The Milwaukee Courier: Crowley vs. MAGA Congressman Tiffany: A Stark Choice for Wisconsin’s Working Class

MADISON, Wis. — Recent reporting from the Milwaukee Courier highlights the stark contrast between MAGA Congressman Tom Tiffany’s extreme record of working against Wisconsin workers and David Crowley’s record of fighting for higher wages, healthcare and protections in the workplace which has earned him the endorsement of numerous labor unions. The story details Congressman Tiffany’s record of supporting measures that rolled back basic health protections, lowered wages and even banned paid sick leave, calling it a “disaster.”

The Milwaukee Courier: Crowley vs. Tiffany: A stark choice for Wisconsin’s working class
By: Drake Bentley

• The track record is clear. Tiffany admitted he is not concerned with labor union support despite some 200,000 Wisconsinites employed under a union contract, calling union leaders “kingpins.”

• On the other hand, Crowley has been endorsed by nearly every local labor union and was promoted as an ally for labor by leaders from nearly half a dozen labor and skilled trades unions, representing thousands of workers. 

• Crowley has pledged to fully repeal Act 10, which stripped collective bargaining rights from public sector unions. He has advocated for raising the minimum wage to $20 an hour. He said he would restore prevailing wage laws and project labor agreements. And he supported expanding apprenticeship programs in the state. 

• In 2023, Crowley helped negotiate the American Family Field deal that secured union jobs and kept the Milwaukee Brewers in the city until 2050. The deal was a huge source of jobs for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers or IBEW. 

• Tiffany’s voting record in Congress on workers’ bills is a disaster

• On the other hand, both in 2021 and 2023, Tiffany co-sponsored The Fair and Open Competition Act, which prohibited federal contracts from requiring project labor agreements that protect workers. PLAs are unique to the construction industry and are a type of collective bargaining agreement.

• The AFL-CIO, the largest federation of labor unions in the U.S., said “state lawmakers, backed by construction industry CEOs, want to cut the wages of those workers by eliminating prevailing wage laws and project labor agreements (PLAs) on public construction projects.”

• While in Congress, Tiffany also voted for The Custom Health Option and Individual Care Expense (CHOICE) Arrangement Act, which would roll back basic health protections for workers. 

• Tiffany has advocated for Congress to pass The Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act, which would weaken regulations and halt the implementation of critical new public health and safety safeguards by requiring a vote on major rules.  

• An alliance of over 150 labor, scientific, research, government, faith, community, health, environmental, and public interest groups, including the UAW, AFSCME, ATU, The International Brotherhood Of Teamsters and the United Steelworkers, were strongly opposed to the measure.

• Tiffany also voted against The Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act, which would make arbitration agreements invalid and unenforceable for someone alleging sexual assault or harassment in the workplace, thus allowing the allegations to be heard in court. 

• The bill overwhelmingly passed the House, including with the support of 113 House Republicans, but not Tiffany. 

• Tiffany has skipped some votes over the years on legislation aimed at protecting workers. In 2022, he skipped a vote to expand eligibility for retirement benefits for disabled federal first responders and in 2021 he skipped the vote on The Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, a wide-ranging labor reform bill to protect workers. 

• Crowley fights to raise the minimum wage, while Tiffany voted to keep wages low 

• While in the Assembly, Crowley co-sponsored bills that would have raised the minimum wage to $15 an hour. He supported legislation that would have incentivized or required tipped employees to be paid the state minimum wage and voted for legislation that would have prohibited an employer from relying on or asking about a prospective employee’s prior compensation. 

• At a time in which local control and shared revenue are key issues in state politics, Crowley co-sponsored a bill that would have allowed local governments to enact an ordinance establishing their own minimum wage. The state legislature has been under Republican control for 15 years and they’ve made it their mission to restrict and financially weaken local governments, especially Milwaukee. 

• Crowley voted against legislation that prohibited local labor and employment protections. The bill banned local governments from allowing a minimum wage for employees under contractual service to the local governmental unit. 

• While a state legislator, Tiffany voted several times against raising the minimum wage. And supported a bill that eliminated the requirements that factory and commercial workers be given a day off in a seven-day workweek. 

• Tiffany voted for a law that banned all Wisconsin cities from requiring employers to offer paid sick leave, while Crowley supported expanded coverage for family and medical leave laws. 

• Again, the contrast is stark. 

• “I know firsthand what a union job can mean: a good wage, a safe workplace, and enough financial security to support a family and put a little bit away for a rainy day,” Crowley said in a statement to the Courier. 

• “But my MAGA extremist opponent Congressman Tom Tiffany thinks working Wisconsinites are all ‘special interests’ and ‘kingpins,’ while at the same time, Congressman Tiffany is giving massive tax breaks to billionaires. Money that should be going back into working Wisconsinites’ pockets – when everything from gas to groceries to utilities is more expensive – is instead going to big tech billionaires. 

• “As governor, I will always fight for families like mine and ensure that working people can collectively bargain and get the fair wages and benefits they deserve.”

• Tiffany’s campaign didn’t respond to a request for comment.