For Immediate Release

“On Wednesday, September 9, the Democratic Party of Dane County and its members overwhelmingly voted to pass a resolution in support of Dane County employees organizing to ensure their working conditions are safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This resolution follows on the heels of recent labor issues that have arisen as two of the largest employers in Dane County have clashed with employees over conditions that workers feel place them at significantly elevated risk of COVID-19 infection. Epic Systems Corporation has attempted to force nearly 10,000 employees to work in-person on their Verona campus and retaliated against employees for attempting to organize. University of Wisconsin Madison has put pressure on employees to teach in-person with students, ignoring the warnings of epidemiologists, and refused to confer with representative employee organizations around its “Smart Restart” plan.  

“All workers have a right to a safe workplace, and they should be able to organize and advocate for their interests without fear of reprisal”, said Alexia Sabor, Chair of the Dane Dems. “We call on all Dane County organizations to strengthen and protect our workforce and to engage collaboratively with employee unions and representative organizations to develop plans to assure worker safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Democrats understand that labor unions have been at the forefront of the fight to improve working conditions and protect workers from exploitation, which has led to the standards many of us enjoy today. Labor unions demonstrate that we are stronger together than as individuals, and organized labor remains critical to maintaining America’s middle class.”  

Media Contact: Angela Jenkins, Vice Chair Communications; info@danedems.org