THE

PEOPLES

PLATFORM

Across Milwaukee, social movements and popular organizations have been fighting for a
more just, equitable, fair, and livable community. We have been on strike lines for $15
and a union. We have marched on May Day for immigrants. We have stood up to say
that black lives matter. We have walked in with children, parents and educators for the
public schools we deserve. We have rallied with operators and riders for the transit
system we need.
We recognize that our causes and demands must enter the political arena to achieve our
objectives and realize gains for the people, even while not confined to the political arena.
The Peoples Platform represents our substantive, affirmative agenda for governance in
Milwaukee. This platform translates the demands of our movements and popular
organizations into particular, specific policies which can be adopted and implemented at
the City and County levels in Milwaukee. Our platform turns the grievances of
constituencies, problems & challenges facing our communities, into concrete, tangible
solutions for action in the arena of local government policy-making.
The Peoples Platform includes six components covering issue clusters around which our
movements and popular organizations have been in struggle: living wages & workers
rights, immigrant justice, racial justice, public schools, public transit and public services.
We opt for local action in governance on the demands, causes and issues of our
movements and organizations. Our City and County government can take significant
positive action toward the reality we seek. Even where local action cannot address the
full scope of that for which we organize, mobilize and fight, it can create substantial
progress, materially transform lives and communities, and generate momentum for largerscale change. Crucially, local action can begin to address the very real challenges we
face in Milwaukee. The urgency and necessity of our issues demand action however and
wherever City and County government can bring it to bear.
The leaders and activists from our movements and popular organizations who have crafted
the Peoples Platform intend to organize and mobilize to win -- in the streets, in our
neighborhoods & workplaces, at the ballot box, and in the halls of government.
By no means does this platform represent the entire scope of what we seek in governance
now and will seek in the future. This Peoples Platform is an actionable body of policies
ready for introduction, adoption and implementation right here, right now. We pledge to
work with policy-makers to advance this agenda.
We call upon candidates and elected officials to take up this popular agenda, this Peoples
Platform, to govern and to create the Milwaukee we want, deserve and need.

Living Wages & Workers Rights

CITY $15 Living Wage Ordinance
Amend the twenty year-old City living wage ordinance to: (1) raise the wage floor to $15 per hour
by 2020 in stages; (2) expand coverage to include development subsidies and all contracts for
services; include best practices for enforcement & accountability, like affirmative payroll
disclosure, non-retaliation, and private right of action.
COUNTY $15 Living Wage Ordinance
Amend the County living wage ordinance to: 1) raise the wage floor to $15 per hour by 2020 in
stages; (2) expand coverage to include all contracts for services, like human, social, care, and
transit services.
CITY Labor Peace Ordinance
Establish in ordinance (compliant with federal law) a requirement of firms benefiting from City
resources, where the City has a proprietary interest, to enter into a labor peace agreement with
any union representing workers employed in end-use jobs who are seeking to organize for
collective bargaining such that workers rights are protected through a fair process substituted for
adversarial economic action like strikes, pickets, and boycotts.
COUNTY Labor Peace Ordinance
Establish in ordinance (compliant with federal law) a requirement of firms benefiting from County
resources, where the County has a proprietary interest, to enter into a labor peace agreement
with any union representing workers employed in end-use jobs who are seeking to organize for
collective bargaining such that workers rights are protected through a fair process substituted for
adversarial economic action like strikes, pickets, and boycotts.
CITY Wage Theft Ordinance
Establish in ordinance a policy: (1) that any firm found responsible for three violations of federal,
state or local wage & hour laws forfeit any City-granted license to conduct business for a period
of five years; and, (2) that as part of the licensing process, all firms produce a verifiable plan to
prevent and/or correct violations of wage & hour laws, or provide a bond of not less than
$100,000 per licensing period.
COUNTY Responsible Contractor Ordinance
Establish in ordinance a policy that the County may not enter into or continue an agreement with
a firm found responsible for three violations of federal, state or local laws regarding wage & hour,
health & safety, or discrimination.

Immigrant Justice
CITY Municipal Identification Cards Implementation
Pending state legislation, fully implement the program adopted to provide municipal
identification cards to any person.
COUNTY Municipal Identification Cards Implementation
Pending state legislation, fully implement the program adopted to provide municipal
identification cards to any person.
CITY I.C.E. Collaboration Audit
Adopt a resolution requiring that the City Comptroller conduct an audit of the Milwaukee Police
Department regarding any collaboration between the department and the federal Department of
Immigration & Customs Enforcement.
COUNTY I.C.E. Collaboration Audit
Adopt a resolution requiring that the County Comptroller conduct an audit of the Milwaukee
County Sheriffs Department regarding any collaboration between the department and the federal
Department of Immigration & Customs Enforcement.
CITY Aspiring Americans Program
Adopt a resolution and implementing funding through the annual budget process to establish an
Aspiring Americans program, potentially in collaboration with the County if so authorized, to:
(1) conduct outreach to immigrant communities regarding eligibility for federal deferred action
programs; (2) conduct outreach to immigrant communities regarding conversion from lawful
permanent resident status to that of citizenship, and provide courses to prepare them; and, (3)
work through civil society organizations with roots in immigrant communities to provide such
services.
COUNTY Aspiring Americans Program
Adopt a resolution and implementing funding through the annual budget process to establish an
Aspiring Americans program, potentially in collaboration with the City if so authorized, to: (1)
conduct outreach to immigrant communities regarding eligibility for federal deferred action
programs; (2) conduct outreach to immigrant communities regarding conversion from lawful
permanent resident status to that of citizenship, and provide courses to prepare them; and, (3)
work through civil society organizations with roots in immigrant communities to provide such
services.

Racial Justice
CITY Racial Impact Statement Ordinance
Establish in ordinance a requirement that any City legislative action produce a statement for
consideration before adoption, similar to that for fiscal impact, regarding economic, social, and
criminal justice impacts upon communities of color.
COUNTY Racial Impact Statement Ordinance
Establish in ordinance a requirement that any County legislative action produce a statement for
consideration before adoption, similar to that for fiscal impact, regarding economic, social, and
criminal justice impacts upon communities of color.
CITY Ban the Box Ordinance
Establish in ordinance a prohibition applicable upon any public or private employer located
within the jurisdiction of the City against including in the employment process any queries of
potential employees or consideration of previous criminal convictions or incarceration, unless
demonstrably job-related or commensurate with a bona fide occupational qualification.
COUNTY Eviction Prevention Ordinance
To be finalized
CITY Anti-Redlining Ordinance
To be finalized
CITY Ex-Offenders Employment & Housing Accessibility Program
To be finalized
COUNTY Ex-Offenders Employment & Housing Accessibility Program
To be finalized

Public Schools
CITY School Chartering Moratorium Ordinance
Establish in ordinance a moratorium of not less than five years on any further chartering of
schools intended to enroll children who otherwise would attend Milwaukee Public Schools; and,
conduct a study either by the City Comptroller or with a qualified non-governmental agency or
expert to definitively establish the efficacy of City-chartered schools.
COUNTY Milwaukee Public Schools Takeover Funding Ban
Adopt a resolution stating or establish in ordinance that no County financial resources may be
used in connection with the Opportunity Schools Partnership Program, or the Milwaukee Public
Schools Takeover.
CITY Community Schools Funding
Adopt budget legislation to develop the community schools model in Milwaukee Public Schools,
potentially in partnership with the County if so authorized, by providing City financial resources
for wraparound services and supports, and/or by implementing City-provided services and
supports, within public education facilities.
COUNTY Community Schools Funding
Adopt budget legislation to develop the community schools model in Milwaukee Public Schools,
potentially in partnership with the City if so authorized, by providing County financial resources
for wraparound services and supports, and/or by implementing County-provided services and
supports, within public education facilities.

Public Transit
COUNTY Public Management of Public Transit
Adopt a resolution calling upon the County Executive to bring the Milwaukee County Transit
System under public management; adopt budget legislation authorizing and funding public
management of the transit system.
CITY Dedicated Funding
Adopt a resolution formally requesting of the State government the local authority to establish a
dedicated source of transit funding.
COUNTY Dedicated Funding
Adopt a resolution formally requesting of the State government the local authority to establish a
dedicated source of transit funding.
CITY Streetcar Extension to Communities of Color Resolution
Adopt a resolution directing the Department of Public Works to develop a plan to extend the
streetcar line into communities of color on the North and South sides of the City.
CITY Unified Transit Operations Ordinance
Establish in ordinance a requirement that the City contract with Milwaukee County Transit System
to operate the streetcar line.
COUNTY Transit Workers Living Wage
Amend the County living wage ordinance to: 1) raise the wage floor to $15 per hour by 2020 in
stages; (2) expand coverage to include all contracts for transit services.

Public Services
CITY Privatization Audit
Adopt a resolution requiring that the City Comptroller conduct an audit of all currently privatized
services to ascertain actual impacts on efficiency, effectiveness and fiscal soundness.
COUNTY Privatization Audit
Adopt a resolution requiring that the County Comptroller conduct an audit of all currently
privatized services to ascertain actual impacts on efficiency, effectiveness and fiscal soundness.
CITY Privatization Authorization Ordinance
Establish in ordinance a requirement that prior to any privatization of current City services or
extension of contracts for private delivery of services for or on behalf of the City: (1) an impact
statement be produced ascertaining projected impacts on service delivery, effectiveness and
efficiency; (2) the relevant committee of the Common Council hold a special hearing on
privatization; and, (3) City departments that could conceivably provide such privatized services
be allowed to bid on the work the same as a private firm.
COUNTY Privatization Authorization Ordinance
Establish in ordinance a requirement that prior to any privatization of current County services or
extension of contracts for private delivery of services for or on behalf of the County: (1) an impact
statement be produced ascertaining projected impacts on service delivery, effectiveness and
efficiency; (2) the relevant committee of the County Board of Supervisors hold a special hearing
on privatization; and, (3) County departments that could conceivably provide such privatized
services be allowed to bid on the work the same as a private firm.
CITY Participatory Budgeting Ordinance
Establish in ordinance a requirement that the annual budget provide for a participatory budgeting
process setting aside $100,000 per Common Council district for allocation to projects determined
by an official meeting of district residents.
COUNTY Participatory Budgeting Ordinance
Establish in ordinance a requirement that the annual budget provide for a participatory budgeting
process setting aside $100,000 per Supervisory district for allocation to projects determined by an
official meeting of district residents.
COUNTY Healthcare Quality and Patient & Provider Safety Ordinance
Establish in ordinance a requirement that: (1) staffing levels at all facilities providing care to
patients, whether operated by the County or by firms contracting with the County, meet levels of
sufficiency determined by the relevant committee of the County Board of Supervisors; and, (2)
dedicated care managers report no less than monthly on patient status for anyone under the care
of the County, whether at a facility operated by the County or by firms contracting with the
County.