of support, especially in local elections. Dane County Executive Joe Parisi said that attending the festival is “a sign that you’re sticking up for the little guy and you believe in paying a fair wage.”
State Rep. Sondy Pope Roberts (D-Mount Horeb) concedes that unions don’t have nearly as much cash to give politicians as they once did. But she said they still are invaluable at the ballot box.
“What’s important is the boots on the ground, people talking to each other and their neighbors,” she said. “That grassroots effort is still an important part of winning elections.”
And that showed with the number of Democrats and progressive politicians making the rounds at LaborFest on Monday.
“This is absolutely the place to be today,” said state Rep. Lisa Subeck (D-Madison). “It’s a virtual who’s who of political wonkiness.”
Isthmus spotted four other Madison-area Assembly members at the event. A majority of Madison school board members were there, along with Dane County Board chair Sharon Corrigan and Sheriff Dave Mahoney. Although he’s unelected, Madison Police Chief Mike Koval distributed junior officer badge stickers to kids.
Former state Supreme Court candidate JoAnne Kloppenburg campaigned side-by-side with Madison attorney Tim Burns, who is running for the seat on the high court being vacated by Justice Michael Gableman. Democratic attorney general candidate Josh Kaul also courted votes at LaborFest, just like his mother, Peg Lautenschlager, did when she ran for attorney general.
At least seven members of the Madison Common Council were also at LaborFest. Ald. Sheri Carter said attending the event is a family tradition.
“My dad was a bricklayer and stonemason so I’ve been coming to this thing my whole life,” Carter said. “I want to not only show my support for the spirit of labor but also the spirit of my father.”
And organized labor is still a valuable ally for Democrats running for governor. Four declared and potential challengers to Walker in 2018 were there, including Madison Mayor Paul Soglin. He said he’ll decide “in the next few weeks” whether to formally enter the race.
Kelda Helen-Roys, a former Assembly representative, is also weighing whether to run for governor. “This is a great gathering of energetic people who are spending their time trying to make our community better,” Helen-Roys said. “Those are exactly the people who candidates for office need to get on their team and who need to be excited if we’re going to beat Scott Walker.”
Rep. Dana Wachs (D-Eau Claire) has already officially joined the race for governor. He attended Labor Day festivities in Milwaukee before stopping by the Madison Labor Temple. Wachs said he’s asking union members to vote for him because he believes in “collective bargaining and making darn sure the middle-class is supported.
“And the only way to do that is through unions,” Wachs added. “We need economic justice. It’s not right that people are working and working and working and still not able to make ends meet. That isn’t fair. That’s not what this country is about.”
State schools superintendent Tony Evers, who declared his candidacy for governor at the end of August, said “you’ve got to support labor.” But he’s cautious about promising a strong comeback for unions if elected.
“It’s going to take some time to be honest with you. But it’s my goal to make sure that the people in my universe — which is all of state government — are treated with respect, encouraged to be part of decision making and whose expertise is valued,” Evers said. “I hate to tell you this, but look at the DNR. They’ve respected people’s expertise by firing them. That wouldn’t happen in my administration.”
Despite recent history, Phil Neuenfeldt, president of the state AFL-CIO, says that unions still have a message that resonates with voters.
“I think politicians understand that our agenda of better wages, better benefits and giving people the freedom to have a union, that there’s growing public support for that,” he said. “If you’re a politician, you want to be connected to those things.”
But the event isn’t just a chance for politicians to woo voters. Local activists also use LaborFest to push their message.
“Oh yeah, politicians come here to schmooze and try to win the votes of the workers,” said John Peck, who has worked the Family Farm Defenders booth at LaborFest for years. “But we’re pretty much anti-politics at this point. If politics is reduced to just voting for someone, we think that’s a pretty anemic form of politics. We’re here to talk to farmers and workers. We’re promoting the more grassroots message of everyday is democracy. Where you can do more than just support or like politicians.”
There’s also space for fun and games, with a bouncy house for the kids. Past the alley of information tables, people listened to music, ate brats and hamburgers and talked to friends in the beer line.
That’s another reason Congressman Mark Pocan said LaborFest is “just the place to be” on Labor Day.
“I had hair when I first started coming. So that tells you how long,” Pocan said. “There’s a political vibe here. There’s a ‘it’s my day off vibe’ here. There’s a ‘thank God for labor I have a day off and a weekend’ vibe here. It’s a big celebration about something worth celebrating.”
