Organization pushing early voting in Milwaukee funded by organized labor
October 22, 2014 0 Comments
MILWAUKEE – On a Fall October day in Wisconsin’s largest city, one special interest organization tied to organized labor is out trying to drive up the voter turnout for the liberals during the early voting period. The group is well known for its white vans on Election Day which signs saying “Get on the Van to Vote Now” and has been the focus of scrutiny over the conduct of their activities.
Wisconsin Jobs Now is the organization that is working hard to turn out voters from Milwaukee’s inner-city wards hoping it will boost the Democratic ticket of Mary Burke and John Lehman for Governor and Lieutenant Governor. The organization on Wednesday was providing rides from nine pick-up locations located on the City’s North Side to the Ziedler Municipal Building where early voting is being conducted.
According to IRS 990 forms on file for 2011 and 2012, the group had received revenues of $1,748,235 during its first two years of existence. Their 2013 990 form was not yet made available. One union in particular has provided a major amount of funding for Wisconsin Jobs Now. According to the US Department of Labor Records, SEIU Health Care Wisconsin has mostly funded the operations of the organization. This includes $590,000 in 2013, $636,406 in 2012, and $769,023 in 2011. During the first year of operation in 2011, SEIU Health Care virtually funded all of Wisconsin Jobs Now while the next year they provided 65 percent of the organizations funding. However, the 990 forms for Wisconsin Jobs Now did not exactly break down where they got their revenue from.
Michael Lauer served as the first Executive Director of Wisconsin Jobs Now from 2011 until stepping down in 2013. During his tenure with the organization, Lauer pulled in salaries of $127,215 during 2011, $130,792 in 2012, and $127,950 in 2013. Jennifer Epps-Addison, who is the current Executive Director of Wisconsin Jobs Now, was hired in September 2013. There was no data made available of her current salary according to US Department of Labor Records.
More: Wisconsin Jobs Now Pushes Minimum Wage Referendums
During the 2012 election year, the organization employed 228 individuals in which they paid $373,458 in salaries and other compensation. This accounts to over 34 percent of the $1,092,965 in total expenses they incurred during 2012. Other than salaries in 2012, $444,579 was spent for events and actions related to the organization, along with $77,514 for travel, and $124,648 for conferences and meetings.
The efforts of Wisconsin Jobs Now during the 2012 in-person absentee voting period in the City of Milwaukee helped propel Barack Obama over the top in Wisconsin in which there was a 14.7 percent increase in-person absentee voting compared to 2008. President Obama won Wisconsin over Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney 52.8 to 45.9 percent.
In 2014, only 2,254 persons showed up to during the first two days to vote early in the City of Milwaukee. When compared to the 2012 Presidential election, this is a 47 percent decrease when 4,303 persons voted early during the same time-frame. However, the early voting period has changed from twelve days to ten due to a new law that does not allow for weekend early voting. During the 2008 Presidential election, early voting was three weeks long.
Wisconsin Jobs Now is the organization that is working hard to turn out voters from Milwaukee’s inner-city wards hoping it will boost the Democratic ticket of Mary Burke and John Lehman for Governor and Lieutenant Governor. The organization on Wednesday was providing rides from nine pick-up locations located on the City’s North Side to the Ziedler Municipal Building where early voting is being conducted.
According to IRS 990 forms on file for 2011 and 2012, the group had received revenues of $1,748,235 during its first two years of existence. Their 2013 990 form was not yet made available. One union in particular has provided a major amount of funding for Wisconsin Jobs Now. According to the US Department of Labor Records, SEIU Health Care Wisconsin has mostly funded the operations of the organization. This includes $590,000 in 2013, $636,406 in 2012, and $769,023 in 2011. During the first year of operation in 2011, SEIU Health Care virtually funded all of Wisconsin Jobs Now while the next year they provided 65 percent of the organizations funding. However, the 990 forms for Wisconsin Jobs Now did not exactly break down where they got their revenue from.
Michael Lauer served as the first Executive Director of Wisconsin Jobs Now from 2011 until stepping down in 2013. During his tenure with the organization, Lauer pulled in salaries of $127,215 during 2011, $130,792 in 2012, and $127,950 in 2013. Jennifer Epps-Addison, who is the current Executive Director of Wisconsin Jobs Now, was hired in September 2013. There was no data made available of her current salary according to US Department of Labor Records.
More: Wisconsin Jobs Now Pushes Minimum Wage Referendums
During the 2012 election year, the organization employed 228 individuals in which they paid $373,458 in salaries and other compensation. This accounts to over 34 percent of the $1,092,965 in total expenses they incurred during 2012. Other than salaries in 2012, $444,579 was spent for events and actions related to the organization, along with $77,514 for travel, and $124,648 for conferences and meetings.
The efforts of Wisconsin Jobs Now during the 2012 in-person absentee voting period in the City of Milwaukee helped propel Barack Obama over the top in Wisconsin in which there was a 14.7 percent increase in-person absentee voting compared to 2008. President Obama won Wisconsin over Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney 52.8 to 45.9 percent.
In 2014, only 2,254 persons showed up to during the first two days to vote early in the City of Milwaukee. When compared to the 2012 Presidential election, this is a 47 percent decrease when 4,303 persons voted early during the same time-frame. However, the early voting period has changed from twelve days to ten due to a new law that does not allow for weekend early voting. During the 2008 Presidential election, early voting was three weeks long.
