The new leader of the state’s largest labor coalition says organized labor’s best days are ahead. Phil Neuenfeldt is the new President of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO, and he’s betting on a revitalized labor movement in Wisconsin and across the nation to help all workers. “When you look at the creation of the middle class, it was the labor movement that was at the core of that,” said Neuenfeldt. “I think the labor movement collective bargaining process can help restore people to middle class.”
Neuenfeldt said that while “nobody is happy” with the current state of the economy, he feels most working people understand that the economy is headed in the right direction under the Obama administration. He says it’s labor’s job to keep pushing. “We feel we need to see more jobs created sooner, faster, in a much larger way. We’re asking for more jobs, more opportunities for our members and all working families.” Neuenfeldt, elected to the top post last week after sixteen years as the state organization’s Secretary-Treasurer, replaces David Newby, who served as the labor group’s president for 16 years.