At a rally on July 29th at the Wisconsin State Capitol, workers and supporters gathered to make their voices heard. “Union Power!” Read a sign carried by a protester at this march and rally to bring attention to the fight employees from TruStage, formerly known as CUNA Mutual, have been engaged in for nearly 500 days; that is nearly 500 hundred days without a contract.
This small but vocal group of protesters marched around the state capitol, accompanied by the Forward Marching Band, a supportive staple at these events. Numerous speakers talked about the bad-faith negotiations TruStage has engaged in, opting at times to let their employees strike instead of offering a fair contract now.
On this particular day, Representative Mark Pocan (D-WI-02) spoke passionately about the importance of paying employees what they deserved, invoking the late Minnesota Senator, Paul Wellstone, “We all do better when we all do better.”
The labor negotiations, lack of a contract, and a fight for fair pay and working conditions is nothing new to workers here and around the country. Recently, UPS workers in the US were ready to strike on August 1st, 2023. Luckily, a deal was reached and a strike averted, at least for five years, the length of the new UPS contract. The WGA and SAG are also on strike, shutting down production of television shows and movies. And last week, the UAW voted to go on strike, shutting down the big three: General Motors, Ford and Stellantis.
As TruStage workers continue to struggle to get a fair contract, the threat of another strike looms constantly in the background.