August 31, 2007
Volume #29, Issue #30
CONFERENCE COMMITTEE ONLY MEETS ONCE THIS WEEK - After seven weeks of twice weekly
meetings, the Legislature’s Conference Committee was scheduled to meet in public only
one time this
week. The Co-Chairs of the Committee, Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch and Senate Majority
Leader
Judy Robson, have held some closed door discussions. Additionally, working groups among
the eight
member committee have been formed to take on specific aspects of the budget. This
behind-the-scenes
activity would seem to confirm speculation that heavy lifting on the budget should
commence following
Labor Day weekend.
AFSCME’s continued pressure on the Conference Committee and members of the
legislature couldn’t be
at a more critical juncture. AFSCME has been at the forefront of grassroots efforts to
encourage the
legislature to reject the harmful provisions and significant shortfalls in funding public
services contained in
the Assembly version of the budget. However, we must increase the pressure in the coming
weeks as the
committee moves on from exchanging politically charged talking points and gets down to the
business of
settling the differences between the two houses.
If you have not already done so please contact your legislators and tell them to only
support a budget that
does away with the harmful attacks on collective bargaining laws, the gross under funding
of state services
and the cuts in aids to local governments. Tell them to restore the bipartisan agreements
reached in the
Joint Finance Committee on corrections and child care subsidies and to fund the
Governor’s Milwaukee
Initiative. If you’ve already contacted your legislator on these issues, thank you.
Now see if you can get a
co-worker, family member or neighbor to contact your Senator and Representative as well.
Daily vigils continue in the Capitol Tuesday through Thursday each week. AFSCME members
from across
the state are also continuing to come to Madison on organized trips. Contact the AFSCME
Council 11
office or your area Take Back Wisconsin staff for information on joining the vigils or
coming to Madison to
visit your legislators and attend the Conference Committee meetings.
PRO-LABOR LEGISLATION SET FOR HEARING - On Tuesday the Senate Labor
Committee held a
public hearing on several pro-labor bills. AFSCME members testified in favor of Senate
Bill 121,
legislation that prohibits an employer under the Municipal Employment Relations Act (MERA)
from ending
fair share agreements or grievance arbitration in a contract hiatus. The bill, from
Senator Dave Hansen,
was introduced as a response to action taken by Brown County against Teamsters Local 75 to
end dues
check-off and take away arbitration rights after the collective bargaining agreement
expired in December,
2003. AFSCME testified about other instances where management has used this unfair
practice during
bargaining in the past, and how tactics like this move away from the labor peace that MERA
was designed
to ensure.
Several other bills, including SB 243, making teacher preparation time a mandatory subject
of collective
bargaining and SB 83, exempting unemployment compensation from state income taxes,
received a public
hearing as well. The Committee is likely to schedule a vote on these bills in the next
month or so.
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