Earlier this year, Ohio Republican lawmakers pushed through legislation curtailing the state’s early voting period. Yesterday, a suit was filed in federal court to block the voter suppression law. Previously early voting had been allowed through the Monday before the election. The Republican bill cuts off voting on the Friday before Election Day for all voters except military personnel. In 2008, an estimated 93,000 votes were cast during the last three days of early voting in Ohio.

Unless the nation’s campaign laws that allow corporations and the wealthy unlimited—and, many times, anonymous—campaign contributions are changed, “we will lose the right to collectively bargain,” within the next 10 years, says United Steelworkers (USW) Present Leo W. Gerard.

Speaking to a group of USW members in Homestead, Pa., over the weekend, Gerard warned that without a massive turnout of union voters this fall, the unprecedented flood of campaign cash to candidates and barely concealed extremist front groups could swing the election to candidates dedicated to destroying the union movement.

Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) and Columbia University Professor Dorian Warren both say the best way to solve the nation’s economic crisis is to grow the middle class rather than allowing wealth to concentrate in fewer and fewer hands. Unions, they say, will play a vital role politically and economically in building a strong middle class.

O'Malley and Warren spoke on a conference call with reporters Friday to counter recent attacks by Republican lawmakers on workers and their unions.

WI

Yesterday’s Wisconsin election results, in which Gov. Scott Walker (R) held onto his office—thanks to a $50 million war chest—but lost the state Senate, “is not the end of the story, but just the beginning,” said AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka at an afternoon press conference today.   

Noting that Walker was the best-funded politician in state history, Trumka said, “We knew a recall election would be tough, and we knew we would be outspent.” But he added Wisconsin working people provided an incredible counter to Walker’s mostly out-of-state funded campaign that held a seven-to-one spending edge. 

WI

Despite retaining his seat, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R), in last night's recall election, appears to have lost control of the state Senate with former state Sen. John Lehman’s (D) victory over Walker ally state Sen. Van Wanggaard. If Lehman’s win holds up, it will give Democrats a one-seat (17-16) majority in the state.

WI

Turnout is high across Wisconsin today as working families are getting out the vote to recall Gov. Scott Walker (R) and elect Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett as the state’s new governor.

Voters also are casting ballots in recall races that pit Mahlon Mitchell, president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin, against Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and four state Senate recalls. A pickup of one seat would swing control of the Senate away from Walker’s Republican allies who spearheaded his 2011 drive to eliminate the collective bargaining rights of 380,000 public workers.

WI

Wisconsin working family volunteers packed phone banks around the state and saturated neighborhoods in a huge weekend get-out-the-vote (GOTV) push to put Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Barrett over the top in Tuesday’s recall election. The coalition We Are Wisconsin reports that volunteers knocked on more than 257,000 doors on Saturday and will continue the GOTV push through Election Day.

Retired state employee Shelly Glodowski said she was volunteering on the phones because Gov. Scott Walker (R):

has done a lot to hurt the middle class and hurt workers. We need all the help we can get [to recall him], every little bit helps.

WI

There are many reasons to fire Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) next Tuesday. But some people in Wisconsin and others who are following the recall battle between Walker, who last year eliminated the collective bargaining rights of 380,000 public employees, and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (D), who supports workers’ rights to bargain, are asking:

What’s so important about collective bargaining in the first place?

Wisconsin working families, students and community allies are out in force in the neighborhoods, on the job sites and at the phone banks as the June 5 recall election of Gov. Scott Walker (R), Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch (R) and four of Walker’s allies in the state Senate approaches. Chris Czubakowski, a member of the Postal Workers (APWU) from Wauwatosa, says:

Recalling Gov. Walker is about preserving a strong middle class for Wisconsin.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (D) will face Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) in the June 5 election to recall Walker. Barrett won the Democratic primary yesterday. While working families are mobilizing behind Barrett, Walker has built a huge war chest—more than $25 million of mostly out-of-state contributions.