William Plotner waited for his daughter’s second birthday to enroll in the military on Sept. 11, 2004—three years after the World Trade Center twin towers fell. He wanted his daughter to remember the significance of her birth date. But most of all, he wanted her to think of him as a hero. Now Plotner, a U.S. Army veteran and member of the Laborers (LIUNA) Local 79, is rebuilding the World Trade Center.

Says Plotner:

On 9-11-04 I swore in. And now I get to work here. It brings, like, another sense of pride.

The Writers Guild of America, East and the Wounded Warrior Project have joined forces in a project that pairs military veterans and their family members with award-winning writers, empowering them with storytelling skills to share their post-war experiences.

Read the full story here, part of the AFL-CIO In Our Communities feature highlights.

WI

Karen Hickey at the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO recently talked with war veterans about why they support Tom Barrett for governor in the state's June 5 recall election of Gov. Scott Walker.

Milwaukee County Supervisor and U.S. Marine veteran John Weishan pointed out that Walker’s record does not match his rhetoric, calling Walker’s actions against veterans “atrocious.” As Milwaukee county executive, Scott Walker routinely cut funding for veteran programs, services and for the War Memorial at the Lake Front. 

James Gilbert is director of the AFL-CIO Union Veterans Council.

As I sat down to write a blog post for Memorial Day for the Union Veterans Council, I could not help but remember our chairman and friend Mark Ayers who passed away last month. It seems only fitting that on this weekend that we remember those service members that gave the ultimate sacrifice that we remember him and his words. His statement from 2010 is one of the most poignant expressions of what Memorial Day means to the families of the fallen, fellow veterans and what it should mean to our country. I feel that this Memorial Day it is more than appropriate to share the words of former Building and Construction Trades Department (BCTD) President Ayers again.

On May 8th, the Ohio AFL-CIO Union Veterans Council held its first lobby day at the Ohio Statehouse. Veterans made the trip to the Capitol from all over Ohio—Dayton, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Lancaster, Youngstown, Canton, Akron, Columbus and everywhere in between to lobby their legislators on issues important to veterans and their families.

Kudos to Los Angeles union members who helped out those in need over the recent holiday. The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and Labor Community Services, AFL-CIO sponsored the Homeless Heroes Team, with more than 200 union members, their families and veterans taking part in a 5K run/walk and raising $10,000 for homeless vets.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) and his Republican/tea party supporters—the same gang who imposed “financial martial law” on cities and towns and is pushing a “right to work” for less law—are at it again.

Social Security is crucial to veterans and military families when those who have served our country retire, become disabled, or lose their lives. Yet Republican lawmakers have put Social Security in their sights, willing to trade Social Security cuts for tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations in the name of deficit reduction. But cuts to Social Security or privatization would hurt millions veterans and military families.

The veteran’s group VoteVets.org has launched a new video and petition to support Wisconsin public employees in their fight against Gov. Scott Walker’s (R) attempt to eliminate their rights to bargain for middle-class jobs and in support of workers engaged in similar battles in other states.

Conservative and Republican public employees across the state voiced opposition to a proposal by Gov. Scott Walker that would deny nurses, teachers, EMTs and other trusted public service providers the right to collectively bargain—a freedom that nearly every other Wisconsinite enjoys.