MITCHELL SCHMIDT
Wisconsinâs return to near pre-pandemic unemployment levels has brought with it the reemergence of one of the biggest challenges facing some of the stateâs largest industries â a workforce shortage.
The need for workers in multiple sectors of the economy has Republicans and the stateâs largest business lobby calling on the state to end its participation in enhanced federal pandemic unemployment benefits, which they say creates a disincentive to work.
Liberals point to long-term structural changes as an opportunity to provide higher wages, better benefits, more skills-based training and adequate child care offerings â a need that was drastically amplified with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic â as necessary to get more Wisconsinites into the workforce.
Wisconsin health officials on Wednesday cleared COVID-19 vaccinations for children ages 12 to 15 after a federal committee endorsed expanding use of Pfizerâs vaccine to that group, paving the way for the injections to start in the state Thursday.
The news came as Gov. Tony Evers signaled he may be open to using federal stimulus dollars to compensate people to get a COVID-19 vaccine, if it s needed down the road, and that he plans to prioritize aid to small businesses after news Wisconsin will receive $700 million less in federal COVID-19 aid than was originally projected.
With children under 18 now making up the highest proportion of new COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin, expanding vaccination to more adolescents should help reduce the number of infections and move the state closer to a herd immunity level that can prevent outbreaks, officials said.
Wisconsin health officials on Wednesday cleared COVID-19 vaccinations for children ages 12 to 15 after a federal committee endorsed expanding use of Pfizerâs vaccine to that group, paving the way for the injections to start in the state Thursday.
The news came as Gov. Tony Evers signaled he may be open to using federal stimulus dollars to compensate people to get a COVID-19 vaccine, if itâs needed down the road, and that he plans to prioritize aid to small businesses after news Wisconsin will receive $700 million less in federal COVID-19 aid than was originally projected.
With children under 18 now making up the highest proportion of new COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin, expanding vaccination to more adolescents should help reduce the number of infections and move the state closer to a âherd immunityâ level that can prevent outbreaks, officials said.
Amazon warehouse workers reject union bid; Solidarity protest planned for Madison
MADISON (WKOW) Amazon workers voted against forming a union at a warehouse in Alabama, and a Madison protest is planned to back the workers who supported unionizing.
The win proved the might of the online shopping giant and cut off a path that labor activists had hoped would lead to similar efforts throughout the company and beyond.
Amazon crossed the threshold to secure a majority of votes, with 1,798 warehouse workers voting against the union and 738 voting in favor, according to the National Labor Relations Board, which is overseeing the process.
Virtually all of the Wisconsin lawmakers who responded to a Wisconsin State Journal inquiry said they have or plan to get the COVID-19 vaccine â although the few who say they wonât and the majority of those who didnât respond are Republicans.
The State Journal this week asked each member of the Wisconsin Legislature and the stateâs congressional delegation if they had received the COVID-19 vaccine or if they planned to do so. Several lawmakers on both sides of the aisle said they plan to get vaccinated once they become eligible. On Monday, eligibility expands to all Wisconsin residents age 16 and older.