Press release: Former meatpacker and workers’ rights advocate considers run for 90th Assembly District seat

Jarrett Brown, a former meatpacker and workers’ rights advocate from Green Bay, Wisconsin is considering a run for the 90th Assembly District seat that will be vacated by Rep. Kristina Shelton at the end of the term.

From 2007 until 2023, Brown worked in seafood processing plants, meatpacking plants, and other factories in hourly production and frontline leadership roles. During that time he was an advocate for workers’ rights at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. He helped individuals solve problems facing them in the workplace on his own and as a union steward for two local unions of the United Food and Commercial Workers. He taught groups of workers about their rights as workers and union members. He was an outspoken advocate for policies, regulations, and laws that would improve the lives of workers as a political activist.

In 2020, Brown became known in Green Bay and throughout Wisconsin when he was featured in a series of political ads about issues affecting workers for Priorities Wisconsin, Opportunity Wisconsin, and Change Now PAC He has spoken to political groups and to students at the Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Juris Doctor levels about issues affecting workers. The University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and a county health department consulted Brown about how to keep workers safe during the pandemic. Brown’s op-eds about issues affecting workers have been published by local and statewide media outlets and he has been quoted by the Associated Press, USA Today, and the U.S. News and World Report.

In 2022, nearly 20 years after his high school graduation, Brown earned a Bachelor of General Studies degree (Concentration in Political Science) from Fort Hays State University. In 2023, Brown earned a Master of Legal Studies degree from the University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law where he also worked as a remote teaching assistant in Bachelor’s and Master’s level LAW courses.

Brown was attracted to Green Bay six years ago by the quality of life it offers. “Green Bay is a wonderful place to live, but workers in our city and throughout Wisconsin are struggling right now. The stock market is soaring, but so is the price of everything. With every passing day it is becoming harder and harder to pay for the basics like food, clothing, healthcare, and housing. No matter how hard we try, working people are struggling to keep up,” Brown said.

“The ideas of buying a home, going on a family vacation, saving for the kids’ college, and enjoying the Golden Years of life in retirement are sadly becoming relics of the past,” Brown added.

“The rich and powerful have plenty of representatives in Madison who are protecting their interests,” Brown said. “What working people need is someone who will listen to them, understand their concerns, and tirelessly advocate for their interests. I have spent the last 17 years fighting for workers against large, organized, and powerful special interests. Now, I want to represent the people of the 90th Assembly District and advocate for their interests at the Capitol”

“In the plants I brought people from all over the world together by focusing on what we all had in common.” Brown said. “I know that I can be a unifying force in our politics and bring people together for the common good.”

Brown’s decision about whether or not to run will depend on whether or not he believes he will be able to raise enough money. “I will have to raise money 5, 10, and 20 dollars at a time by asking people who don’t have much money to start with to part with some,” Brown said. “The wealthy people who make large donations are not going to donate to me because I am for many of the good things they are against. Politics should be about ideas and not dollars, but the sad truth is that how much money you can raise really matters.”

The media and the public are welcome to contact Brown at jarrettevanbrown@gmail.com or 920–396–8765.