WISCONSIN STATE EMPLOYEES UNION Legislative Updates

***Click here to receive Legislative Updates via email***ovember 15, 2007

April 24, 2008

Budget Negotiations Continue – Governor, Majority Leader and Speaker Meeting

Rumors continue to circulate in the Capitol that Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker and Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch are close to an agreement on a budget adjustment bill.  One sign that a deal may be imminent is that Governor Jim Doyle is now meeting with the two leaders, hopefully indicating that negotiations will soon come to a close and an agreement will be announced.

Most of the discussion appears to be focused on the mechanisms to generate revenue, either new or borrowed, to close the deficit, or which accounting tricks to use to make the books balance until the end of the biennium.  This is a positive sign for AFSCME, as the drastic cuts offered in the Assembly Republican package appear to have been set aside for now in favor of more reasonable steps that will preserve public services.  Of course AFSCME continues to lobby legislators to ensure public services are maintained in the final budget adjustment bill.

Committee to Study High Risk Juvenile Offenders Announced

In election years, following the end of the legislative session the Joint Legislative Council creates special committees to study ongoing issues in Wisconsin.  This past week a Joint Legislative Council Committee was announced to investigate issues surrounding high risk juvenile offenders.  Among the many issues that will likely be on the table for this committee are; the cost of incarceration, impact on county finances, other state models and allowing judges to send 17 year old offenders to juvenile institutions.

Joint Legislative Committees are made up of legislators and members of the general public, with public members traditionally being individuals with first hand experience with the issue before the committee.  AFSCME has already contacted the co-chairs of the committee about the inclusion of an AFSCME representative on the committee given the potential impact recommendations by this committee could ultimately have on our members working in the institutions and on county governments.

For more information call the AFSCME area office at 608-836-6666

April 24, 2008

Fixing the Budget Deficit: deal or no deal?

Spokespersons for Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker and Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch say that they continue to make progress on the budget and could reach agreement as early as next week. However, no details of an imminent deal have released.  It is tough to read the tea leaves on the mostly private budget negotiations.  Meanwhile, AFSCME continues to lobby the Legislature to protect services and preserve the budget.
In an effort to bring about a conclusion to the budget talks, Governor Doyle this week began publicly discussing some of the consequences of not reaching a budget compromise soon. The governor suggested that one possible scenario might be that a delay or cutbacks in transportation projects beginning this summer. 

For more information call the AFSCME area office at 608-836-6666

April 10, 2008

State Budget Update

Legislative leaders continue to hold informal talks over the budget deficit situation, but no decisions have been reached yet and there is no news to report at this time. Rest assured we are in contact with lawmakers to make sure they are aware of our concerns.

Special Session on the Great Lakes Compact

A deal has been reached for legislative approval of the Great Lakes Compact, which sets forth rules restricting water diversions from the Great Lakes. Assembly Republicans had been opposed to the deal and had refused to vote on legislation to ratify Wisconsin’s participation in the Compact. The Great Lakes Compact had been negotiated by governors from eight Great Lakes states and had been approved by state Legislatures of seven states.

The deal will not affect the language of the Compact, but it involves compromises on the legislation that was drafted to endorse the Compact.

The Assembly is tentatively planning to be in Special Session on April 17 but the state Senate is expected to meet at a later date.

AFSCME does not have concerns with the Great Lakes Compact but we are closely watching this issue because the political dynamics could affect the outcome of the budget repair talks and legislative approval of the state employee contracts.

Military Service Credit Under the WRS

We are often asked about the status of legislation to grant veterans credit under the Wisconsin Retirement System for their military service. Year after year, these bills die, in part due to a lack of information about the cost to the WRS of creating this benefit. This year, AB 43 and its senate companion, SB 19, appear to have met the same fate as previous bills.

This year, however, backers of this legislation successfully persuaded the Joint Finance Committee to include in the budget an amendment that provides $15,000 to hire an actuary to do a study of the cost of AB 43/SB 19 to the WRS. Having this information is a big step forward. It means that next session (which begins in January of 2009), when AB 43 and SB 19 are reintroduced, lawmakers will be in a better position to decide whether or not to approve legislation to give veterans the credit they deserve for serving in our armed forces. There is no guarantee that that these bills will pass next year but having the actuary study will be helpful.

For more information call AFSCME at 608-836-6666

April 3, 2008

State Budget Update

Leadership from the Assembly and Senate continue to meet informally over the budget adjustment bill.  The two houses took very different paths to resolve the $400 million plus shortfall, with the Assembly making $250 million in unspecified cuts and the Senate finding new sources of revenue, including the hospital assessment and the closing of corporate loopholes, to fill the deficit.  This round of budget negotiations is taking place primarily behind closed doors, with only a few select legislators involved in talks.  AFSCME continues to lobby legislative leaders to protect services and find new revenue sources.

Emergency Rules Impact AFSCME Child Care Providers

On March 30th the Department of Workforce Development issued emergency rule changes that balanced the $18.6 million shortfall in the Wisconsin Shares child care subsidy program on the backs of child care providers.  These changes were identical to changes DWD implemented to deal with the shortfall during last summer’s state budget talks.  At that time the Legislature chose to fund the shortfall rather than impose these harmful rules on providers.

All administrative rule changes are subject to review by the Legislature's Joint Committee on Review of Administrative Rules (JCRAR).  At a meeting prior to implementation of the DWD rules, the co-chairs of the committee publicly discussed their concerns with DWD reintroducing these changes, and stated they intended to hold a public hearing on the rule in the near future.  Since that time JCRAR Co-Chair Representative Dan LeMahieu (R-Cascade) has refused to hold a public hearing on the emergency rule, despite repeated attempts by Co-Chair Senator Bob Jauch (D-Poplar) to get a meeting scheduled.  AFSCME child care providers have been contacting Rep. LeMahieu's office urging him to hold a hearing so the Legislature can gain a full understanding of the punitive nature of these rule changes on the people providing care for some of Wisconsin's more vulnerable children.

On a positive note, the Democratic-controlled Senate included an additional $18.6 million in the budget to cover the Wisconsin Shares shortfall.  AFSCME is lobbying members of the legislature to preserve this funding in the final version of the budget.

Legislative Hearing on Teen Offenders
The Joint Legislative Audit Committee will meet Thursday, April 10 at 10:00 a.m. in Room 411 South of the State Capitol to hear testimony on a comprehensive audit of how best to address teen offenders in the correctional system. AFSCME supports legislation to return 17-year-olds to the juvenile system (SB 401 and AB 746).

 Treating Adults with Mental Illnesses in the Wisconsin Corrections System – Hearing April 10th
A legislative committee will take testimony next week on the need to do an in-depth examination of the incidence of mental illness in the adult correctional system. The Joint Legislative Audit Committee will hold a hearing on this topic next Thursday, April 10 at 10:00 a.m. in Room 411 South the State Capitol.  

For more information call AFSCME at 608-836-6666

March 27, 2008

Where things are on the budget “repair” bill
The Senate and Assembly budget plans represent the vastly different policy priorities of the houses

On March 11, Governor Doyle offered a plan to repair the deficit while carefully protecting key services such as schools, Shared Revenue, the state employee compensation reserves and health care. His plan relies upon a combination of borrowing, fund transfers, and a proposed assessment on hospital profits, which has been embraced by the Wisconsin Hospital Association and the state’s largest business associations.

Assembly Republicans passed a substitute bill that drops the hospital tax, eliminates fund transfers and orders state agency officials to make $250 million in unspecified cuts that would endanger public services in Wisconsin.

Senate Democrats cast aside the Assembly GOP plan, built upon what the Governor had recommended, but added a new, critical element: they closed several corporate tax loopholes. Their plan will generate about $130 million in much-needed revenue to balance the budget and, more importantly, create an ongoing source of revenue.

The Governor and the Senate Democrats are doing the right thing by considering new revenue sources to fund public services. Their plans are not just one-time fixes, but they offer a more lasting solution -and the money to help dig Wisconsin out of this deficit and protect against future shortfalls. AFSCME strongly supports the Governor’s budget fix as well as the plan offered by Senate Democrats.

The different budget scenarios are the true expression of the priorities of the different houses and the parties that control them. If you want to know more about the Senate or Assembly budget plans, go to website of The Wheeler Report (www.thewheelerreport.com <http://www.thewheelerreport.com>) or the Legislative Fiscal Bureau (www.legis.state.wi.us/lfb <http://www.legis.state.wi.us/lfb>)

What’s next?

At this writing, the Assembly and Senate have not resolved the differences between the dueling budget repair plans. It’s impossible to predict how things will play out, and we hope it’s not going to be like the protracted budget battle of the summer and fall of 2007. It is likely that Senate and Assembly leaders and representatives of the Doyle Administration will choose to hammer out a budget repair compromise informally rather than through the official “conference committee” process.

However and whenever a compromise is reached, legislators will have to return to the Capitol to approve the final bill product. Lawmakers are also likely to return to the Capitol sometime to deal with other business such as the approving the state employee contracts and there has been speculation about addressing the legislation to approve Great Lakes Water Compact as well.

Keeping Teen Offenders in the Juvenile Criminal Justice System

Legislation to return 17-year-olds to the juvenile (instead of the adult) correctional system died when the legislative session ended on March 13, but interest in the fate of teen offenders continues. A study released by the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau on February 1 shed light on this issue and revealed that teens in the adult system do not fare well. A legislative committee has scheduled a public hearing on the audit of teen offenders. That hearing will be Thursday, April 10th at 10:00 a.m. in the state Capitol.

Treating Adults with Mental Illnesses in the Wisconsin Corrections System - Hearing April 10th

AFSCME supports a request by Rep. Joe Parisi (D-Madison) to have the Legislative Audit Bureau examine the incidence of adult inmates with mental illness in the correctional system. The Joint Legislative Audit Committee will hold a hearing on the Parisi request on Thursday, April 10 at 10:00 a.m. in the State Capitol.
AFSCME will ask the committee to expand the scope of the audit to include a review of inmates with developmental disabilities as well as those who are dually-diagnosed (that is, with mental illness and DD). We also will ask the committee to focus on female offenders at Taycheedah Correctional Institution and to determine whether the state is providing adequate resources to treat female inmates.

For more information call AFSCME at 608-836-6666

March 13, 2008

Plugging the Hole in the State Budget: Assembly Budget Targets State Workers - Again

The State Assembly took up the Governor’s budget adjustment bill late Wednesday night, just two days after the bill was released. Without any public hearing or substantive discussion, the Republican controlled chamber made a drastic departure from the solution offered by the Governor. The most troubling change was language in the amendment that essentially directs the Department of Administration Secretary to transfer or lapse $250 million in appropriations from the general fund to make up for the budget shortfall. No direction is provided where the Secretary is to find $250 million, just the charge to do so. In short, the Republicans in the Assembly simply punted their responsibility to DOA.

The Assembly budget is irresponsible and jeopardizes public services by failing to provide the administration with any tools to deal with the problem. If this version of the budget were to be enacted, DOA would be forced to carve up agency budgets, placing public services and employees squarely on the chopping block. The Governor’s original bill was essentially tossed aside by Assembly Republicans, a bill that protects public services and fills the budget shortfall with new revenues and state bonding.

One of the key pieces of the Governor’s bill is the State Hospital Assessment. Federal law allows states to place an assessment on the gross revenues of hospitals in their state. That money can then be used to capture matching federal Medicaid dollars to provide a Medicaid rate increase for hospitals throughout Wisconsin. By implementing the assessment, the state would free up $125 million in state general purpose revenue currently being used to support the Medicaid program to help manage the budget deficit.

Unfortunately, this common sense solution, that would allow the state to recover some more of the money that Wisconsin taxpayers are already sending to Washington DC, was ignored by the Republican controlled Assembly. It appears many members of the Assembly would rather revisit the draconian cuts they made to public services during the protracted state budget debate, rather than bring dollars the federal government is obligated to provide back to Wisconsin.

Another critical piece of the Governor's budget uses borrowing and transfers to fill the budget hole. Under the Governor's budget, $293 million is transferred from the transportation fund to the general fund. This transfer, along with a projected $40 million shortfall in the transportation fund, leaves a deficit of $333 million in the transportation fund. The Governor's bill replaces that money through three different mechanisms. First the state would issue a general obligation bond of $190 million and place the bond money into the transportation fund. This bond would be paid back with money from the general fund, not transportation dollars, to the tune of $20.5 million a year for the next 10 years. Another bond, of $67 million, that was originally planned to be issued in the next biennial budget, would be moved up and issued this year. This bond would be repaid by the transportation fund, through dollars generated by registration fees, at a rate of $5 million a year for the next 20 years. Finally, on a positive note, the state will be receiving $76 million more in federal dollars than was originally budgeted for last fall. These three sources of revenue completely replace the transfers out of the transportation fund, maintaining the levels of funding contained in the original budget bill.

All AFSCME members should contact their legislators and tell them to adopt the Governor’s budget adjustment bill, support the hospital assessment, protect vital public services throughout the state and reject the Assembly’s slash and burn approach to budgeting. The Governor’s budget protects state aid to local governments through the Shared Revenue program, aid to public schools, aid to county nursing homes, the state employee Compensation Reserves, critical funding to state agencies (including the increases made to the Department of Corrections budget last summer) and vital assistance to fix and maintain roads battered by this winter’s storms. Anything less than full funding of these priorities jeopardizes the health, safety and welfare of the people of Wisconsin.

Legislators Fail to Deliver on John Doe Reform

The legislative session has ended, and lawmakers failed to come up with a comprehensive bill to reform Wisconsin’s outmoded John Doe law. Legislators could not, or would not, come to the table to negotiate an agreement on the two different and competing versions of the John Doe reform bills.

The two competing bills, AB 695 and SB 537, were approved by the Assembly and the Senate (respectively), but that is not enough to make a law. A bill must be approved in identical form by both houses, and sent to the Governor, before it becomes law. Assembly and Senate leaders failed to allow this essential negotiating process to happen.

The current John Doe process allows anyone to go to a judge and complain that a crime has been committed. Some judges argue that the current John Doe law compels them to conduct investigations of the complaint and even issue charges based solely on the word of the complainant. Inmates have been exploiting this loophole in the interpretation of the law to harass corrections officers.

It is unfortunate that our elected leaders failed to deliver the protections that state workers so vitally need to do their jobs without the threat of being subject to criminal investigations and charges. AFSCME will not give up the fight to right this wrong.

For more information call AFSCME at 608-836-6666

March 6, 2008
Special Edition on “John Doe” - a Call to Action

An Urgent Message for Union Members:

Senate Dems, Assembly Republicans at odds over path to reform "John Doe" law - Is there room, time for compromise before March 13?

Under Wisconsin’s “John Doe” law, anyone who believes a crime has been committed may go to a judge to ask for an investigation of the complaint. Inmates have discovered that they can use this law to harass correctional officers.

In response to a growing crisis in corrections over John Doe cases being filed against officers, two weeks ago, the state Assembly voted 84-13 on a bill that aims to resolve the problem. AB 695 takes judges out of the process for complaints filed by inmates. It requires district attorneys -rather than judges- decide whether or not to carry out investigations of inmate complaints.

The Senate has refused to take up the bill. Key senators argue that they cannot pass a bill that creates different John Doe rules for inmates compared with other citizens. While we don’t agree with this point of view, this is what we’re facing. Instead, Senators have offered their own proposal (SB 537) to revise the John Doe statute.

SB 537 keeps the decision-making power about John Doe requests in the hands of judges, but spells out new rules for judges to follow if the judge decides to proceed with an investigation of a person’s complaint. Some judges claim that the current John Doe law bars them from weighing all the evidence and witnesses relating to a request for a John Doe investigation. There is major disagreement among judges over this point and, therefore, there is disagreement over whether SB 537 is the proper solution to the problem.

The fact remains that we have a union brother who was charged by one particular judge who believes that current law barred him from considering all the evidence and hearing from witnesses. That same judge believes he was compelled to file the charges based solely on the word of an inmate, in spite of the fact that this inmate has a long history of unfounded, baseless complaints against correctional staff. (The case against this officer was thoroughly investigated by the Department of Corrections, local law enforcement, and the Dodge County District Attorney - all of which completely cleared the officer).

The Senate’s bill, SB 537, is intended to explicitly state that judges not only may consider all the evidence and hear from witnesses, but that judges shall consider these things. There are some problems with the way the bill was drafted (which AFSCME has been trying to fix). The intention of SB 537 is to beef up the responsibilities of judges and put more control on judges who are asked to convene John Doe proceedings.

On March 4, the Senate voted along party lines on SB 537, with 18 senators for and 15 against. Every Senator voted in favor of an amendment to the bill (requested by AFSCME) that would require the state to pay the legal fees of public employees who, through the course of doing their jobs, might get charged under this law. This amendment is a major victory for us.

However we won’t get payment of legal fees paid unless we can get a bill passed by both houses. Right now, we’re dealing with an Assembly that is digging in its heels in favor of AB 695 and a Senate that appears unwilling to budge from Senate Bill 537. So, while leaders of both parties may try to claim that they "delivered" for us, we must not be satisfied with current law, which is what they’re giving us now. We need lawmakers to draft a bill that can pass both Houses of the Legislature by March 13. It can be done if the legislators have the will.

As union members, we know that, in negotiations, nobody gets everything they want, that each side must give up a little, for the common good. Likewise, legislators need to come to the table to fashion a compromise between AB 695 and SB 537. Our union has supported AB 695, and we have supported an earlier version of what is now SB 537.

The failure of Republicans and Democrats to deliver bipartisan compromise on John Doe reform up to this point could result in more John Doe complaints filed against correctional staff. Legislators need to realize that their inaction could wreak more havoc in our correctional institutions and in the lives of every correctional employee.

AFSCME members need to put pressure on ALL legislators NOW to deliver a bill that fixes the John Doe statute. It's not enough for Assembly Republicans to say they've done their job by passing AB 695, and it's not good enough for Senate Democrats to say they've delivered by passing SB 537. We must hold them accountable, and we have very little time to act. Please call or email your state Senator and your state Assembly Representative today to urge them to FORGE A COMPROMISE ON JOHN DOE before March 13. It can be done.

If you don’t know who your legislator is, you can use the Action Center on the SEPAC web site (www.wseu-sepac.org <http://www.wseu-sepac.org>) or the Legislature’s web site (www.legis.state.wi.us <http://www.legis.state.wi.us>). Or call the toll-free Legislative Hotline between 9:00- 4:30 p.m. Please call the Hotline at 1-800-362-9472 and tell the operator that you want to deliver a message to your legislator.

If you have questions call AFSCME Council 24 at 608-836-0024 or the AFSCME lobbyists at 608-836-6666.

For more information call AFSCME at 608-836-6666

February 28, 2008

AFSCME’s Lobby Day is Wednesday, March 5
Join your AFSCME brothers and sisters at the state Capitol as we urge lawmakers to support community services and quality, affordable health care.  Please contact your Take Back Wisconsin Staff or the AFSCME Wisconsin office at 608-836-6666 to let us know if you will be attending Lobby Day so we can coordinate visits with legislative offices.  To sign up for Lobby Day or to inquire about transportation, call us at 608-836-6666!
Reforming the state’s outmoded John Doe law
A bill that would change Wisconsin’s John Doe law was approved by the state Assembly on a strong bipartisan vote of 84-13 Tuesday night.  The bill, Assembly Bill 695, offered by Rep. Jeff Fitzgerald (R-Horicon), is now before the state Senate. AB 695 would require inmates and other confined persons to bring their complaints to district attorneys (rather than judges).  The district attorney would have the final word on whether or not an investigation of the complaint is warranted. 
Another John Doe reform bill, Senate Bill 537, has been authored by Sen. Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee).  It enhances the authority of judges to conduct more thorough investigations than are allowed under the current John Doe law, before deciding whether charges can be filed. It provides that, if a judge decides to proceed with an investigation of a complaint, the judge shall consider the credibility of witnesses (for and against the accused).  The bill spells out the authority of judges to review law enforcement records, the records and case files of the district attorney and any other written records.  SB 537 has been recommended by the Senate Judiciary Committee and is likely to be taken up by the full state Senate the week of March 4th.
Focusing in on Juvenile Offenders in the Adult Criminal Justice System 
A bill to raise the age of jurisdiction of youth offenders from 17 to 18 is now before the state Legislature.  Assembly Bill 746 and its Senate companion, Senate Bill 401, aim to keep teenagers in the juvenile justice system.  Studies have shown that youth offenders in the adult system have higher recidivism rates and receive few vital services (such as education).  AFSCME supports these bills. We are urging lawmakers to provide the funding needed to make this bill work. AB 746/SB 401 proposes to pay the bill in part with revenue from a $1 surcharge on video games.
One of the studies that revealed the higher recidivism rates for youths in the adult corrections system was released by the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau on February 1. The Legislature’s “Joint Legislative Audit Committee” will hold a hearing on the audit on Wednesday, March 19 at 10:00 a.m. in the State Capitol.  
Treating Adults with Mental Illnesses in the Wisconsin Corrections System – Hearing March 19
AFSCME supports a request by Rep. Joe Parisi (D-Madison) to have the Legislative Audit Bureau to examine the incidence of adult inmates with mental illness in the correctional system. The Joint Legislative Audit Committee will hold a hearing on the Parisi request on Wednesday, March 19 at 10:00 a.m. in the State Capitol.  
AFSCME will ask the committee to expand the scope of the audit to include a review of inmates with developmental disabilities as well as those who are dually-diagnosed (that is, with mental illness and DD). We also will ask the committee to focus on female offenders at Taycheedah Correctional Institution and to determine whether the state is providing adequate resources to treat female inmates. 
Hospital Tax
Senate Democrats this week held a hearing on a proposal to tax hospitals’ gross receipts, which would bring into the state treasury about $400 million over a two-year period.  The money would be used to offset part of the state’s Medicaid costs and would attract an additional $400 million in federal dollars. 
The hospital tax would help close the alarming $650 million state budget deficit, which was announced recently by budget analysts who say the deficit is due to lower-than-anticipated revenue. 
The hospital tax was brought up during last fall’s budget deliberations.  Initially, the Wisconsin Hospital Association opposed the tax but the tax proposal has been modified but now the WHA supports it. 
A note on the Legislative calendar
Both the Assembly and Senate will be in session the week of March 4th-8th; and it is likely that both houses will be in at least one day during the week of March 10th -14th, the last week of regular session for the Legislature. With lots of big issues outstanding, there is a tremendous amount of work to be done.  AFSCME will be paying close attention to how this timeline will affect us, especially with the need for legislative approval of state employee contracts and the possibility that lawmakers will need to come back to Madison to deal with a budget repair bill.  

For more information call AFSCME at 608-836-6666

February 21, 2008

John Doe Legislation on Assembly Calendar

Assembly Bill 695, which would prevent inmates from directly filing criminal complaints against employees in secure institution with a judge, under the state’s John Doe statutes, is scheduled to receive a vote on Tuesday, February 26th.

Retirees Dues Check-off Bill Receives Hearing – Scheduled for a Vote

Senate Bill 282, which would allow participants in the Wisconsin Retirement System to have union dues automatically deducted from their pensions, received a hearing in the Senate Committee on Labor this week.  AFSCME Wisconsin Retirees Chapter 7 officers Darold Lowe and Joe Kreuser testified before the committee, offering a detailed explanation of how the system works in 39 other retirement systems and the benefits of allowing dues check-off under WRS to Wisconsin.  SB 282 will be voted on by the committee next week, on Wednesday, February 27.  AFSCME is optimistic that a vote before the full Senate will be held before the legislative session adjourns in March.

LOBBY DAY!!!!!!

Lobby Day is fast approaching, Wednesday, March 5th to be exact, and spots are filling up fast.  If you haven’t done so already sign-up to attend with your area Take Back staff, through the SEPAC website (www.wseu-sepac.org) or by contacting the Council 11 office directly (608-836-6666).

With various pieces of legislation still pending before the legislature, and a budget adjustment bill still looming in the background, AFSCME’s Lobby Day couldn’t be better timed. So sign-up now to be sure that we can schedule a visit with your legislator, and join the AFSCME green machine on March 5th.

February 14, 2008

Budget Hole Pigeon Holed
This week state budget officials reported that tax collections are lower than expected, leaving Wisconsin short some $652 million before the two-year budget cycle ends on June 30, 2009.  When lawmakers created the 2007-09 state budget last fall, they allocated funds based on the best information available. Since then, revenues have declined, leaving a hole in the budget that has to be filled somehow. Governor Doyle has directed agency officials to take administrative steps which will reduce the budget deficit to $416 million.  However, legislative action will be required to close the remaining gap.  We’ll keep you posted on news related to this new deficit. We have already been in contact with Administration officials to urge them to protect the budget areas affecting AFSCME members.

Retirees Dues Check-Off Legislation to Get Hearing

Senate Bill 282, which would allow participants in the Wisconsin Retirement System to have union dues automatically deducted from their pensions, is likely to be scheduled to receive a public hearing in the Senate Committee on Labor next week Thursday.  Details of the hearing have not been finalized, nor made public. AFSCME will notify members as soon as details are available.  This legislation has been an AFSCME priority for some time, so please plan on coming to Madison on Thursday to testify at the hearing if you are available.

Bills Increasing Penalties for Battery Against Public Employees Move Forward

Assembly Bill 525 and Senate Bill 278, two bills originally drafted to increase penalties for people assaulting Milwaukee public employees, are moving through the legislature.

AB 525 was passed by the Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice, on an 8-3 vote.  AB 525 was amended by the committee to expand the bill beyond Milwaukee, and apply to assaults against local employees of every city, village, town and county in Wisconsin.  AB 525 was also amended to only apply to situations where the victim is enforcing or conducting an inspection for zoning ordinance, building code, or other construction law.  SB 278 is set to receive a hearing in the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Corrections and Housing on Thursday, Feb 14th.  It appears that there is a chance that both houses could take action on these bills before the end of session.

Privatization Bill Receives Hearing

Assembly Bill 650 was offered by Brown County-area legislators in response to a Court of Appeals ruling upholding AFSCME’s position that a sheriff’s decision to privatize jail food services was a violation of the Municipal Employment Relations Act (MERA). The bill would make the decision about privatizing food service a prohibited subject of bargaining.  AB 650 is before the Assembly Committee on Urban and Local Affairs, which may vote on the issue before the legislative session ends, but if this bill is sent to the Senate, it is sure to die.  AFSCME opposes AB 650.

Family Care Legislation Introduced

Assembly Bill 764 relates to protecting workers whose jobs may be shifted to new Family Care or Long Term Care districts.  It will ensure that county human service workers, public health nurses and others who become employed by new Long Term Care districts remain covered under the Wisconsin Retirement System.  We support AB 764.

AB 746/SB 401: Returning 17-year-olds to the juvenile justice system

This bill would allow teenage offenders to be treated in the juvenile correctional system.  It would be funded (in part) by a $1 surcharge on video games.  AFSCME is working with other organizations such as the Wisconsin Counties Association and the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families to advance this bill.

Health Care Debates Continue

Assembly Bill 47, legislation that would create a tax deduction for Health Savings Accounts, received a public hearing this week in the Assembly Committee on Health and Health Care Reform.  It appears that this is the only significant policy issue that the Assembly Republicans are looking at for health care reform in what is left in the spring session.

Meanwhile, Senate Democrats continue to discuss reintroducing Healthy Wisconsin in the coming weeks.  If Healthy Wisconsin is offered as a stand alone piece of legislation, AFSCME hopes that public hearings will be held to talk about the need for comprehensive health care reform in Wisconsin.

Campaign Finance Reform Receives Senate Hearing

The Senate Committee on Campaign Finance Reform held a public hearing on several campaign finance reforms bills this week.  Among them was Special Session Senate Bill 1.  SB 1 was the version of campaign finance reform introduced by Governor Doyle when he called the legislature into special session in December.  No executive action was taken on any of the bills, and at this time it does not appear that comprehensive campaign finance reform is on the fast track this legislative session.

Teaching Labor History in Schools Moving Through Senate

Senate Bill 108, authored by Senator Dave Hansen, requires schools to teach labor history.  SB 108 is slated for a vote in the full state Senate next week. AFSCME strongly supports SB 108.

Improving the Justice System

The Governor’s Commission on Reducing Racial Disparities in the Justice System last week issued a report showing that Wisconsin leads the nation in racial disparities in the justice system.  The Commission announced strategies for improving the justice system. The report can be found at www.EqualJustice.wi.gov.  AFSCME member Senator Spencer Coggs (D-Milwaukee) served as co-chair of the Commission.

February 7, 2008

AFSCME Lobby Day is Wednesday, March 5

Join your AFSCME lobbyists in the state Capitol March 5 to talk to state decision makers (your legislators) about why they should support the public sector and public employees. This week’s snowstorm was a stark reminder that we are utterly dependent on city and county road crews to clear the streets and highways so we can get to work, school, the grocery store, etc. This is but one example of the vital services that AFSCME members provide. 

At times like this it may seem obvious that local governments must fund road maintenance efforts, remember that it was just two years ago that state legislators voted to repeal the automatic gas tax increase, which was critical to paying for state and local highway maintenance costs.  Come to Madison March 5 – tell your state legislators that Wisconsin must provide adequate funding for vital public services such as transportation, the courts, public schools, nursing homes, corrections, the University System, and more.

Join your fellow AFSCME sisters and brothers to remind our legislators that We Make Wisconsin Happen.  Sign up through your Council, on the SEPAC website (www.wseu-sepac.org), with your Take Back Wisconsin staff or through the Council 11 office directly.  Join the sea of Green and make you voice heard!

Budget Repair Bill Anticipated

Just when we thought we were done with the budget, state officials announced recently that a shortfall in state revenue of anywhere from $300 to $400 million may be possible due to a slower than anticipated economy.  If at anytime during a biennial budget, projected state revenues drop by 0.5% or more of the projected revenues, the Governor is required to introduce a budget repair bill to fix the discrepancy.  The administration is waiting for January revenue projections to come through before deciding if legislative action is necessary. If the projected shortfall remains in the range of $300-$400 million, a budget repair bill will be introduced soon.  AFSCME is already working with administration officials to shield vital services from any cuts that might be necessary.

John Doe Reform Bill Ok’d by Committee; Advances to Full Assembly

A bill that would limit the ability of inmates and other confined individuals from harassing workers through the misuse of the John Doe law was approved by the Assembly Judiciary Committee 9-1 last Thursday.  The vote took place after several AFSCME local union presidents testified in favor of the bill (Assembly Bill 695), and spoke of the risk to the safety, security and stability of the institutions if corrective legislation is not enacted soon. Representatives from the state’s Department of Health and Family Services and Department of Corrections spoke in favor of the bill.  Committee members adopted one amendment to clarify that the bill also would cover offenders at the Sand Ridge Secure Treatment Center. 

AB 695 now goes to the full Assembly, which is slated to vote soon. Also, an identical bill has been introduced in the state Senate and is Senate Bill 432. 

*For more information call AFSCME at 608-836-6666

January 24, 2008

Hearing on John Doe Legislation Next Week

Assembly Bill 695, legislation that would prohibit inmates from filing frivolous lawsuits against persons working in secure institutions, is scheduled to receive a public hearing on January 31st.  The hearing, of the Assembly Judiciary and Ethics Committee, will begin at 10:00 am, in room 225 Northwest of the State Capitol.  AFSCME encourages members to attend and testify about the damaging effects these lawsuits have had on their fellow AFSCME members.

Bills Allowing Milwaukee County to Refinanced Pensions Move Forward

Assembly Bill 666 and Senate Bill 366 were both passed out of committees Wednesday on strong bipartisan votes.  The companion bills would allow Milwaukee County to issue bonds to refinance the outstanding pension obligation facing the county.  Both bills are now available for action by the full Senate and Assembly, and would provide a valuable tool that could possibly save the county up to $90 million over 30 years if adopted.

Contracting Out Bill Passes Committee

A bill that would allow municipalities to contract with private parties to enforce state required weights and measures provisions passed out of the Assembly Urban and Local Affairs Committee on Wednesday.  The 5 to 4 party line vote, with Republican members in favor and Democrats opposed, means the bill is ready for action by the full Assembly.  Currently municipalities that do not have municipal departments of weights and measures may only contract with the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, meaning the enforcement will be done with state employees.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS- AFSCME LOBBY DAY is Wednesday, March 5

Lobby Day is a great opportunity to talk to your state-elected officials about public services and the contributions that public workers make every day to provide the essential services that are the backbone of this state. Whether you work in a school system, county courthouse, the University of Wisconsin, a highway department, a nursing home or hospital, you have a story to tell that lawmakers need to hear.  Protect your job. Come to lobby day.

January 17, 2008

MARK YOUR CALENDARS- AFSCME LOBBY DAY is Wednesday, March 5

Lobby Day is a great opportunity to talk to your state-elected officials about public services and the contributions that public workers make every day to provide the essential services that are the backbone of this state. Whether you work in a school system, county courthouse, the University of Wisconsin, a highway department, a nursing home or hospital, you have a story to tell that lawmakers need to hear.  Protect your job. Come to lobby day.

Update on AFSCME’s efforts to reform Wisconsin’s John Doe law

A bill to prevent inmates and others from abusing the John Doe law is moving quickly in the state Assembly.  AB 695, offered by Rep. Jeff Fitzgerald (R-Horicon) and Sen. Dan Kapanke (R-La Crosse) will get a public hearing by the end of the month, according to Assembly leaders.  AFSCME supports reforming the John Doe process to prevent the intimidation and harassment of state workers who are merely carrying out the normal duties of their jobs. Those who work in state or county correctional facilities, state mental health institutions, and those who work in probation and parole would be protected from frivolous, harassing complaints under this bill. 

The bill must also be approved by the full state Senate and be signed by the Governor before it becomes law.   Please contact your state Assembly Representative and your state Senator and tell them that lawmakers have an obligation to protect public employees from on-the-job harassment. This is a worker’s right issue.  Time is running out, and legislators need to hear from us NOW. 

Mental Health Parity Bill Gaining Steam

For years, people in need of mental health services or alcohol and drug abuse treatment have run up against high costs of treatment and limits on insurance coverage. A bi-partisan bill to require improved coverage of treatment of addiction and mental health disorders has broad support in the state Legislature.  On January 17 a public hearing on Senate Bill 375, the so-called Mental Health Parity bill, brought out hundreds of supporters.  AFSCME supports SB 375. 
                  
Tax Fairness and Tax Breaks… For Whom?

This week Assembly Republicans outlined a comprehensive economic development agenda which mainly involves tax breaks or tax credits and a 1% income tax cut. A spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker said Wisconsin cannot afford more tax cuts. Meanwhile, the Senate’s Tax Fairness and Working Families Committee is looking at corporate tax avoiders and omissions in Wisconsin’s tax system.  They’re reviewing the 2004 Wisconsin “Tax Incidence Study” and a handy document called the “Summary of Tax Exemption Devices” to examine who is paying taxes and shouldering the cost of services.  Check it out on-line at http://www.revenue.wi.gov/ra/07sumrpt.pdf.

Milwaukee County Pension Obligation Bonding Bill Set for Hearing

The Senate Labor, Elections and Urban Affairs Committee held a hearing on Wednesday, January 16th on SB 366, which would allow Milwaukee County to refinance the county’s unfunded pension obligation by issuing bonds on a one-time basis.  This comes on the heels of the Assembly Urban and Local Affairs Committee holding a hearing on the companion legislation, AB 666, last week.  AFSCME Council 48 Director Rich Abelson sat on a Governor’s task force that forwarded this recommendation as one tool to allow Milwaukee County to meet the unfunded portion of its outstanding pension obligations.

Prison Riot Penalty Bill Advances 

Legislation that would impose harsh penalties on inmates who participate in or cause riots in correctional institutions was approved 10-0 by the Assembly Corrections and Courts Committee.  The bill, AB 92, is now before the full Assembly.  We thank those legislators for supporting AB 92!  Now it’s time to pressure legislative leaders to schedule AB 92 for a vote in the Assembly. 

Minimum Wage Hike Eyed by Senate Democrats

This week Senate Democrats approved an increase in the minimum wage from $6.50 to $7.25, along with a provision to index the wage for inflation.  Senate Bill 130 now goes before the state Assembly, where it faces steep opposition. 

Governor Doyle’s Annual “State of the State” address is January 22

Next week Gov. Doyle will outline his priorities for 2008 in his annual speech to the Legislature.  The speech will be broadcast live in public television and on-line on Wisconsin Eye (www.wiseye.org).

The Governor will talk about the next phase of his “Grow Wisconsin” plan, an initiative he started when first elected to invest in our economy, train workers and stimulate development. 

Update on legislation giving Military Service Credit under the WRS

For some time lawmakers have been pushing for a bill that would give those with military service credit in the Wisconsin Retirement System.  The bills never made progress because of a lack of funding and staff to do the necessary actuarial study that is statutorily required before any bill that has an impact on the WRS can advance.  This year, however, several legislators decided to set aside $15,000 to hire an actuarial firm to do the study.  The study has not yet been commissioned (things take time in the Legislature, unfortunately) but we remain confident that the study will be done and some action will take place, although it is likely to be sometime next year. 

For more information contact the AFSCME legislative representatives at 608-836-6666.

December 20, 2007

Bi-Partisan Efforts Underway to Fix the Abuse of the John Doe statute

AFSCME is working with lawmakers to bring an end to inmates abusing the loophole in the John Doe statute to harass correctional staff. We’ve met with Representative Jeff Fitzgerald, Senators Kathleen Vinehout and Scott Fitzgerald and representatives of Attorney General JB Van Hollen to craft a bill to solve the problem. We expect action on the legislation early in 2008.

Video Franchising Bill on Governor’s Desk

Assembly Bill 207, legislation that would make the state, not local governments, responsible for regulating cable TV operators and entering video franchise agreements, is sitting on Governor Doyle’s desk. AFSCME successfully lobbied to change AB 207 so that municipalities could continue to get money for public access channels and for costs incurred by municipalities relating to maintaining rights of way.

While the amended version of AB 207 was better than the original form of the bill, it is far from perfect, especially as far as consumer protections are concerned. This week the Governor said he might use his line-item veto to improve the bill, but he did not indicate what those changes would be.

Time Running Short on Legislature

December marked a flurry of legislative activity. Legislators in the Assembly and the Senate were busy with committee hearings and executive sessions on bills that have been held up because the budget took so long. With merely six weeks left of regular floor activity, there will be little time to get legislation passed by both houses, so the race is on. The full Legislature will not meet again until January 15th and is scheduled to adjourn on March 13th.

Please check the weekly legislative bulletin to respond to any calls for grassroots action on bills important to AFSCME as we enter into the New Year.

For more information contact the AFSCME legislative representatives at 608-836-6666.

December 13, 2007

Airport Authorities Grounded

The Joint Legislative Council (JLC) met on Wednesday to receive a report from the Special Committee on Airport Authorities. The Special Committee met periodically from September, 2006 to July, 2007 to investigate whether or not the legislature should pass a bill to allow counties to create independent authorities to govern airports in Wisconsin. Council 48 Executive Director Rich Abelson was a member of the 13 person committee comprised of elected officials and public members.

The bill the committee ultimately drafted, which was opposed by Director Abelson, would allow for the creation of unelected, unaccountable Local Airport Districts by counties across the state. AFSCME, along with Milwaukee and Dane County among others, successfully lobbied JLC to oppose introduction of the bill on a 9 to 12 vote. Wednesday’s vote means the bill will not come forward with an endorsement from the 22 member JLC, making it very unlikely to pass the legislature this session.

Child Support Enforcement Dollars Released

With the Federal Deficit Reduction Act going into effect on October 1st, child support enforcement dollars for Wisconsin were reduced by $25 million. In anticipation of this action, the Governor and the Joint Committee on Finance set aside $8.25 million during the state budget to help counties offset the loss of federal dollars. On Wednesday, JFC released the funds on a 16-0 vote, providing additional aid to counties of $2.75 million for the remainder of the 2007-2008 fiscal year, and $5.5 million for the 2008-2009 fiscal year.

Frankenstein haunted by Vanna White’s Ghost

The question on whether the constitution should be changed to limit the Governor’s line item veto authority passed the State Senate on a 33 to 0 vote on Tuesday. If adopted, the Governor would no longer be able to use his line item veto to piece together new sentences in budget and other appropriation bills. Tuesday’s vote cleared the way for the Assembly to take action on the so called “Frankenstein Veto” to place the question on the April ballot. The last time a constitutional amendment on the line item veto was adopted was in 1990, where the ability of the Governor to delete individual letters to create new words, or the “Vanna White veto,” was repealed by voters in a state wide referendum.

December 6, 2007
For more information contact the AFSCME legislative representatives at 608-836-6666.

Protective Status Bill Advances

Legislation to extend protective status benefits to all state employees who work in secured institutions was approved 8-2 this week by the Assembly Committee on Corrections and Courts. The bill, AB 354, would grant protective status to social workers, health and dental care workers, food service employees, teachers, psychologists and maintenance staff who work alongside dangerous criminals, sex offenders and the seriously mentally ill. AB 354 would cover those who work in correctional institutions, state mental health institutes (Winnebago and Mendota), the Wisconsin Resource Center, and Sand Ridge Secure Treatment Facility. The dangers of working in such settings were highlighted when a dental worker was taken hostage for several hours at Waupun Correctional Institution. Fortunately, the worker was released with no physical injuries.

Committee members who voted for the bill include: Rep. Garey Bies (R-Sister Bay), Rep. Dean Kaufert (R-Neenah), Rep. Phil Montgomery (R-Green Bay), Rep. Steve Kestell (R-Elkhart Lake), Rep. Joe Parisi (D-Madison), Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Madison), Rep. Sondy Pope-Roberts (D-Verona), Rep. Sheldon Wasserman (D-Milwaukee). The “no” votes were from Rep. Carol Owens (R-Oshkosh) and Rep. Dan LeMahieu (R-Cascade). Rep. Donna Seidel (D-Wausau), another committee member, was obligated to leave before the vote took place, but it is clear she would have supported the bill.

AB 354 now moves on to be considered by the Legislature’s Joint Survey Committee on Retirement Systems, whose job is to evaluate any and all legislation that would affect the Wisconsin Retirement System. The Committee will not take action on AB 354 (or any other benefit enhancement legislation) without an actuarial study indicating the cost of the bill to the WRS. The problem, according to legislators, is that the committee has neither the staff nor the budget to perform the study.

Here’s how you can help: contact the Committee Co-Chairs, Representative Sue Jeskewitz (R-Menomonee Falls) and Senator Bob Wirch (D-Kenosha) and ask them to (a) find the money to arrange for the actuarial study and (b) to hold public hearing on AB 354 to give state employees a chance to make their case for protective occupation status.

You can also email, call or write to the other committee members to ask them to see that a study gets done so that a hearing can be held. The other committee members are: Senator Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee), Senator Luther Olsen (R-Ripon), Representative Tom Lothian (R-Williams Bay) and Representative Dave Travis (D-Madison).

Another Protective Status Effort Underway

Another group of AFSCME members - county correctional officers - also seeks protective status benefits. Currently, some counties offer protective occupation status, some do not. Unfortunately, this is benefit that can no longer be gained at the bargaining table. Protective status is now a prohibited subject of bargaining, thanks to an unfavorable decision in LaCrosse some years ago. AFSCME therefore supports legislation to require all counties to offer COs protective status. It’s a question of fairness and of recognizing the dangers that COs in county jails face every day. AFSCME Council 40 recently formed a County Correctional Officers Advisory Committee to advocate for protective status and to do the legwork that will be necessary to advance the cause.

Fixing John Doe: AFSCME Seeks to Curb Abuse of Baseless Complaints Against Correctional Staff by Inmates

Legislation to close a loophole in the John Doe complaint filing process is being considered by lawmakers. The problem is that the John Doe law, as interpreted by a court ruling, allows anybody to file a complaint against another person in court without any investigation of the merits of the complaint, and it requires the judge to convene a proceeding to determine if the complaint has merit. This loophole in the law has been exploited by inmates seeking to harass and intimidate correctional staff. One officer in Waupun is now facing criminal charges relating to John Due case. Due to the intense grassroots activism of AFSCME members, legislators are keenly aware of the problem and are working on solution. Senator Kathleen Vinehout (D-Alma), Senator Carol Roessler (R-Oshkosh) and Representative Jeff Fitzgerald (R-Horicon) are working to address this serious situation.

Teaching Labor History in Public Schools

A bill requiring schools to teach the history of working people was considered by the Senate Education Committee on Thursday. SB 108, authored by Senator Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay) and Rep. Josh Zepnick (D-Milwaukee) would give children a chance to learn how Wisconsin’s unemployment, worker’s compensation, retirement system and other laws came to be - from the sheer willpower and activism of union members. Call your legislator and urge him or her to support SB 108. Ask them if they know how a Capitol cleaning woman, Ingeborg Sidwell, convinced Governor Walter S. Goodland to support the creation of the Wisconsin Retirement System.

Support Grows for Keeping 17-year-olds in the Juvenile Correctional System

This week several news stories featured lengthy articles about the perils of sending youth offenders into the adult correctional system. On December 1st, a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story highlighted the problem, and concluded that putting kids into the adult correctional world puts them at high risk of future crime. AFSCME is working with a coalition of groups seeking to change state law to keep 17-year-olds in the juvenile system. Senator Jon Erpenbach (D-Middleton) and Rep. Don Friske (R-Merrill) will unveil a bill next week on this topic. Their proposal calls for a surcharge on video games, a $10 billion industry.

A Flurry of Activity in the Capitol

The Capitol was abuzz with legislative hearings this week on many different bills. Two separate committees heard hours of testimony on legislation to eliminate the practice of paying Milwaukee police officer salaries after discharge. Another committee took up a bill to change the definition of indigency for purposes of qualifying for a state public defender. A Senate committee held a hearing on legislation to change the laws relating to protective placements and guardianship services to the elderly and disabled. The Assembly Criminal Justice and Public Safety heard testimony on a bill to create a penalty for battery of City of Milwaukee employees, and lawmakers on the committee expressed impatience with bills that carve out special penalties for battery of certain groups of public employees.

The intense committee activity is due to the fact that most bills lingered while lawmakers were focused on the budget and now the pressure is on to get bills out of committee so they can be voted on by the Senate and Assembly. While it may not seem possible there are actually only a handful of legislative session days in 2008 before the campaign season begins.

Next Week: Governor’s Special Session on Campaign Finance Reform

On Tuesday, December 11th, lawmakers will return to Madison to act on legislation brought forth by Governor Jim Doyle to reform Wisconsin’s campaign finance laws. The Governor’s proposal will be based on Senate Bill 12, which is a blueprint for comprehensive campaign finance reform that has bipartisan support and Senate Bill 171, which provides for fully public-funded Wisconsin Supreme Court campaigns.

November 30, 2007

State Bargaining to Begin in Earnest

The legislature’s Joint Committee on Employment Relations (JOCER) met this week and took the necessary steps for the bargaining of state contracts to move forward. Despite passage of the budget with the compensation reserves in tact, the Office of State Employment Relations (OSER) still needed JOCER to act to move ahead in negotiations with state employees. The action taken by JOCER at this week’s meeting was a positive step in the bargaining process.

Collective Bargaining Attack Passes Assembly Labor Committee

Assembly Bill 110 passes the Assembly Labor and Industry Committee on a 5 to 3 vote on Wednesday. AB 110 would allow county and municipal employers to change health care coverage for employees outside of the collective bargaining process. All five Republicans on the committee who were in attendance voted for the bill, with the three Democrats voting against. The bill is now available to have a vote by the full Assembly.

State Contracting Out Under Review

Last week the Department of Administration issued their Contractual Services Purchasing Report for the fiscal year 2007. According to the report Wisconsin reduced state contracting costs from $498.8 million to $419.6 million, or by over $70 million, in the last year. This represents a 14% reduction in contracts under DOA oversight.

While this is definitely a positive development, this report tells only part of the story. The report does not take into account engineering projects entered into by the Department of Transportation, leaving a significant portion of the total contracting picture out of focus.

The report also provided a thumbnail sketch of the impacts of Wisconsin 2005 Act 89, which requires a cost benefit analysis of all state contracts over $25,000. Act 89 was adopted to create a system that made a more apples to apples comparison between the costs of contracting versus the costs of work being done in-house with state employees. The information provided in the report in regards to the implementation of Act 89 is insufficient to draw any significant conclusions.

However, AFSCME is compiling data from the individual cost benefit analysis that have been conducted since Act 89 was adopted, and the actual contracts the state is entering into. From this data we will be able to determine whether the state is properly entering into contracts based on the criteria outline in Act 89, or the extent to which excessive, unnecessary and costly contracting out is still occurring.

Committee Activity Heating Up

With the budget now well behind us, the legislature is getting to the large amount of bills that piled up during the stalemate. Several committees have already scheduled, or plan to schedule, public hearings and executive sessions over the next few weeks. The legislature has a one week session scheduled for the second week of December and will not meet again until the middle of January. Please watch for updates in this bulletin on important committee activity in the coming weeks.

November 15, 2007

John Doe Legislation Drafted
Inmates in the state’s correctional system have been filing complaints under the John Doe statute, alleging criminal conduct by correctional staff and other employees in correctional institutions.  Under the John Doe statute, the mere filing of a complaint requires an investigation, even if a district attorney has already reviewed the case and chosen not to pursue the complaint.  District attorneys around the state have cited numerous instances where individuals (not only inmates) have abused the John Doe statute by filing complaints in an attempt to harass or intimidate judges, former spouses, and other public officials.

AFSCME is supporting legislation to eliminate this abusive practice.  There are two versions of the legislation being discussed in the capitol.  Representatives Jeff Fitzgerald and Mark Gundrum have sent a co-sponsorship memo to legislators that would prevent inmates from using John Doe proceedings.  The other version, that AFSCME is working with the Attorney General’s office on, is a bill that contains broader language to limit the use of John Doe proceedings, that we hope will be introduced soon in the Senate.

AFSCME will be working with legislators, judges, district attorneys, the Attorney General’s office and the Governor’s office to find the best way to solve this problem, and end harassment of public employees through this process.

Video Franchise Bill Passes Senate
Legislation to change how cable companies are regulated in Wisconsin passed the legislature last week.  Assembly Bill 207 would place the regulation of cable companies under the Department of Financial Institutions.  Currently cable providers negotiate with municipalities to provide service to communities.  This allows municipal governments to negotiate fees and payments from cable companies to cover the costs of running public access channels and maintenance of right of ways among other things

AFSCME, along with the Wisconsin Alliance of Cities and League of Wisconsin Municipalities, among others, raised concerns over the lack of provisions in the original bill to protect municipalities and public access channels.  Several amendments were adopted in both the Assembly and the Senate including;

Allowing municipalities to receive a fee of up to 5% of receipts from video providers to replace revenues lost due to turning cable regulation over to the state.

Allowing municipalities to charge cable operators for costs associated with maintaining rights of way.

Requiring cable operators to pay an annual fee of $2,000 to support DFI’s costs associated with regulating the industry.

After being amended and passed by the Senate, the Assembly concurred with the changes the next day.  It now awaits the Governor’s signature.  While the bill is far from perfect, and has many critics on issues such as consumer protection, it is a much better piece of legislation than it was when it was originally introduced in the spring.

AFSCME LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
November 1, 2007

Governor’s Partial Budget Vetoes: property tax levy limit

By now AFSCME members know the Governor exercised his veto authority to scratch out the 2% limit on property tax increases, raising the allowable increase to 3.86%. This will take some of the pressure off of local governments as they put together their budgets. AFSCME had asked the Governor to veto the 2% cap.

What the Governor did not veto - contracting out pharmacy services at state DHFS institutions

Another issue of interest to AFSCME that was not vetoed was language in the budget requiring the state DHFS to issue a “request for proposals” and contract out the delivery of pharmaceutical services for residents at all DHFS institutions, including Sand Ridge Secure Treatment Facility, the Wisconsin Resource Center, Winnebago Mental Health Institute, Mendota Mental Health Institute, and all three state Centers for the Developmentally Disabled.

Two years ago, AFSCME fought - and successfully defeated - an attempt by some lawmakers to privatize pharmaceutical services to inmates in state correctional facilities. Wisconsin’s Central Pharmacy Services, located at Dodge Correctional Facility, which serves all of Wisconsin’s 22,000+ inmates, was the target of big pharmaceutical corporations angling for a contract. AFSCME’s own Cindy Zietlow, a pharmacy technician at Dodge, went on leave to join forces with AFSCME staff to fight the privatization attempt. Cindy unearthed vital information about privateers overcharging state and local governments for pharmacy services and documented the loss of accountability that happens when state or local governments contract out vital public services paid for with tax dollars. In addition, Zietlow showed the DOC and key lawmakers that state employees recommend a host of cost-savings measures such as pill splitting and recycling of medicine, which have saved the state thousands of dollars. Zietlow built such a strong case for keeping pharmacy services in-house that DOC rejected the bids.

Now the pharmaceutical corporations are back, and this time they’ve targeted institutions under the control of the DHFS. AFSCME will, again, fight this effort. We were disappointed that the Governor did not veto the RFP requirement, but we will work with the Governor’s office and DHFS to persuade them of the foolishness of handing over this important service to the private sector.

Legislators Getting Back to Business

Now that the seemingly interminable state budget is over, lawmakers are taking up other bills and AFSCME is pushing our own agenda. This week the Joint Committee on Finance took up the so-called cable deregulation / video franchising bill, which supposedly will bring more competition and, presumably, better prices for consumers. Consumer protection advocates balk at this notion, which is largely being advanced by those who stand to benefit from the bill. The house of labor is divided over this legislation, with some supporting it on the hope of new jobs, and others opposing it. AFSCME opposes this bill largely because of how it might affect municipal employees who provide cable services.

Also on the legislature’s docket is a hearing November 14 on the “Frankenstein” veto legislation, which is a constitutional amendment that would limit the ability of the Wisconsin governor to essentially rewrite laws through the use of the veto pen. For example, Governor Doyle was able to strike the 2% and establish a 3.86% property tax cap by striking certain letters and digits. This selective striking would be banned under the amendment to limit the veto power.

AFSCME is also working to advance a number of bills, including legislation to change state statutes to prevent inmates from filing frivolous, baseless and costly complaints against corrections staff for simply doing their jobs. AFSCME is working with Democratic and Republican lawmakers, the Attorney General and the Governor’s office on this important change to the “John Doe” statutes.

For more information call your AFSCME lobbyists at the AFSCME headquarters at 608-836-6666.

AFSCME LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
Budget Report
October 25, 2007

Wisconsin finally has a budget! State lawmakers this week approved a new budget and sent it to Governor Doyle, who is expected to sign it tomorrow on the UW Madison campus. The Governor’s may also use his line-item veto pen on parts of the budget. While few vetoes are expected, as the Governor was part of the budget negotiations, AFSCME has engaged in a strong lobbying effort asking the Governor to veto the proposed 2% levy limit on counties and municipalities.

Here is a list of AFSCME’s budget victories:

· We defeated all of the attacks on state and municipal collective bargaining laws.

· We defeated all attacks on public employee pensions, health care and sick leave benefits, and rolled back efforts to privatize public services.

· UW System: gets nearly $400 million in additional funding, in spite of efforts by some Assembly Republicans to cut $100 million from the UW System. This includes funding for the UW’s “Growth Agenda” which calls for investing nearly $30 million to revitalize UW campuses across Wisconsin.

· Public schools: the state continues its commitment to pay for 2/3 the cost of education, funneling some $341 million into schools over the two-year budget cycle. State aid for schools is about $6.2 billion a year.

· State Employee Compensation Reserves: efforts to gut the Comp Reserves were defeated. Although the actual amount is less than what the Governor had originally proposed, this is because increases in state health insurance costs are less than expected when the budget was introduced 10 months ago.

· Child care (Wisconsin Shares): Senate Democrats and the Governor worked with AFSCME to secure a $69 million increase in funding for child care subsidies, filling a deficit in child care services to low-income families.

· Nursing homes: for the first time in memory, nursing homes will get an increase of 5% in reimbursement rates. The increase goes into effect in 2008-09.

· Juvenile corrections: the Governor had recommended $27 million in new money to help counties pay the cost of incarcerating youth offenders in the state’s three correctional institutions. The increase was tied to the proposed hike in the “real estate transfer fee”. Although the fee hike was eliminated, legislators approved $23 million for county juvenile corrections.

· Transportation funding: the budget provides
o A 3% increase or $31 million for General Transportation Aids
o A 2% increase or 2.8 million for the Local Roads Improvement Program
o A 2.5% increase or $44 million for State Highway Maintenance services
o $12.8 million more for Mass Transit services. $8 million will go to Milwaukee County.

· Corrections: the corrections budget is nearly identical to what was adopted by the Joint Finance Committee in the spring. That includes $310 million in new funding, 50 new security staff positions, staffing and funding for the GPS tracking of sex offenders program, plus new funding for inmate health care services. It added funding and staff for the “earned release” program adopted by the state Senate.

The downside to the budget:

AFSCME’s primary concern remains the fact that there is NO new money for Shared Revenue (state aid to local governments to offset the costs of local services) and a 2% cap on local government’s ability to increase revenue. Governor Doyle’s original budget had recommended a $15 million boost for Shared Revenue, which unfortunately did not survive the in the final budget. AFSCME remains concerned about the state’s shortfall in commitments for local services, which we already know will have serious impacts on the City of Milwaukee.

This is why we are continuing our lobbying efforts with the Governor to eliminate or significantly alter the 2% cap on levy limits. While the Governor cannot increase funding for Shared Revenue with his line-item veto, he does have the ability to free local governments to raise revenue for themselves should they need it to fund public services.

Health Care in the Budget:

Lawmakers approved the Governor’s proposal to expand BadgerCare Plus health care services to low- and moderate-income families. “BC+” not only helps working families get affordable health care coverage, but it seeks to streamline the maze of Medicaid eligibility rules to make it easier for plan participants and county economic support staff (AFSCME members!).

Earlier this fall, Senate Democrats withdrew “Healthy Wisconsin” but pledged to keep pushing their health care plan through separate legislation.

The budget provides a phased-in tax deduction for working people who have to pay some portion of their health insurance premiums. It does not create a state tax break for health savings accounts, however.

A final word on the budget:

It is not possible to list all of the provisions of the new $60 billion 2007-09 state budget. For more information, the Legislative Fiscal Bureau prepares a handy summary of the budget. The document is available on-line at www.legis.state.wi.us/lfb and find it under “publications”. Also contact your AFSCME lobbyists at 608-836-6666 or your AFSCME Council staff.

BUDGET UPDATE
Week 13: October 8-12, 2007

Protect Wisconsin Values: - Come to Madison October 17 - Tell Republican Legislators that Having no new State Budget has serious consequences: It Means Real Cuts are coming, which will hurt Real People and cause Real Pain.

You’ve read in the papers that some Assembly Republicans are digging their heels in, saying that the state of Wisconsin doesn’t need to adopt a budget for the 2007-09 budget cycle. They’re saying that the state - and all of the services that the state provides funding for - can coast along just fine, indefinitely, on the 2005-07 state budget funding levels. They’re dead wrong and they are misleading the citizens of this state. It’s time to push back. Tell lawmakers to get it done!

What will happen without a new state budget? Here’s a list of just a few of the many, many services that would be affected, and the serious ramifications of not adopting the Governor’s budget:

Child Support Funding: with the cut in federal aid for child support services (under Bush’s “deficit reduction act”) Wisconsin faces a shortfall that will cripple child support enforcement services provided by public employees. Milwaukee County is hit hardest. Governor Doyle’s budget would restore some of the lost federal dollars. Without the budget, Wisconsin loses the state money as well as the federal dollars.

Corrections: Without a budget, state correctional institutions will face a shortage of some $375 million. Since July 1st, DOC has racked up a deficit of $46 million, and counting. Cost-cutting steps that will have to be taken include staff layoffs and modified lockdowns at all state institutions. In addition, DOC will be forced to remove over 600 inmates from county jails, which means the already-overcrowded prisons will be faced with housing even more dangerous inmates. Other consequences include the possible layoff of probation and parole staff, and the certain delay in implementing the popular new state law that requires GPS tracking of sex offenders.

Transportation: no new budget means no new authorization for proposed state highway rehabilitation projects in Peshtigo, Eau Claire, DePere, Prairie du Chien, Stevens Point, and more.

County budgets strained beyond the breaking point: Wisconsin county officials signed a declaration Tuesday at their annual conference in Wisconsin Dells, urging lawmakers to pass a “responsible” budget. WCA Executive Director Mark O’Connell told members that the WCA is “not just calling on the Legislature to pass a budget, just a budget is not enough”. County budgets will become increasingly strained without state aid for juvenile corrections, courts, transportation, human services, and more.

The UW System: No new budget means a $96 million shortfall, which translates into faculty and staff layoffs, tuition surcharges, fewer classes, larger class sizes. In addition, UW students would face the loss of $26.4 million in state GPR funding of financial aid programs!

State employee contracts. Funding for Shared Revenue. BadgerCare. Nursing home funding. SeniorCare. The proposed expansion of Family Care. Tax cuts. The much-coveted tax breaks and much, much more will not happen without the 2007-09 budget.

Contact Assembly Republicans today, and tell them you are tired of the partisan games and their budget stalemate. Real cuts and real pain will happen without a new budget. Tell the Assembly legislators to get the budget done!

Come to Madison on Wednesday, October 17 to Rally for a Budget- Tell State Lawmakers to Git R Done!

We realize that many people cannot take time off of work to come to Madison for this rally, but you can do your part by making a phone call or sending an email to your legislator to tell them of your concern that, without a budget, Real Cuts, Real People, Real Pain will be the outcome. Tell your legislator that this cannot be the future of our great state!

AFSCME Council 24 is organizing buses to Madison. Go to the website: www.wseu-sepac.org for more information or contact your Take Back America staff or your Council staff representative for more information.

For more information, call the AFSCME area office at 608-836-6666

BUDGET UPDATE
Week Twelve: October 1-5, 2007

Assembly GOP Leaders Clearly Dragging Their Feet in Budget Debate

Week 8,432 (or so it seems) of budget talks is about to come to an end.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the budget impasse will end anytime soon.

Over the past several weeks, Assembly Republicans have talked at length about the differences between their budget and the Senate’s -- and they’ve avoided any effort at compromise.  Many GOP Assembly reps have put out press releases claiming Wisconsin can survive without a new state budget just fine. Other GOP legislators are issuing statements claiming that they are saving taxpayer dollars by delaying a budget agreement. This week Assembly Majority Leader Jeff Fitzgerald issued a statement making it clear they haven’t agreed to any of the concessions offered by Senate Democrats.

In case you are wondering how serious Republicans are about continuing their three-month stall, consider the following:

• The Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC) recently bought two weeks’ worth of statewide television ads attacking Senate Democrats over the state budget. 
• The right-wing, pro-TABOR group, Americans for Prosperity, put up six digital billboards in the Milwaukee area announcing a “taxpayers rally” at the Capitol on October 17th. They’ve lined up conservative radio talkers to speak at the rally. 
• The TABOR king himself, Grover Norquist, sent a letter to Wisconsin Republicans threatening recall elections against any Republican who steps out of line on the anti-tax message.
• Finally, Assembly Speaker Rep. Mike Huebsch is telling reporters across the state that there is no way a state budget can be finished by October 15th.

It is clear that the Assembly Republican caucus is not interested in passing a state budget.

There are real consequences to having no new budget in place. School funding, the UW System, local government aid, corrections operations, Medicaid funding, state employee contract negotiations and much, much more is at stake. Most recently, Governor Doyle warned that without a state budget, state employees could face furloughs.

Contact Assembly Republicans today, and tell them you are tired of the partisan games and their budget stalemate.  Real cuts and real pain will happen without a new budget.  Tell the Assembly legislators to get the budget done!

Protective Status and Inmate Riot Legislation

The Assembly Corrections and Courts Committee was to hold a legislative hearing October 4 on Assembly Bill (AB) 354, which would extend protective service status to all state employees working in secured state institutions. Many AFSCME members were lined up to testify in support of the legislation. Call your legislator to let him or her know of your support for AB 354.  Note: AFSCME also strongly supports granting protective status to county corrections officers and we are working with lawmakers to advance this important bill.

The Committee also was to vote on AB 92, which would create criminal penalties for inmates who participate in a riot in a correctional institution.  AB 92 now is expected to move on to the full Assembly for action.  Once again, call your legislator about AB 92. 
For more information, call the AFSCME area office at 608-836-6666.

BUDGET UPDATE
Week Eleven: September 24-28, 2007

Budget Progress Made…

Now that discussions are occurring in private, Speaker Huebsch has agreed to one the cigarette tax increase.  In exchange, Senate Democrats have agreed to drop their proposal to create a Hospital Assessment to help draw federal dollars and bolster the state’s Medical Assistance fund.  Other proposals are still on the table, including the much needed oil company assessment, to offset the loss of gas tax indexing in the last legislative session.

…But Not Enough

Assembly Republicans have not yet ended all of their stall tactics in budget deliberations.  Many members of the Republican caucus have publicly lauded the delayed implementation of the state budget as a way to save taxpayers money.  Each day adoption of the budget is delayed the state loses significant revenue, with some estimates claiming up to $15 million a month.  This is revenue that is needed to fund state agencies, pay for state employee salaries and provide aid to local governments.

Legislators need to hear from you today.  Contact you State Representative and Senator and tell them we need a budget now.  Tell them that this extended delay is jeopardizing vital public services throughout the state, and to stop playing politics with your jobs.

Additionally, if you are in Madison, be sure to attend the AFSCME budget vigils every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in the Capitol and visit your state legislators.  We need to keep the pressure on over the next few weeks to make sure public services are protected in the final budget package.

Protective Status Update

Assembly Bill 354, which provides Protective Service Status for all persons working in secured state institutions, is set for a hearing on Thursday, October 4 at 9:30 am in the State Capitol.  AFSCME encourages members to attend the Assembly Corrections and Courts committee meeting, and offer testimony on the need for the legislature to pass this legislation.

For more information, call the AFSCME area office at 608-836-6666

BUDGET UPDATE
Week Ten: September 17-21, 2007

Legislators Inching Forward on the Budget

Last Friday, the eight-member budget conference committee exchanged proposals about K-12 education, local property tax levy limits and funding for Wisconsin’s technical colleges.  Assembly GOP conferees made it clear they would be going to the floor of the state Assembly Chambers Tuesday to vote on a K-12 / levy limit budget.  As a result, not much was done Friday in anticipation of the Assembly action Tuesday.  Of course Tuesday’s session day was all about theatre and posturing. The Republican education bill passed on a 70-27 vote (with 20 Dems joining the Republicans) and the Republican levy limit bill vote was 52-45. The bills that passed the Assembly are pretty meaningless because they’re only the Assembly’s position, not compromise bills, but the bills certainly reflect a certain anxiousness on the part of the Assembly Republican leadership. 

In spite of Tuesday, there is some momentum happening now, and there is a clear willingness to get the budget done sometime soon.  Several years ago, with Senator Chuck Chvala and Representative Scott Jensen at the helm of the Senate and Assembly, the budget impasse was solved by the first week of October.  It’s possible that the Huebsch and Robson teams are feeling the pressure to deliver a budget around that time given the increasing negative media that both sides are getting for failing to reach a compromise nearly three months into the new fiscal year (which began on July 1, 2007).

On Wednesday and Thursday of this week, the Conference Committee met again and exchanged proposals on funding and staffing in the state Department of Corrections. The proposals treat us pretty well and we will continue to birddog the committee to make sure they deliver on corrections. State employees can find details of the proposed packages on the SEPAC website: www.wseu-sepac.org. 

Our message to AFSCME members this week is to stay on message, and to keep reminding lawmakers to build a budget that protects public services and the workers who provide those essential services.  

If you work in a nursing home, be sure that your legislator knows that you support the 5% increase in funding for nursing homes and a hike in the cigarette tax that will help pay for that increase. If you work for a city streets division or county highway department, call your legislator and ask him or her to make sure there is sufficient funding for the transportation portion of the budget, and say that you want to see an oil company profits tax enacted to ensure there is enough money for transportation.  If you work in a courthouse, remind your legislator to provide adequate funding for court services.  If you work at Ethan Allen, Lincoln Hills or Southern Oaks Girls’ School (SOGS), tell your legislator to support adequate funding for “Youth Aids” which help pay for the cost of keeping youth offenders in the juvenile institutions.  If you’re a state worker, keep hammering on restoring the $94 million cut in the Compensation Reserves.  These are just a few examples, and we encourage you to call or email your Senator and Assembly Representative to urge them to support the issues unique to your workplace.   

Other Legislative News:

Long after this budget is history, we will continue to work with lawmakers to advocate for our members’ interests and to protect the public sector. There is life outside of the budget! Note the following hearings that are coming up next week on legislative matters that affect our union members.

Residency Requirements for MPS teachers:  on Tuesday, September 25, the Assembly Education Committee will hold a hearing on AB 482, which prohibits MPS from imposing residency requirements on teachers.  The hearing is in Room 417 North at 10 a.m.

Milwaukee County Child Welfare:  on Tuesday, September 25, the Joint Audit Committee will hold a follow-up hearing on an audit that was done a year ago on Milwaukee County’s Child Welfare system.  That hearing will be at the State Fair Park starting at 10 a.m. It also will be broadcast on the Legislative Audit Bureau’s website:  222.legis.wisconsin.gov/lab.

Wisconsin Secure Program Facility tour: on Tuesday, September 25, members of the Senate Judiciary and Corrections Committee will tour WSPF and will hold a hearing at 2:00 at the Boscobel City Hall.
For more information, call the AFSCME area office at 608-836-6666

BUDGET UPDATE
Week Nine: September 10-14, 2007

Conferees Churning; Little Progress is Made, but the Mood is Changing

Feeling increasingly touchy about growing criticism about their lack of progress on the state budget, legislators serving on the budget Conference Committee this week met Thursday, but the talk was hindered as the two sides continued to talk past, not to, each other.  The mood in the room was different this week, with lots of television cameras and reporters hoping to catch a glimpse of a possible breakthrough, which didn’t happen.  

Senate Democrats chaired the meeting Thursday and declared that they are ready to meet through the weekend to produce a whole budget.  The mood change among committee members was evident in the more intense debate that took place Thursday and the decision to return to the table on Friday, September 15 (an unprecedented move for this particular committee).

The tone for the meeting and the hope of a break in the impasse was set earlier this week when Assembly Republicans announced they would be voting September 19 on a school funding/aid to local governments portion of the budget.  This was in response to a statement issued by the state Department of Public Instruction (DPI) cautioning that, unless lawmakers make a budget, property taxpayers would face a hike in property taxes.  Pressure on lawmakers to complete the two-year budget/spending plan is growing strong and is coming from many sectors, including from health care providers, who were informed of a imminent reduction in Medicaid reimbursements rates if no budget is passed soon.

Also earlier this week, Governor Jim Doyle fired off a response to the GOP warning them that he would not accept a piecemeal, “a la carte” budget, and that they must present to him a budget that is whole.

Senate Democrats, however, came to the table Thursday prepared to talk about technical college funding. Republicans initially ignored the Dem effort while they stayed on message and single-mindedly promoted their own school funding/aid to local government plan they’ve slapped a fancy name and which they announced the full Assembly will vote on next week.

Democrats rejected the Republican request to move forward with the school funding/local government aid budget, and pressured Republicans to look at the whole budget and take action on that next week.

Today’s meeting starts at 11:00 a.m., and we will report the outcome next week.

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, your area Take Back Wisconsin staff, or consult the SEPAC web-site for information on joining the vigils or coming to Madison to visit your legislators and attend the conference committee meetings.

2007-2008 BLUE BOOK NOW AVAILABLE

Get your free edition of the state of Wisconsin’s new “Blue Book” which contains all sorts of useful information about state legislators, elections, state services and more by calling your legislator and asking him or her to send you a copy.  Call the toll free legislative hotline at 1-800-362-9472 or go on-line to Wisconsin Legislature’s website for Blue Book information.

For more information, call the AFSCME area office at 608-836-6666

BUDGET UPDATE
Week Eight: September 3 - 7, 2007

Conference Committee Again Only Meets Once This Week

For the second straight week the legislature’s conference committee only met once.  Once again the committee traded barbs over the two versions of the budget with no measurable progress being made.  However, a definite message has developed on the Republican side of the table.

Faced with the prospects of local governments and school boards turning to property tax increases to fund their needs in the absence of a state budget, the conference committee is under fire to get to work.  Democrats, highlighting the uncertainty local governments and school districts face in regards to the amount of state aid they can count on, pushed for Republicans to act with greater urgency to complete the state budget.  Republican members of the committee responded by offering to work out a K-12 and Shared Revenue/Aid to Local Government package to be passed separately from the rest of the state budget.  Democrats reminded the Republican members of all of the other areas of the budget that are being impacted by the delay, and stressed the need to complete an entire budget document soon.

While the rhetoric and partisan finger pointing hasn’t changed much at the public meetings of the conference committee, AFSCME believes behind the scenes negotiations are occurring.  It is important to continue to contact your state legislators and urge them to reject the negative impacts on public employees contained in the Assembly version of the budget.
 
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, your area Take Back Wisconsin staff, or consult the SEPAC web-site 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 Vote
                       
Two weeks ago the Senate Labor Committee held a public hearing on several pro-labor bills.  AFSCME members testified in favor of Senate Bill (SB) 121, legislation that prohibits an employer under the Municipal Employment Relations Act (MERA) from ending fair share agreements or grievance arbitration in the middle of a contract hiatus.  That bill, along with  SB 243, which would make teacher preparation time a mandatory subject of collective bargaining and SB 83, which exempts unemployment compensation from state income taxes, will be voted on by the committee on Tuesday.

BUDGET UPDATE
Week Seven: August 27-31, 2007

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 behind 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, your area Take Back Wisconsin staff, or consult the SEPAC web-site 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 (SB) 121, legislation that prohibits an employer under the Municipal Employment Relations Act (MERA) from ending fair share agreements or grievance arbitration in the middle of 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.

BUDGET UPDATE
Week six: August 20-24, 2007

AFSCME Keeps Pressure on Conference Committee

On Tuesday the Republican and Democratic members of the Conference Committee traded political talking points over the state’s Stewardship Fund and funding for K-12 schools.  No progress was made, and it remains unlikely that any movement will occur before Labor Day weekend.

However, AFSCME’s constant pressure has become impossible for legislators to ignore.  The daily vigils in the capitol, office visits by AFSCME members bussing in from around the state, phone calls and emails to legislative offices, as well as AFSCME member grassroots efforts in legislators’ home bases are the source of constant conversation in the capitol.  So while the conference committee, it is important that we don’t get discouraged.  Only through continued pressure will we succeed in preserving the public sector and preventing harm to public employees and the collective bargaining process.

Join AFSCME members at the Capitol Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday as we conduct our vigil to urge legislators to support adequate funding for public services and the working people across this state who provide those essential services.  Or, if you can’t make it to the Capitol, call or email your legislator(s) again to support the public sector! 

Pro-Labor Legislation Set for Hearing
                       
On Tuesday, at 11:00 am in the state Capitol, the Senate Labor Committee will hold a public hearing on several pro-labor bills.  Among them  Senate Bill 121, which would prohibit an employer under the Municipal Employment Relations Act from ending fair share agreements or grievance arbitration in the middle of a contract hiatus.  The bill, introduced by 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.

Another bill on the committee’s agenda, SB 243, would make teacher preparation time a mandatory subject of collective bargaining. A third bill, SB 83, would exempt unemployment compensation from state income taxes. 

AFSCME supports these measures as well as the Senate Labor Committee Chair Senator Spencer Coggs’ (D-Milwaukee) ongoing support of labor issues.  Senator Coggs is a member of AFSCME.

Senate Committee to Tour Taycheedah Correctional Institution August 28th

The Senate Judiciary and Corrections Committee will visit Taycheedah Women’s Correctional Institution from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 28th.  After the tour, the Committee will hold a public hearing on the “State of the Justice System”. The hearing will be at 3:00 p.m. at the Fond du Lac City/County Government Building. 

This is one of several tours of correctional institutions and hearings that the Senate Corrections Committee will hold this summer/fall.  The next stop is the Wisconsin Secure Program Facility in Boscobel, tentatively scheduled for September 25th. 

BUDGET UPDATE
Week five: August 13-17, 2007

Conference Committee Meets Today

The budget Conference Committee meets later today (8/16). We’ve heard that legislative leaders met informally to discuss the budget and the process but that little movement was made.

The Capitol has been quiet lately, except for the dozens of AFSCME members who continue to do vigils, while carrying signs and wearing buttons to show our opposition to the budget that Assembly Republicans unleashed last month.  Legislators and staff continue to be impressed with the dedication of AFSCME members from all corners of the state who come to the Capitol to express their anger at the GOP budget plan.  

Lawmakers Respond to AFSCME Pressure 

We’re getting signs from lawmakers that they are increasingly uncomfortable (feeling cornered?) with the pressure we’re putting on them. Just this week as a result of pressure from members of Council 24, Representative Joan Ballweg (R-Markesan) told an AFSCME member in her district that she had sent a letter to Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch (R-West Salem)

“requesting that funding for the compensation reserves be restored to the level approved by the Joint Finance Committee. The letter also requests that state employee contributions for health care and retirement benefits remain as they are under current law.” 

Rep. Ballweg’s reply is significant; just a few weeks ago this same legislator wouldn’t commit and wouldn’t explain her vote for the budget to our members. This reply shows that grassroots effort works. This legislator responded because members in her area -- who are active, organized and who vote -- took the time to contact her.

Spread the Word: Your Involvement Can Change the Course of the Budget

Our goal should be to get more of these out-state Assembly Republicans to pressure Assembly Republican leaders on the Conference Committee to restore the cut in the Comp Reserves, to stop the attack on our collective bargaining laws (SELRA and MERA), and to restore all of the cuts Assembly Republicans have proposed in sick leave, health insurance and pension benefits of state, county and municipal employees. 

This week, we ask you to make the phone call, send a form letter or an email to your legislator about these three concerns. (There are countless harmful proposals in the Assembly’s budget, so feel free to comment on other items as well).  If you’ve already contacted your legislator, or if you are in an area with a legislator who hasn’t responded in the past, don’t let that hold you back.  We know they’re getting your emails and they’re feeling pressure.  Keep it up! 

AFSCME Summary of How the Assembly Republican Caucus Budget Harms Public Employees, Slashes Public Services

BUDGET UPDATE
week four: August 5-10, 2007

Conference Committee still Slogging through the Budget

The eight member joint legislative Conference Committee on the state budget continues to meet this week, with four Democrats and four Republicans coming to the table armed with proposals that are debated endlessly and which become stalled due to the profound differences between each party’s budget priorities. Most budget observers agree little progress will made until after Labor Day, if not later.

This week, the committee debated property tax levy limits.  Republicans offered their caucus position on limits for technical colleges, counties and municipalities and a reduction in the fee that was slated for an increase (under the Governor’s proposal) to pay for more Shared Revenue for municipal services (provided by Council 40 and 48 members) and for an increase in Youth Aids, which help counties pay for skyrocketing juvenile corrections costs. Senate Democrats flatly refused this proposal.

Republicans, in turn, rejected the Senate Democrats’/Governor Doyle’s proposal to earmark aid to bolster Milwaukee’s economic infrastructure and provide law enforcement support to the struggling city. 

On Thursday (today), the Committee will take up the higher education portion of the budget, including student financial aid, UW System funding and UW academic facilities improvements under the state Building Commission. (As of this writing the committee has not taken action on these yet).

AFSCME members continue doing vigils in the Capitol Rotunda and filling the Conference Committee work room with AFSCME green and Corrections blue.  Our presence also is being felt on the email circuit – AFSCME members’ emails are making a very strong impression on legislators (of both parties and in both houses). 

Friendly legislators have told us, repeatedly, that we must not give up, and we must not assume that Governor Doyle will easily be able to fix the Republican’s anti-worker budget. We need to keep up the pressure with phone calls, emails, letters, Capitol vigils, and meetings with legislators.  Please do your part – send another message to your Senator and Assembly representative this week.

AFSCME makes it as easy as possible for you to be in touch with your legislator. Contact your Take Back America staffer for samples of letters that you or members of your local can send to these legislators. Check your Council’s web site.  All AFSCME members can use the State Employees Political Action Website (SEPAC) website (www-wseu-sepac.org) and use sample letters/emails there.

Contact your state elected officials and urge them to:

• Set aside the parts of the Assembly GOP budget that harass and disrespect public employees
• Restore the state employee Compensation Reserves to allow us to bargain fair contracts
• Support the increase in Shared Revenue and Youth Aids (which is made possible with the Governor’s plan to increase in the Real Estate Transfer Fee) to support Wisconsin’s counties and municipalities
• Support Governor Doyle’s “Milwaukee Initiative”

AFSCME, Allies Working Together to Fight the ARC Budget:

Recently, AFSCME and 28 other organizations representing hundreds of thousands of Wisconsin citizens (and taxpayers) held a press conference at the Capitol urging the Committee to “craft a budget that reflects the core values that make Wisconsin a great place to live”.  The 29 organizations included AARP, Wisconsin Counties Association, Wisconsin Citizen Action, Institute for Wisconsin’ Future, Wisconsin Early Childhood Association, WEAC, the Wisconsin Council of Churches, the Survival Coalition and others.  The press release can be found on Wheeler (see July 26 edition): www.thewheelerreport.com or on the website of the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families: www.wccf.org.

Senators to Visit Correctional Institutions

On Monday, August 13, members of the Senate Judiciary and Corrections Committee will visit Stanley Correctional Institution and later that morning will hold a hearing at 1:30 p.m. on “the state of the judiciary” at the Eau Claire County Courthouse.  Members of AFSCME Local 122 will meet with Committee Chairwoman Senator Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee) and other committee members to speak on issues unique to Stanley, which has the lowest staff/inmate ratio of all of Wisconsin’s correctional institutions, making it a dangerous place.  Stanley also has ongoing facility issues stemming from shoddy private contractor work.  Corrections officers intend to speak with the legislators on the need to pass a CO “Right to Know” and to address the “John Doe” law, which deals with investigations of inmate complaints.

On Tuesday, August 14, the Senate Judiciary and Corrections Committee will visit Chippewa Valley Correctional Treatment Facility to learn about operations at Wisconsin’s only treatment institution. Local 122 will be on hand to give the employees’ perspective on how things work at that institution. Later that day, the committee will hold a public hearing on “the state of the judiciary” in the Juneau County Courthouse.

Later this month, the committee will visit Taycheedah Correctional Institution and, in September, the committee will tour the Wisconsin Secure Program Facility in Boscobel. Sen. Taylor intends to take the committee through Dodge Correctional Institution some time later this fall. Details will follow in subsequent bulletins or for more information contact AFSCME lobbyist Susan McMurray at 608-836-6666.

AFSCME members have a unique opportunity to impress upon legislators the concerns they have with the institutions in which they work. Contact Council 24 Executive Director Marty Beil for more information (608-836-0024).

Corporate Tax Loophole Closed with Signing of SB 122 into law

On Wednesday, Governor Doyle traveled to Green Bay to sign into law Senate Bill 122, which address a corporate tax loophole created under the “Newark Decision”.  Gov. Doyle praised the bipartisan effort by legislators that resulted in passage of this law.  The bill was approved unanimously by both houses of the Legislature, thanks to the leadership of Sen. Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay), Sen. Rob Cowles (R-Allouez) and Rep. Dean Kaufert (R-Neenah). 

The AFL-CIO, AFSCME and The Alliance to Protect the Public Good worked to secure passage of the law.  In the words of AFL-CIO Secretary Treasurer Phil Neuenfeldt, “ For over 30 years, the largest corporations have found new ways to avoid taxes every year while working families pay higher and higher taxes.  It isn’t right and it has to change. SB 122 is the first step in rebuilding a tax system that is fair to everyone and raises adequate money to pay for the services we all need.”  (See www.thewheelerreport.com  under the press release dated August 8, 2007 from “The Alliance to Protect the Public Good” for more information.

For more information call the AFSCME area office at 608-836-6666
The SEPAC website: www.wseu-sepac.org
The Legislature’s website: www.legis.state.wi.us
The Legislative Fiscal Bureau website: www.legis.state.wi.us\lfb

BUDGET UPDATE
week three: July 30 - August 3, 2007

Budget Committee Clears away the “Low-Hanging Fruit”
The budget Conference Committee this week met on Wednesday and members will go back to the table Thursday to continue hammering out a compromise budget.

After several hours at the table Wednesday, conferees agreed on 571 items that already had been approved by the Joint Finance Committee and left unchanged by the Senate and the Assembly. The committee merely clarified and brought to light areas of mutual agreement. While this can hardly be characterized as progress, it was movement in the sense that these items now are off the table.

The 571 topics described in a memo from the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) represent about half of all of the items that the Committee must address, but only a fraction of the overall expenditures for the 2007-08 budget. The memo on the 571 can be found on the LFB’s website www.legis.state.wi.us/lfb (click on publications, and see the memo dated August 1st).

The 571 item list only includes only parts of the comprehensive budget packages that came out of the Joint Finance Committee on 16-0 votes. For example, on the Corrections budget package, the only part that is in the memo on the 571 areas relates to GPS tracking of sex offenders. The other portions of the JFC Corrections package, as well as many of the other 16-0 votes (such as child care funding, programs for veterans, domestic abuse prevention) will have to be bargained later by the Conference Committee.

Senate Democrats Wednesday continued to argue for the issues approved by the Joint Finance Committee on 16-0 votes, but Republicans refused to budge.

The Conference Committee is likely to meet again Wednesday and Thursday of next week, but the exact dates will be determined later. Look for updates on the SEPAC website or from