Evers budget restores collective bargaining rights. Republicans vow to block this. //end headline wrapper ?>Get a daily rundown of the top stories on Urban Milwaukee
Act 10 protests at the Wisconsin Capitol 2011. Photo by Richard Hurd. (CC BY 2.0)
For tens of thousands of Wisconsin workers who lost most or all of their rights on the job a decade ago, one provision in Gov.
Tony Evers’ second biennial budget stands out: Evers’ proposal to restore collective bargaining for public employees.
Better compensation is one reason, say state and local workers, who argue that their pay hasn’t kept up with the marketplace, creating staff shortages and turnover and straining workloads for many public employees, including teachers, social workers and corrections officers. But lagging wages are only part of the picture.
Sen. Brad Pfaff (D-Onalaska): It wasn t an easy year for any of us. Not for our families, our communities, our small businesses, and those who are going to school, Pfaff said. Governor Evers recognizes the fact that we are strong people, we are resilient people, we are hard-working people, and we are going to get through this. Wisconsin is going to come out the other side of this pandemic stronger than ever. This budget recognizes the need of our s state. I believe this budget will help to build for the future.
Sen. Patrick Testin (R-Stevens Point): Well I think one of the big take-aways is the fact that Governor Tony Evers is going to make significant investments into the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. This is an agency that the governor campaigned on but now realizes its vital importance, especially in the wake of the actions of his administration that shut down our economy, Sen. Testin said. It is great to see the governor work on getting some crucial suppo
Workers at Wisconsin Voices say they were fired to shut down unionization. //end headline wrapper ?>Get a daily rundown of the top stories on Urban Milwaukee
Wisconsin Voices workers at a Fair Maps fundraiser earlier this year. Photo courtesy of Wisconsin Voices Workers.
When workers at Wisconsin Voices told the progressive organizing and fundraising group that they had formed a staff union, they hoped the group’s leaders would accept their choice.
Wisconsin Voices has for years partnered with dozens of like-minded grass-roots activist groups involved in voter registration, racial justice, climate change and other issues. Many of its partner organizations have close ties with organized labor, and some have collective bargaining agreements with their own employees.
Proposed COVID Legislation
The COVID-19 legislation proposed by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and the Assembly Republican caucus further endangers the health and safety of Wisconsinites and essential workers. As introduced, the proposal is an utter disgrace to our communities.
Despite Wisconsin’s designation as a COVID-19 hotspot, the proposal forces state employees to return to their physical offices by January 31, 2021 and requires state buildings to fully open to the public. These measures endanger the lives of AFSCME members, our families, and neighbors.
AFSCME Wisconsin President Paul Spink commented, “Robin Vos’s plan guarantees that more public workers will contract COVID-19 and that they will spread it to the people they work so hard to protect. This plan is beyond misguided; it’s actively malicious.”