April 20, 2007
Volume #29,
Issue #12
AFSCME LOBBY DAY IS WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25 - Join hundreds of
AFSCME members next
Wednesday when we go to the Capitol to talk to lawmakers about issues of concern to public
employees
and keeping public services strong. This year's lobby day coincides with the beginning of
legislative action
on the Governor's 2007-09 state budget. Please join us, and do your part to influence the
budget.
As we've said many times before, public employees have a lot at stake in the outcome of
the state budget
-- your jobs, working conditions and staffing, and your pay and benefits are all shaped by
the state budget.
(This is true whether you work for the state government, a city, county or village,
nursing home, or other
organization that depends on public dollars.) Lobby Day gives you an opportunity to voice
your concerns
directly to legislators.
HERE'S AN OVERVIEW OF SOME OF THE ISSUES WE'LL TAKE TO LEGISLATORS ON APRIL 25:
Real Health Care Reform - Anyone serious about helping taxpayers
and making Wisconsin more
competitive must focus on solving the health care crisis. Band-aids won't work. We need
real reform that
eliminates wasteful and overlapping administrative costs and corrals excessive
profiteering by
pharmaceutical giants ate the expense of ordinary citizens.
Money for Public Services: Governor Doyle Taps into New Revenue Sources -
AFSCME supports
easing pressure on property and personal income taxpayers by diversifying the state's
revenue sources,
as proposed by Gov. Doyle. New sources in the budget include: A cigarette tax increase and
assessment
on hospital profits to raise much needed funds for Medicaid. A new 2.5% assessment on oil
company
profits would support necessary maintenance of our streets and highways. A boost in the
real estate
transfer fee will pay for increases in aid to local governments and juvenile corrections.
Aid to Local Government - AFSCME supports the $15 million increase
in aids to local government
through the Shared Revenue Program. AFSCME also supports the proposed increase in
transportation
aids to local governments. AFSCME supports the Milwaukee Initiative that increases Youth
Aids, Circuit
Court funding and other programs vital to Milwaukee County. We support changing the law to
allow the
county to refinance the debt in its retirement system.
State Employees - AFSCME supports protecting the state's
investment in its workforce by maintaining the
full amount proposed for the Compensation Reserves. Any reductions in this funding would
undermine our
ability to reach contracts that are fair and equitable. AFSCME also supports the new state
employee
positions in the budget. Previous state budgets have left state employees overburdened and
understaffed.
State employees are the most cost effective way to provide state services that people in
Wisconsin expect
and deserve.
Privatization = Loss of Accountability - Quality and
accountability suffer when public services are
privatized. There is no shortage of news accounts of contracting boondoggles that
highlight the high costs
and risk of turning over vital public services to unaccountable outsiders.
Child Care - AFSCME is concerned about the shortfall in childcare
subsidies under the Wisconsin Shares
Program. The combination of new enrollees and lack of adequate federal funding jeopardizes
quality child
care throughout the state. AFSCME urges members of the Joint Committee on Finance to
increase
funding for Wisconsin Shares.
Contact your Take Back America staff to register for lobby day and to find
information on free
transportation to Madison from sites across Wisconsin. AFSCME's Lobby Day will start with
a
briefing on the issues at Madison's Masonic Temple at 10:00 a.m. Following the briefing,
we will
walk to the Capitol to take a group photo at the west entrance of the building. AFSCME is
coordinating appointments with legislators for you, and we will inform you of the place
and time
of these appointments at the briefing.
Please call the AFSCME Area Office at 608-836-6666 if you have any questions.
LEGISLATIVE WEBSITES. . .For those "online", here are some good info spots:
Wisconsin State Legislature: www.legis.state.wi.us/
"Who Are My Legislators": www.legis.state.wi.us./waml/
State of Wisconsin: www.wisconsin.gov/state/home
Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau: www.legis.state.wi.us/lrb/
Wisconsin Legislative Council: www.legis.state.wi.us/lc/
Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau: www.legis.state.wi.us/lfb/
Wisconsin Ethics Board: http://ethics.state.wi.us