• COVID-19 Resources
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Promotions
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • February 6, 2023

Milwaukee Courier Weekly Newspaper

"THE NEWSPAPER YOU CAN TRUST SINCE 1964"

  • News
  • Editorials
  • Education
  • Urban Business
  • Health
  • Religion
  • Upcoming Events
  • Classifieds

Milwaukee Bucks Partnership for Living Wage is a “No Brainer”

May 21, 2016

By Dylan Deprey

peter-feigin-speakingAs construction begins and the walls of the Milwaukee Bucks’ new arena are being raised, so will the floor…the living wage floor, that is.

The Milwaukee Bucks have partnered with the Alliance for Good Jobs, and have committed to providing a living wage as well as first source hiring to offer jobs to disadvantaged areas of Milwaukee. The agreement would also allow arena district employees the opportunity to unionize.

“From our perspective, this agreement was a no-brainer,” Milwaukee Bucks President Peter Feigin said during a press conference in Schlitz Park on Thursday, May 17.

The agreement sets a minimum wage of $12 per hour in 2017 and end wage of $15 per hour by 2023. This is a jump from Wisconsin’s minimum wage set now at $7.25.

It also extends to Bucks’ employees as well as those under contract with the Bucks.  Any employee pushing out popcorn or pushing a broom will see a change.

This includes Jeffery Greer, an employee for Performance Clean LLC, the janitorial service that handles the Bradley Center and Miller Park.

Greer noted that this partnership was more than just a paycheck, but a sign of relief on him and his family.

“It is the difference between having to choose what bills to pay and being able to pay all the bills,” Greer said. “It means I can provide for my family with some peace of mind rather than with anxiety and instability.”

This partnership will also require 50 percent of its employees in the Bucks’ Arena District to live (at the time of hire) in particular Milwaukee zip codes with high unemployment rates.

The Alliance for Good Jobs plans to establish a “hiring hall” to be the go-to source for jobs in the arena. It will oversee the entire hiring process from recruitment to training.

Peter Rickman of the Alliance for Good Jobs tirelessly worked on striking the deal for the partnership.

“You can not undersell the impact this development is going to have on Milwaukee’s economy and our people because this truly is a transformational agreement to guarantee access to good quality jobs for the people that need them the most,” Rickman said.

According to Feigin, there are approximately 800 employees at the Bradley Center, and this number would increase to the around a thousand by the time the arena is fully operational. This would include jobs in the parking garage as well as the training facility soon to be built next to the arena on the corner of 6th and McKinley.

The Bucks’ arena district looks to transform 27 acres of mostly vacant land between N. Fourth to N. Sixth Street and W. Highland to W. Juneau Ave.

The groundbreaking for the 714,000 square foot multi-entertainment arena is scheduled for June 18.

Common Council President Ashanti Hamilton noted that although the meetings between the Common Council and Alliance for Good Jobs could get heated, creating jobs was the forefront of their decision.

“We want the Bucks’ organization to shine as an example of what can happen in other developments across this city,” Hamilton said.

Share:

  • Facebook
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print

Popular Interests In This Article: Alliance for Good Jobs, Dylan Deprey, Jeffery Greer, Living Wage, Milwaukee Bucks, Peter Feigin, Peter Rickman

Read More - Related Articles

  • The Top 5 Players in Milwaukee Bucks History
  • The MKE Pad Masters Defend an Undefeated Season Going into the National Beat Battle Association’s Producer Bowl
  • First Day Fits New Outfit Drive Gives Kids a Confident Start to the New School Year
  • Trees Capiish Proves his Versatility on “You Gotta Buy Your Dope From Me”
  • Babiedoll is Here to Prove that the Youth Got Something to Say

View COVID-19 Resources

Become Our Fan On Facebook
Find Us On Facebook


Follow Us On Twitter
Follow Us On Twitter

Editorials

Lena Taylor
Lakeshia Myers
Rev Jesse Jackson Sr Ashanti Hamilton

Journalists

Mrinal Gokhale
Dylan Deprey
Karen Stokes
Hayley Crandall
Ana Martinez-Ortiz

Topics

Health Care & Wellness
Climate Change
Upcoming Events
Obituaries
Milwaukee NAACP

Politicians

Pres. Barack Obama
Gwen Moore
Tom Barrett
Milele A. Coggs
Spencer Coggs

Classifieds

Job Openings
Bid Requests
Req Proposals
Req Quotations
Apts For Rent

Contact Us

Milwaukee Courier
2003 W. Capitol Dr.
Milwaukee, WI 53206
Ph: 414.449.4860
Fax: 414.906.5383

Copyright © 2023 · Courier Communications | View Privacy Policy | Site built and maintained by Farrell Marketing Technology LLC
We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our website. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, click here.