Meet the people
Hear the stories of Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z workers in Milwaukee.
The story of America’s shrinking middle class is told through the lives of its workers. We follow three generations in Milwaukee, each navigating a different reality and fighting for their own version of the American Dream.
The Baby Boomers
They remember a time when hard work was rewarded fairly and one job could support a family. Now, they fight to hold onto what they built.
Nancy Bryce, 74
Mother of Randy Bryce, 74 years old
Worked for decades in a local medical practice
Nancy rose from food bank lines to middle-class stability, building a home and family with her husband, a police officer and veteran. Now widowed and battling health issues that demand costly medications, she struggles to hold on to the security she spent a lifetime earning.
Anette Rice, 70
Mother of DiAndre, 70
Retired state civil servant
Raised in East Chicago by strong women, Annette became a lifelong advocate for women’s and civil rights, even marching as a young mother to win childcare support from the state. A longtime civil servant, she passed on lessons of financial literacy, hard work, and self-improvement to her children.
Mike Bink, 62
62 years old
UAW Local 469 President, works at Master Lock
Mike has worked at Master Lock since 1979 and now serves as a senior union representative, fighting to protect and restore American jobs lost to outsourcing. A lifelong advocate for workers’ rights, he’s also a skilled carpenter and cabinet-maker with a talent for building with his hands.
The Gen Xers & Millennials
Facing a system that no longer provides stability, they are forced to look for new solutions—from entrepreneurship to public office.
DiAndre Jackson, 35
Screw Machine Operator
Started at Master Lock in 2007
DiAndre, a machine operator at Master Lock, bought his first house at 18 and built a life on grit, not college degrees. He knows the weight of systemic racism but lives by one rule: success comes only if you get it yourself.
Randall J. “Randy” Bryce, 55
Nicknamed “Iron Stache”
Ironworkers Local 8 member, IronPAC founder
Randy, a journeyman ironworker, Army veteran, and cancer survivor, takes pride in his Polish and Mexican roots and his union work. A progressive Democrat who’s run for office, he warns that working-class Americans live just a paycheck or two from homelessness and fights to change a system he believes is failing them.
Decorah Gordon, 35
Union Worker, We Work Energies
Decorah, a single mother who grew up on food stamps and faced teen pregnancy, debt, and poverty, fought her way back through resilience and grit. After her son’s life-threatening medical challenges, she found stability in a union job at We Energies, just a month after the company had cut her power.
Justin Koss, 40
President, Koss Manufacturing LLC
Koss, founder of a precision machine shop with decades of experience in aerospace and surgical manufacturing, built his business from prototype to production. After years of struggling to find and keep skilled workers, he hit record growth—until Covid-19 brought operations to a halt.
Ashley (Seneff) Puglisi, 32
Co-Owner, Tailored Salon
Ashley, raised in suburban Milwaukee, turned her passion for hairstyling into an upscale salon in Walkers Point after leaving unsatisfying jobs. Five years in, she still isn’t drawing steady income, but she’s proud of the community and experiences her growing business provides.
Jessica Reinhardtsen, 30
Owner, Greige Patisserie
Jessica, a bakery owner in Walkers Point, calls the forced COVID shutdown a blessing in disguise, giving her space to reset and adapt her business model. More moderate than her conservative parents, she and her sister see both the rewards and the struggles of small business ownership—and believe the American Dream looks different for everyone.
The Gen Z
Their generation knows little of a social safety net. For them, stability itself is the dream
A.J. Mondry, 25
Self-proclaimed foodie
Film and journalism graduate, University of Milwaukee
A.J. left film and journalism behind to pursue his passion for food, working his way up from dishwasher to senior restaurant manager while still cooking on the line. Despite grinding through 100-hour weeks, he sees how little hospitality workers get back for what they give and now pushes for change in the industry.
Edwin Martinez, 27
Works in and around cryptocurrency
Edwin, the son of Mexican immigrants, has always chased the zeitgeist—reselling hot items from iPhones to fashion before launching a business selling everything for crypto mining. Rejecting college and traditional work, he built a life on self-reliance, living outside systems he sees as trapping people in fear and dissatisfaction.