Hi friend,
As we close out the first quarter of 2025, I’m reflecting on the momentum we’ve built—and the urgency that fuels it. Our organizing this year has centered care, democracy, and leadership development, because the stakes have never been higher.
When states refuse to invest in care infrastructure like child care and paid family and medical leave, it’s a direct attack on women—especially women of color. Over 90% of the care workforce is made up of women, and more than one-third are women of color. The refusal to fund care is a refusal to value our labor, our families, and our survival. It’s not just neglect—it’s a war on women and an intentional strategy to keep us economically insecure and politically powerless.
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Denying paid leave forces women to choose between their health, their families, and their income. It punishes us for doing the very labor that holds our communities together. It sends a clear message: our care is expected, but not respected.
As a first-generation Hmong American woman, I know how personal this fight is. I know what it means to grow up in a system that doesn’t see our families, value our contributions, or protect our safety. For many women of color, safety isn’t guaranteed—it’s threatened daily by poverty, criminalization, and the ever-present fear of deportation. But I also know what happens when we organize: we shift the ground we stand on. We reclaim our power. We create communities where care and safety are not privileges, but rights.
Looking ahead, we’re especially focused on deepening our fight for child care justice. We’ll be organizing across the state to demand bold, long-term investment in a system that supports parents, uplifts providers, and ensures every family has access to quality care—no matter their income, zip code, or background. Because care isn’t a luxury—it’s the foundation of our economy, and it’s time our policies reflected that.
Thank you for being in this movement with us. We’re not waiting for change—we’re making it. And we’re just getting started.
In solidarity,
Christina Thor
Executive State Director, 9to5 Wisconsin
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Check out our 2024 annual report!
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This 3-month fellowship, running from June 2nd to August 29th, 2025 (dates subject to change) offers an opportunity to learn the intricacies of community-based work while actively supporting 9to5’s campaigns and programming. Fellows will build meaningful relationships with community members while developing leadership and organizing skills.
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9to5 Wisconsin is seeking passionate and experienced individuals to join our Advisory Council. As an Advisory Council member, you will play a crucial role in providing strategic advice and support to our organization as we work to improve the workplace for women and nonbinary people of color and advocate for economic justice.
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Our next membership meeting will be June 26th 6:30-7:30pm via Zoom. More details and RSVP will be available beginning of June. If you are interested in joining our next membership meeting, please reach out to Panhia at panhia@9to5.org.
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9to5 Wisconsin members meet on Zoom throughout the year to talk updates on our work, upcoming events, and the status of care policies in our state.
In January, we reflected on all we accomplished together in 2024, like introducing one of the nation’s most comprehensive paid leave bill rollouts to rallying at the Wisconsin State Capitol for child care investment. We also took a look ahead at our plans for advancing transformative care policies in 2025.
Members gathered in February to discuss two major opportunities where our voice matters most – the spring election and the state budget. We shared information about what was on the ballot and what this election meant for our state. Additionally, we debriefed the Governor’s address on the proposed two-year state budget for 2025-2027 and broke down the budget process, foreshadowing the opportunity to share our stories at the Joint Finance Committee’s state budget public hearings.
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On March 18th, we had our Spring Day of Action, where 9to5 Wisconsin, Main Street Alliance, Wisconsin Early Childhood Action Needed, and Motherhood for Good turned out more than 100 community members at the Wisconsin State Capitol, calling for urgent action on policies that directly impact working families. With the state budget approaching, families are demanding the following policies:
- $500 million in childcare investments
- Paid family and medical leave
- Expanding access to postpartum Medicaid coverage for new parents
- Measures to make starting and operating a small business easier
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As part of our civic engagement efforts this election cycle, our team launched a powerful Get Out the Vote (GOTV) program to inform, remind, and mobilize voters in key communities across Wisconsin. Through a multi-touch outreach strategy, we connected with voters via text banking, phone calls, and door-to-door canvassing in Green Bay and Milwaukee, with a focus on reaching women and non-binary people of color.
Here’s our total impact for the recent Spring Election:
- Total contacts: 26,554
- Texts Sent: 25,426
- Phone Calls Made: 599
- Doors Knocked: 260
- Other conversations: 269
Thank you to our dedicated canvassers for your commitment to building power in our communities and making sure every voice is heard! We hire passionate part-time canvassers every election cycle to help build power and advance economic justice. If you’re interested in getting involved for the Fall Election, please reach out to Panhia at panhia@9to5.org.
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Joint Finance Committee State Budget Public Hearings
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9to5 Wisconsin staff, members, and allies showed up strong at the State Budget Public Hearings in Kaukauna, West Allis, and Wausau, urging the Joint Finance Committee to prioritize investments in child care.
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We’re also collecting lived experiences on video to highlight why child care investments and other critical issues must be addressed. If you’re interested in sharing your story to help create lasting change, please reach out to Panhia at panhia@9to5.org.
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