Today on the Tuesday 8:00 Buzz with Dr. Damita Brown, Mike Bernhard, a longtime Madison activist and union member joins us to talk about the Movement for People’s Party, the new political party that he is working with, born in the ashes of the Sanders campaign for president and looking to move the country forward in better and positive ways!
More on Movement for a People’s Party and to sign up and get information about the local group: https://peoplesparty.org/
Provided Photo
Mike Bernhard comes from a long line of working class rowdies. In 1942, when his father asked his prospective father-in-law If he would be welcome at the dinner table, the reply was “if there is a union ticket in your pocket.” His mother’s parents were Townsend Plan (precursor to social security) supporters and his father helped break the color barrier in his local union (IBEW 357 Las Vegas) in the mid 1950’s.
His military experiences (being stationed in Memphis before the civil rights and voting rights laws were passed and then serving in Vietnam) formed his views on the U.S. and its foreign and domestic policies.
Fast forward to Madison 1993: Mike is a member of IBEW 159, delegate to South Central Federation of Labor, Apprenticeship instructor at MATC, member AFT 2100, building steward, member of the stewards council, steward representative to the executive board, member of the bargaining bargaining committee and a national convention delegate.
He retired in 2012, after the Act 10 law was passed because no one was willing to fight the injustices. Currently, he is working with The Movement for People’s Party a new emerging political organization that rose from the ashes of Senator Sanders 2016 run for the presidency. They are not officially a party yet, but it is their goal.
