Democratic Senate candidates vie for labor support at a pro-union rally outside Ron Johnson's Milwaukee office
Top Democrats in the race for U.S. Senate lined up to burnish their labor credentials at a protest Wednesday outside Sen. Ron Johnson's Milwaukee office pushing for pro-union legislation.
None of the groups involved in the rally have endorsed in the Democratic primary thus far. They all have focused their attentions on blasting Johnson's record on labor rights and for not supporting the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, a Biden administration effort that would expand union protections and strengthen the powers of the National Labor Relations Board.
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Johnson has signed onto the Employee Rights Act of 2022, a competing bill supported by pro-business groups that Republicans say prevents abuse from "union bosses".
Each of Johnson's potential Democratic opponents, who are duking it out in an Aug. 9 primary, invoked their backgrounds working with unions and affirmed support for the PRO Act. State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski and Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes each recalled growing up in union households and credited labor activism with their rises to public office.
"It was (my parents') union membership that gave me the opportunity to stand here in front of you all today as your lieutenant governor, and I will never give up that fight for working people," Barnes said.
"When Act 10 passed, it was a gut punch to my family," Godlewski said, referencing a 2011 state bill that eliminated a range of bargaining rights for public employees. "Growing up in a union family, I learned never to back down from a fight."
Milwaukee Bucks executive Alex Lasry noted that the Fiserv Forum was built with unionized labor and said his company has a positive labor-management relationship.
"We need to make sure that we're taking care of our workers," Lasry said. "Ron Johnson has done nothing but harm and take away the rights of all the workers that are up here... and actively wants to move jobs to another state."
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Johnson's campaign declined to comment. The Democrats are competing in an Aug. 9 primary, with the winner taking on Johnson in November.
A fourth Democratic candidate, Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson, was not at the rally but also supports the PRO Act.
All four Democrats have pitched themselves as pro-labor candidates. Godlewski said she would employ "creative" pro-union tactics and touted her work bringing state treasurers together to use investment dollars as leverage in encouraging fair practices at Amazon and meatpacking companies.
Lasry released a "Workers' Bill of Rights" blueprint to raise wages and encourage unionization. Barnes' economic plan would push to ensure major federal contracts use unionized labor. So far, Barnes and Lasry have led in terms of labor endorsements.
Peter Rickman, president of the Milwaukee Area Service and Hospitality Workers, said that the group may endorse a Democrat before the primary but called Johnson's stance on the PRO Act as the race's "defining dynamic" for labor groups.
Wendy Fonseca, an AT&T employee and treasurer of CWA, also cited Johnson as the animating factor and said she would have to consider a range of other issues before deciding on a candidate to support.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Democratic Senate candidates support PRO Act, look for labor support
