PLAYER PROFILE: LEADING LADY ALYSSA KAREL
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Wednsday, February 11, 2009
Doyle expresses concern over Senate’s stimulus bill By Cathy Martin THE DAILY CARDINAL
The recently passed U.S. Senate version of the economic recovery bill gives half a billion dollars less to Wisconsin than the bill passed by the House, according to the Washington group Federal Funds Information for States. Compared to the House version of the bill, the Senate’s bill allocates $140.5 million less for education and $453.2 million less for general state aid, which goes to local governments for programs like fire and police protection services. Carla Vigue, spokesperson for Gov. Jim Doyle, said the governor is concerned with how the Senate’s plan will affect Wisconsin. “Even with a stimulus package, [the state is] still going to need to take deep cuts,” Vigue said. “But with the version that the Senate passed, jobs are going
to be threatened and [schools] aren’t going to have the funding to do a lot of the things that they would like to do.” The bill, called the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, passed on a 61-37 vote with the help of U.S. Sens. Herb Kohl and U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis. Feingold said in a statement the necessity for acting quickly and responsibly to get the economy moving prompted him to vote for the bill. “The economic recovery package is not perfect, but it does take important steps to create and save millions of jobs while addressing our country’s energy and infrastructure challenges,” he said. A conference committee of House and Senate members will meet this week to find a compromise between the two bills. President Barack Obama must then approve the revised package senate page 3
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Workers from Russell Athletic’s manufacturing plant in Honduras spoke to students and faculty about their experiences unionizing for fair wages.
Russell Athletic workers defend union’s actions By Beth Pickhard THE DAILY CARDINAL
KYLE BURSAW/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Chrystia Freeland, managing director of The Financial Times spoke to students and faculty Tuesday about the national economic crisis.
Two workers protesting UWMadison apparel manufacturer Russell Athletics appeared on campus Tuesday to share their experiences as union members in one of the company’s manufacturing plants. Jerzees de Honduras, a branch of Russell Athletics, recently closed their �plant after union workers attempted to bargain with management for �higher wages. The Workers Rights Consortium, an independent labor rights monitor agency, has �confirmed that the closure was a harsh response to union activity. UW-Madison terminated its contact with Russell Athletics Feb. 5 because the company violated the university’s code of conduct for licensees, which guarantees freedom of association.
The factory’s union workers said �they asked for decent wages to make a living, wages not even �close to what management positions receive. Norma Estela Mejia Castellano, vice president of the workers union, said she was greatly impacted by the closure of the factory. “It has left us on the street unfairly just because we wanted to have a �fair wage and job,” she said. Workers wanted to unite because they felt they needed to defend �themselves through the only legal avenue they had. The movement started to impact workers who were previously fired. “We felt really proud because [the workers] were starting to believe in �the power of a union,” Mejia Castellano said. According to a statement by Russell Athletics, The Fair Labor Association reported areas where the
company could improve freedom of association. Russell Athletics said they would initiate steps recommended by the FLA to improve worker life. However, Moises Elias a Bovado, president of the workers union, said Russell Athletics did not comply with the code of conduct. “They might have it up on the wall, they might have it written down, but when it comes to applying it to the real world that doesn’t happen,” he said. According to Jan Van Tol, member of the Student Labor Action Coalition, it is common for companies to deny allegations against them. “The language in the code of conduct is a little bit open for interpretation, but any reasonable reading and it would be obvious they violated it.” he said.
Expert stresses unpredictability of national economic recession
State Senate votes to increase minimum wage in Wisconsin
By Andrea Carlson
By Jessica Feld
THE DAILY CARDINAL
The U.S. managing editor and columnist at the Financial Times spoke on campus Tuesday about the economic crisis and how it is affecting the rest of the world. Chrystia Freeland, who has been honored as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, spoke as a part of the Wisconsin Union Theater’s annual Distinguished Lecture Series. Freeland is the author of “Sale of the Century,” a book about Russia’s journey from communism to capitalism. She is also known for her expertise in the realm of financial and international issues. When asked about the impact the economic crisis is having on other countries, Freeland said the effect is
“enormous and underappreciated in the United States.” According to Freeland, the current economic recession is unlike past economic crises. “It is important to recognize that this is the first truly global economic crisis and the first financial crisis to start at the center [of the United States] rather than the peripheral,” she said. Those who claim to know when the recession will end are people to be cautious of, according to Freeland. She said the smartest people are those who admit the crisis is unpredictable. Freeland said she spent time talking with college students about the economic crisis. lecture page 3
THE DAILY CARDINAL
In an 18-14 vote, the state Senate voted Tuesday to increase Wisconsin’s minimum wage from $6.50 to $7.60 per hour. According to state Sen. Russ Decker, D-Schofield, the bill will go into effect June 1, 2009, and be indexed annually for inflation. “This is the best kind of wage increase because it gets money into the pockets of those who need it the most,” Decker said. “It helps working families keep up with the rising costs of food, clothing, gas and rent.” State Republicans, however, argued an increase would do more harm to the state’s already troubled economy. “The economy is in the toilet,
no ifs, ands or buts about it,” state Sen. Alan Lasee, R-De Pere, said. “It’s nice to give everyone a pay raise, but the fact is the timing of this is just atrocious.” State Sen. Ted Kanavas, RBrookfield, echoed Lasee’s concerns when he said a wage increase would place added stress on small business owners. According to Ryan Smith, spokesperson for state Sen. Robert Cowles, R-Green Bay, a minimum wage indexed for inflation will put many “mom and pop shops” out of business because they will be unable to meet payroll. Conversely, Democrats stand by their belief that a minimum wage increase is a well-deserved victory for the state’s laborers. “American workers are the back-
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bone of our economy, yet they have been treated by our government like they are the backwater of our society,” state Sen. Spencer Coggs, D- Milwaukee said. “It is time that we increase the minimum wage to allow the working poor to have a chance to meet their needs and pay their bills.” Rather than increase the wage rate to aid workers, Republicans would prefer a tax structure benefitting small businesses. “I would have liked to see tax cuts for businesses or incentives for those people who hire new employees,” Lasee said. “I know we don’t have the money to give out real dollars, but certainly we can create a taxing structure that benefits those people that hire and continue to hire employees.”
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”