>> ALL RIGHT.
THANK YOU.
ENJOY YOUR DAY.
>> AS REPUBLICANS PASS THE
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE BILLS ONE
BY ONE, DEMOCRATS ASSAILED THEIR
PASSAGE.
AMONG THEM, REPRESENTATIVE
KATRINA SHANKLAND OF STEVENS
POINT.
THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME
>> SO WHAT ABOUT THE RESULTS OF
THE STATEWIDE REFERENDUM THAT
SHOWED THAT VOTERS
OVERWHELMINGLY AGREED THAT
ABLE-BODIED ADULTS SHOULD HAVE
TO LOOK FOR WORK TO RECEIVE
TAXPAYER FUNDED WELFARE BENEFITS
AND HOW REPUBLICANS SAY THAT
THIS SLATE OF BILLS COMPORTS
WITH THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE.
>> SO FIRST AND FOREMOST, EVERY
SINGLE BILL THAT WE TOOK UP
RELATED TO UNEMPLOYMENT
INSURANCE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH
WELFARE BENEFITS.
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE IS AN
INSURANCE PROGRAM, JUST LIKE
SOCIAL SECURITY.
IN FACT, WISCONSIN WAS THE FIRST
STATE IN THE NATION TO CREATE AN
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE PROGRAM,
AND WHEN THE SOCIAL SECURITY ACT
PASSED ON THE FEDERAL LEVEL,
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WAS
INCLUDED IN IT AND IT WAS
MODELED AFTER WISCONSIN.
SO THIS IS AN INSURANCE PROGRAM
THAT YOU EARN BECAUSE YOU'VE
WORKED AND IT IS DESIGNED
SPECIFICALLY TO ENSURE THAT WHEN
YOU LOSE A JOB THROUGH NO FAULT
OF YOUR OWN, THAT THERE IS A
SAFETY NET IN PLACE TO HELP YOU
PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE AND FILL
YOUR TANK TO GET TO THE NEXT JOB
INTERVIEW SO YOU CAN FIND WORK
>> SO UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE IS
PAID FOR BY EMPLOYERS AND
MAJORITY REPUBLICANS SAY THESE
BILLS ARE NEEDED TO WEED OUT
PEOPLE HANGING OUT ON
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE AND NOT
SHOWING UP FOR INTERVIEWS
BECAUSE THIS COSTS EMPLOYERS
TIME AND MONEY WHEN THESE FOLKS
COULD BE WORKING, WHICH WOULD
THEN EASE OUR WORKER SHORTAGE.
YOUR RESPONSE TO THAT?
>> SURE.
SO I POINTED OUT IN COMMITTEE
AND ON THE ASSEMBLY FLOOR DURING
THIS DEBATE THAT GHOSTING IS A
REAL SITUATION AND THERE'S
ALREADY A REPORTING FORM ON THE
DEPARTMENT OF WORKFORCE
DEVELOPMENT'S WEBSITE FOR
EMPLOYERS TO REPORT, BUT WHAT MY
COLLEAGUES ACROSS THE AISLE
INTENDED TO DO WITH THIS
LEGISLATION IS ONE MISSED
INTERVIEW, ONE CAR BREAKING
DOWN, ONE LOSING YOUR CHILDCARE
SLOT FOR THE DAY OR WEEK AND YOU
WOULD LOSE UNEMPLOYMENT FOR THAT
WEEK AS WELL AND UNEMPLOYMENT
INSURANCE, WE HAVE ONE OF THE
LOWEST RATES IN THE NATION.
IT'S UP TO $370 COMPARED TO
STATES AROUND US.
THAT IS NOT MEANT TO SUPPLEMENT
OR I SHOULD SAY SUPPLANT OR
REPLACE AN INCOME.
IT IS AN INCOME SUPPLEMENT
DESIGNED TO HELP YOU PUT FOOD ON
THE TABLE AND GAS IN THE TANK,
BUT NOT MUCH MORE THAN THAT, TO
BE FRANK, SO I THINK THE
ARGUMENT NOT ONLY IS INCORRECT,
BUT IT ALSO FAILS TO UNDERSTAND
WHAT UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE IS
USED FOR, AND TO BE FRANK, THE
MAJORITY OF CLAIMS THAT ARE
FILED ARE FILED IN THE WINTER
WHEN CONSTRUCTION WORKERS,
LANDSCAPERS, VERTICAL
CONSTRUCTION WORKERS ARE ALL
UNABLE TO DO THE WORK THAT IS
NEEDED BECAUSE, IN FEBRUARY,
MARCH, JANUARY, DECEMBER, THOSE
HARSH WISCONSIN WINTERS, YOU
CANNOT LAY ASPHALT OR CONCRETE
BELOW 40° AND OBVIOUSLY YOU'RE
NOT LANDSCAPING.
SO MY REPUBLICAN COLLEAGUES
REALLY NEED TO LOOK INTO THE
DATA.
I POINTED OUT ON THE FLOOR THAT
MANY WORKERS ARE UNABLE TO WORK
BETWEEN I WOULD SAY THE MONTHS
OF NOVEMBER AND MARCH WHEN IT
COMES TO CONSTRUCTION AND
VERTICAL CONSTRUCTION, AND THEY
USE UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE
DURING THAT TIME BECAUSE THEY'VE
PUT IN 2,000 HOURS OF WORK IN
SIX OR SEVEN MONTHS AND I FIND
THE ATTACK ON BLUE-COLLAR
WORKERS VERY DIFFICULT TO
STOMACH WHEN MANY OF MY
COLLEAGUES ACROSS THE AISLE
RARELY IF EVER PUT IN 83 HOURS A
WEEK ON AVERAGE LIKE THESE
CONSTRUCTION WORKERS DO.
SO I FOUND IT INTERESTING TO
DISCOVER THAT THEY FAILED TO
TAKE UP A VOTE ON ONE OF THE
BILLS THAT WOULD HAVE TAKEN UP
TO THREE MONTHLIES OF
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE AWAY FROM
THESE HARD-WORKING MEN AND WOMEN
ACROSS THE STATE AND I THINK
IT'S BECAUSE THEY WERE AFRAID OF
THE DEBATE AND AFRAID TO TALK
ABOUT HOW THESE BILLS COULD
REALLY HARM BLUE-COLLAR WORKERS
>> WHAT DO YOU THINK THE OVERALL
MESSAGE IS FROM THE REPUBLICAN
PASSAGE OF THESE BILLS THIS
WEEK?
WHAT IS THEIR MESSAGE?
>> THEIR MESSAGE IS THAT PEOPLE
IN WISCONSIN AREN'T WORKING AND
THE OPPOSITE IS TRUE.
WE HAVE A 2.5% OR 2.7%
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE, DEPENDING ON
THE LAST TWO MONTHS THAT YOU
LOOK OF DATA, AND IT'S A
HISTORIC RECORD.
WE KNOW THAT AS PEOPLE ARE AGING
OUT OF THE WORKFORCE, THERE ARE
NOT ENOUGH NEW WORKERS TO
REPLACE THEM, AND SO WHAT WE
NEED TO DO FOR THOSE WHO ARE
UNABLE TO WORK THE NUMBER OF
HOURS THEY'D LIKE TO WORK OR
UNABLE TO ENTER THE WORKFORCE,
IS HELP THEM ACCESS CHILDCARE,
BECAUSE THAT IS THE NUMBER ONE
BARRIER TO ENTRY RIGHT NOW.
THERE ARE CHILDCARE WAIT LISTS
ACROSS THE STATE.
MANY RURAL AREAS ARE IN
CHILDCARE DESERTS.
SO WE NEED TO WORK TOGETHER TO
TACKLE CHARACTER.
WE NEED TO -- CHILDCARE.
WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE
HAVE ACCESS TO TRANSIT IF THEY
DON'T HAVE A CAR.
WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE
WHO CAN'T AFFORD TO LIVE WHERE
THEY WORK HAVE ACCESS TO
AFFORDABLE HOUSING SO THAT THEY
DON'T HAVE TO RELY ON SOMEBODY
ELSE TO HELP THEM GET TO WORK IF
THEIR CAR BREAKS DOWN AND THEY
CAN GET TO WORK IN THE CITY THAT
THEY LIVE.
AND SO THOSE THREE THINGS:
AFFORDABLE HOUSING, PUBLIC
TRANSIT AND TRANSPORTATION FOR
WORK AS WELL AS CHILDCARE ACCESS
AND AFFORDA AFFORDABILITY IS WHE
BEEN FOCUSING ON.
IT WAS OUR CORE MESSAGE ON THE
ASSEMBLY FLOOR.
WE MEAN IT WHEN WE SAY WE ARE
EXTENDING A HAND.
THERE ARE PLENTY OF INCREDIBLE
PROPOSALS IN GOVERNOR TONY
EVERS' BUDGET THAT WOULD INVEST
IN WORK HOUSE FUNDING, TRANSIT,
AND WE STAND READY AND WILLING
TO WORK WITH OUR PARTNERS ACROSS
THE AISLE TO ENACT GOVERNOR TONY
EVERS' BUDGET.
WE KNOW THE WORKFORCE SHORTAGE
IS REAL.
LET'S HELP PEOPLE STAY WORKING,
KEEP WORKING, AND GET INTO THE
WORKFORCE IF THEY'RE NOT
>> MEANWHILE, THESE BILLS ARE
EXPECTED TO BE VETOED BY
GOVERNOR EVERS, BUT