05/08/09 Lawton In Kenosha to Support UAW Workers
5/8/2009
Monday, May 4: In Kenosha to Support UAW Workers
Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton joined Kenosha Mayor Keith Bosman, County Executive Jim Kreuser and hundreds of community members and other elected officials in support of auto workers on Monday. United Auto Workers Local 72 called the rally to declare their intent to fight Chrysler’s surprise decision to close its Kenosha plant—the only remaining automobile manufacturing plant in Wisconsin.
Although UAW and Chrysler reached an agreement on pension cuts last week, the decision to close the Kenosha facility surprised both plant workers and Wisconsin elected officials who had worked with the U.S. Treasury on Chrysler’s bankruptcy process.
Lt. Governor Lawton, other state officials and Kenosha workers expressed outrage at the company’s decision to close a number of plants in the United States while simultaneously beginning new operations in Mexico.
John Nichols of the Capital Times editorialized on Lt. Governor Lawton’s visit – click this link to read more.
Tuesday, May 5: Appleton Green Jobs Roundtable
Lt. Governor Lawton opened the Appleton Sustainability Roundtable via teleconference on Tuesday. Her message included a call for trust and communication between business, labor, and environmental leaders. Lawton stressed that collaboration between these groups is the most effective way to develop green sector jobs that benefit local communities.
Hosted by the UW-Extension School for Workers, the event was one of four such roundtables headlined by Lt. Governor Lawton throughout the state in an effort to build Wisconsin’s green economy. Other roundtables are scheduled for May 19th in Duluth/Superior and May 21st in La Crosse.
Wednesday, May 6: Arts Loft Grand Opening
Lt. Governor Lawton celebrated the grand opening of the UW-Madison School of Education Art Lofts, in Madison on Wednesday.
Pictured Left) Lt. Governor Lawton and UW Madison School of Education Interim Dean Adam Gamoran discuss the importance of the temporary, new facility.
The Art Lofts include classroom and exhibition spaces, instructional labs, and more than 50 faculty, graduate, and teaching studios. Consolidating all of these programs into one location creates new opportunities for educational and artistic collaboration while also allowing increased sharing of equipment and resources. This will strengthen the academic and artistic mission of the Art Department by creating an environment where artists can share ideas and create hybrid forms in mixed media.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison chancellor and interim provost were on hand, as well as students and community members involved in the Art Department.
Thursday, May 7: Meeting with the Conference of Retail Association Board
Lt. Governor Lawton stopped by the Conference of Retail Associations' (CORA) weekly board meeting in Madison on Thursday. Weekly participants include representatives from the Restaurant Association, Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Operators, the Grocers Association, Midwest Equipment Dealers, the Midwest Hardware Association, and NFIB. Lt. Governor Lawton joined them this week to discuss legislative proposals that affect small retailers and ways in which the state can encourage small business growth and encourage energy efficiency.
