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When thousands of Wisconsin state workers swarmed the Capitol in March to protest potential job and benefit cuts, they promised to "remember in November." The message apparently got through to candidates.

Every announced major party candidate for governor has agreed to appear before a screening committee of the State Employees Political Action Committee (SEPAC), the political arm of the Wisconsin State Employees Union, AFSCME Council 24, which represents 26,000 state workers.

"It's clear to us with each passing day that the November elections are absolutely critical. Wisconsin has a big choice to make and we will make sure it is an informed choice," said SEPAC Chairman Mike Sansone.

Candidate interviews will begin at 1 p.m. on Monday in the AFSCME office, 8033 Excelsior Drive, on Madison's west side. Presidents of the union's 60 locals have been invited, along with executive board members and SEPAC members. Candidates promising to attend include Attorney General Jim Doyle, Rep. Tom Barrett, Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk, State Sen. Gary George, Gov. Scott McCallum and Tomah Mayor Ed Thompson.

Sansone said candidate responses will be shared with state workers, who are ready to unite behind a leader who has a positive vision for the future.

"Our members are eager to get involved. We want to make sure they have the information they need to make a difference in this election," Sansone said.

Racine, Prairie du Chien and Black River Falls could lose facilities under Senate proposal

State budget negotiators have reached "a new level of irresponsibility" by considering even deeper cuts to corrections facilities, according to Marty Beil, executive director of the Wisconsin State Employees Union, AFSCME Council 24.

In a meeting on Tuesday, Democratic negotiators, led by Sen. Chuck Chvala of Madison, proposed slashing an additional $20 million beyond cuts already backed by the governor and Assembly Republicans.

"This chainsaw massacre on corrections would force facilities to close, sending 1,000 inmates to who knows where. Will the budget cutters invite them to settle in their own neighborhoods?" Beil said. "It's completely irresponsible."

Beil said facilities in Racine, Prairie du Chien and Black River Falls would be most likely to close under the devastating proposal. The only alternative offered on Tuesday was to revive the intensive sanctions program. This discredited program allows convicted criminals to live in the community under supervision and electronic monitoring. It was abandoned after numerous crimes were committed by participants in the program.

"They tried to make it a choice of corrections versus universities. That's a false choice, because they are ignoring better alternatives, like closing corporate tax loopholes, or charging more for out-of-state garbage, or taxing cigarettes. If it is a choice between keeping criminals locked up or pampering professors, I think I know what most people want," Beil said.

Beil said legislators are trying to shift blame for policies they created. "They passed the laws, but now they don't want to deal with the lawbreakers. Fixing the budget shouldn't jeopardize public safety. It's time for real solutions, not false choices," Beil said.

May 18, 2000
For further information, contact: Cate Alexander
AFSCME International Public Affairs
(202) 429-1138

Washington, D.C. - Privatization of public services has the support of just one-third of American voters, according to a recent survey of 600 attentive voters. Furthermore, when voters are given the option to run government more like a business or to privatize government services, Democrats, Republicans and Independents alike choose, by at least a two-to-one margin, to run government more like a business. The research, conducted by Lake Snell Perry & Associates (LSPA) for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) AFL-CIO, tested voter opposition to business-run government services before and after exposure to arguments on both sides of the issues. Initially, 44% of the voters opposed privatization of government services and operations, 32% supported it, while 25% said they didn�t know. When exposed to arguments both for and against privatization, total voter opposition to privatization rose to 54%. "Voters want efficiency and accountability in government," said Gerald W. McEntee, president of AFSCME. "But they don�t believe that business is a substitute for good government." Furthermore, McEntee noted that 59% of the voters polled said that government managers and politicians are more responsible for problems with government services than front-line workers.

The survey by LSPA showed that voters are worried about business accountability when services are privatized, but, across party lines, they are even more worried about fairness and equality. Of the voters polled, 77%, regardless of party affiliation, say that states considering privatization should enact accountability legislation, which requires open financial books and public oversight of contractors.

Furthermore, 53% favor�and just 27% oppose�legislation that would require government contractors to offer jobs to current, qualified public employees and to protect citizen privacy, while denying government contracts to repeated violators of environmental, civil rights, workplace safety and other laws.

"In state after state and city after city where privatization has been tried, there have been serious problems," McEntee continued." Some problems have been with conflicts of interest, some with poor service delivery, more expensive service delivery and the lack of accountability.

"The public always pays for privatization," McEntee said. "Americans know that the profit motive brings a whole new dimension to what are supposed to be public services. Our tax dollars are intended to pay for government service, not for private profits."

McEntee noted that AFSCME is launching a nationwide campaign to educate the public on the problems of privatization. "Business is not a replacement for government. Americans know that intuitively, but we don�t think they�re aware of all the government services that private enterprise would like to usurp. We want to alert the public so that they will raise their voices against privatizing our government," he concluded.

The research by Lake Snell Perry & Associates, which was conducted last fall but just released today, included a random sample of a total of 600 adults, at least 18 years of age, who are registered to vote, are involved in their communities and are attentive to public issues. The data were weighted by age, education, race, party identification and geographic region to ensure the sample accurately reflects the population. The margin of error for the voter sample is +- 4.0%.

Madison - University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics and Local 1942, Council 24 of the Wisconsin State Employees Union have agreed on a new classification and compensation system for approximately 1,800 clerical, technical and blue collar employees.

The new system replaces the former pay plan that was in effect before the hospital became a public authority. Under the new plan, UW Hospital will be able to hire new technical employees in certain highly competitive fields at rates above the minimum salary. In addition, employees covered by the WSEU contract will receive new job titles that are specific to UW Hospital.

The WSEU contract with the UW Hospital was signed in November, 1998, but the classification and compensation system was left open for further negotiations.

"UW Hospital and Clinics is committed to being the premier health care employer in south-central Wisconsin," said president and chief executive officer Donna Sollenberger, who joined the hospital in December, 1999. "We look forward to further cooperation with WSEU toward that end."

"This new agreed-upon class and compensation structure brings classes and wages closer to the health care marketplace while protecting incumbent employee," said Marty Beil, executive director of WSEU Council 24, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). "-It's a win-win in that the employer can quickly respond to market pressure and the employees can be compensated for the value they bring to the workplace. We look forward to working with CEO Sollenberger and her administrative team in assuring the UW Hospital and Clinics remain at the top of the health care industry through innovative and substantive initiatives."

Madison, WI—Members of the Wisconsin State Employees Union have voted to ratify a two-year contract with the state, the union announced today. The contract runs from July 1, 1999, to June 30, 2001. Following a two-week, 18-city statewide tour during which record numbers of union members turned out to vote, 75% favored contract ratification in ballots counted today at union offices, according to Marty Beil, executive director of Council 24 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). Members from Council 24’s six bargaining units began the ratification tour March 20 in Madison and concluded Tuesday in Platteville.

"This is a landmark contract that recognizes the efforts of state employees in providing quality services to the citizens of Wisconsin and will help attract and retain workers in an increasingly competitive labor market," Beil said. He credited Gov. Tommy Thompson and legislative leaders for allocating $35 million in the current state budget to help the state compete for workers. For the first time ever, the 1999-2001 contract provides market-equity adjustments to certain WSEU job classifications in which compensation levels trailed other comparable public and private sector markets. In addition, the contract includes across-the-board wage increases of 2 percent for 1999-2000, 3% on July 1, 2000, and 0.7% on Oct. 8, 2000. It also contains more than 125 language changes on issues ranging from violence and sexual harassment in the workplace to work scheduling procedures.

The contract now goes to the Legislature for its approval and then to the governor. Council 24 represents approximately 27,000 of the state’s 40,000 unionized civil service employees.

The Morning Mail
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
PO Box 371
Milwaukee, WI 53201--3701

Your tasteless March 10 cartoon suggesting the state Department of Corrections has something to hide regarding the death of Michelle Greer at Taycheedah Correctional Institution was way off base.

The department has admitted mistakes were made and is implementing or re-emphasizing its emergency reporting procedures to ensure that these tragic situations are as preventable as possible. What more do you want? A public lynching?

The real story behind this incident is that the staffing level in the health services unit is the same as it was a few years back--before the inmate popluation at Taycheedah more than tripled! Unfortunately, this is the situation throughout the state's prison system as politicians cater to constituents who want to get tough on crime but don't want to talk about the funding implications of those decisions.

But I guess if we focused on such substantive public policy issues as staff-to-inmate ratios your cartoonists would run out of material for their tasteless, inflammatory drivel.

For a newspaper that professes to detest McCarthyism tactics, your Feb. 18 editorial indictment of correctional officers in the death of an asthmatic inmate at Taycheedah Correctional Institution was the most hypocritical piece of garbage I have seen in a long time. Let’s not wait until any of the facts behind this tragic incident come to light after an official investigation. Let’s ignore the fact that the facility is operating at twice its intended capacity, because that doesn’t fit in with your agenda that "prison spending cheats Wisconsin." Instead, The Capital Times—that great protector of the working class—immediately calls for the heads of frontline employees who prison officials say followed established procedures. If your editorial writers would ever leave their journalistic ivory towers to see what goes on within a prison, they would find a very busy place at the time of day this incident occurred. At 7 a.m., the health services unit is packed with inmates, many of whom are receiving their first insulin shots of the day. They would also find an obscene staff-to-inmate ratio, forcing split-second decisions about whether an incident constituted an emergency. While this incident was not deemed to be an emergency because the inmate was still able to talk, it’s easy to point fingers now that we know otherwise. We support a thorough investigation of this tragic death and any suggestions that can be made to improve the delivery of medical care to prisoners. But until then, your editorial policy of "point fingers first, ask questions later" smacks of Liberal McCarthyism.

STATEMENT FROM MARTY BEIL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ON U.S. SUPREME COURT DECISION REGARDING AGE BIAS LAWSUITS

"Today's decision represents a huge step backward in protecting the rights of public employees throughout the country. While Wisconsin has made considerable progress in enhancing labor relations, many other states are not as enlightened in upholding basic worker protections. And we feel that action in federal court should be an option when such discrimination occurs. Otherwise, public employees are relagated to second-class status."

For more information, contact: Tom Corcoran, President
AFSCME Local 2748
920-324-9874

Madison—If truth-in-sentencing in Milwaukee and across Wisconsin is to be successful, the state must be willing to increase resources to attract and retain probation and parole agents, the union representing the agents said today.

"With many of our correctional facilities operating way over capacity and concerns about sending inmates to out-of-state private prisons, Wisconsin is going to have to increase its probation and parole efforts," said Marty Beil, director of the Wisconsin State Employees Union. "That is why we have been fighting to increase both the number of agents and the pay needed to attract and retain them." The union made its comments after members of the Governor’s Task Force to Enhance Probation questioned whether judges are reluctant to impose probation on offenders because of turnover in the system. Tom Corcoran, president of the local representing the state’s 1,200 probation and parole agents, pointed out that entry-level agents -- 70% of which are women—earn only $11.04 an hour. "Many new hires across the state are working second jobs just to pay their basic expenses," Corcoran said. "If Wisconsin is to be successful in implementing truth-in-sentencing, it is going to have to invest in a system that makes people want to become and remain a probation and parole agent."

He said both entry-level and experienced agents in Wisconsin make less than their colleagues in surrounding states. The starting wage for an agent in Wisconsin is about $22,965, Corcoran said, compared to $29,702 in Iowa, $29,503 in Michigan, $26,768 in Minnesota and $26,256 in Illinois. Wisconsin also ranks at the bottom among the state in pay for senior agents.

MADISON—Wisconsin’s largest union representing employees of state and local government today praised the signing of a bi-partisan bill to boost pensions for public workers. Gov. Tommy Thompson signed the bill into law this afternoon at a ceremony at the headquarters of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). The bill allows approximately $4 billion in investment earnings on pension system participants’ money to be used to improve benefits for the first time since the 1980s.

"Governor Thompson deserves credit for making good on his promise to workers to improve the pension system in a way that allows them to share in the benefits of a strong economy," said Marty Beil, director of AFSCME Council 24, which represents approximately 25,000 state employees.

Bob Lyons, director of AFSCME Council 40 representing 30,000 workers at city and county government as well as private, non-profit organizations in Wisconsin, said the bill met the union’s goal of balancing the retirement needs of older and younger workers. Long-term public employees will benefit from the improved formula used to calculate initial pensions, he said, while younger workers stand to gain from elimination of the 5% cap on annual earnings and the reopening of the variable annuity program.

"These measures ensure that long-term employees will be rewarded for their years of service to the public while the retirement accounts of younger workers will more closely parallel market performance," Lyons said.

Letters to the Editor
The Reporter
33 W. Second St.
P.O. Box 630
Fond du Lac, WI 54936

Your Oct. 13 editorial attempt to whip up public hysteria about the state pension improvement bill carefully ignored some important aspects of this legislation.

It failed to note that employers will receive one-third of the distributions under the bill, allowing many local governments to forgo pension contributions for their workers for up to 16 months. This windfall will exceed any funding increases local governments received in the recently passed state budget and would allow them to decrease taxes at the local level, if they so chose.

The editorial also perpetuated the myth that this bill is a feeding frenzy on taxpayer money. This is money that has been contributed into the system by the workers themselves, and countless court decisions have determined that pension trust funds belong to pension system participants, not politicians scheming for additional funding.

The bill also contains other features that allow workers to maximize their returns on the money they have contributed to the system: flexibility in death benefits, lifting the 5% interest cap on those who were hired after 1982 and reopening the variable trust fund that more closely parallels stock market performance.

Ultimately, actuaries and investment advisors will decide whether recognizing $4 billion in capital gains in a $50 billion system is a prudent move. For the past 15 years, workers have not fully shared in the investment gains on their money so that the pension system could be used to consistently lower employer contributions.

With record levels of return on the money invested in the system by the workers themselves, I say it is time for them to share in the bounty.

SAYS IT WOULD RESTRICT SUCCESSFUL COLLECTIVE BARGAINING PROCESS WAUPUN ? A proposed law that would prohibit Wisconsin from providing health or long-term care insurance coverage to domestic partners of state employees is a legislative attempt to micromanage collective bargaining and makes public workers a target of holy wars on social issues, the director of the Wisconsin State Employees Union said today.

WSEU Director Marty Beil told the state Assembly’s Committee on Family Law that Assembly Bill 500 is an unwanted and unwarranted intrusion into the labor relations framework established by the Legislature. In addition to prohibiting insurance coverage to domestic partners, the bill sponsored by Rep. Stephen Nass (R-Whitewater) would also make the issue a prohibited subject of collective bargaining under the state employee labor relations act.

"We are not experts in or advocates of alternative lifestyles, but we know something of fairness, equity and human dignity," Beil said. He told committee members the proposed law would curtail efforts between the union and state agencies to mutually promote satisfactory resolution of workplace issues.

"It also violates our union’s democratic internal process that allows our members to persuade their fellow workers that an issue is worthy of being raised in bargaining," Beil said.

The proposal ignores the fact that there are a variety of caretaker situations outside of traditional relationships that would be precluded from support and assistance, Beil said.

MADISON ? The Wisconsin State Employees Union (WSEU) today commended Gov. Tommy G. Thompson for initiating proposals that have renewed state budget negotiations following a two-month impasse.

"The governor showed extraordinary leadership in rising above the partisan politics that brought the state budget process to a complete standstill," WSEU Director Marty Beil said as legislative leaders prepared to resume budget negotiations on Thursday. "Not all of his proposals may have been wholeheartedly embraced, but at least he got both sides talking to each other again. That’s what people expect of elected officials ? not finger-pointing, stonewalling and partisan posturing."

Wisconsin has been operating without a state budget since July 1, joining Massachusetts as the only two states in the country that have failed to enact new tax and spending plans. Legislative budget negotiators broke off talks on July 15 after they were unable to resolve philosophical differences over a projected $1 billion state budget surplus.

Beil said a budget proposal advanced by the governor over the weekend contained a number of innovative proposals that piqued legislators’ interests and prompted them to resume negotiations.

"The governor deserves credit for creating an environment that replaced a whole summer of political games with an atmosphere that hopefully will allow legislators to do what they were elected to do," Beil said.

The union representing correctional officers, probation and parole agents, social workers and other state correction workers today applauded the Wisconsin Catholic Conference for its recommendation to place greater emphasis on rehabilitation and community involvement in the criminal justice system.

"The recommendations of the bishops certainly represent a higher road and more credible position than many legislators who want to pass tough-on-crime laws without supporting the funding needed to back up their rhetoric," said Marty Beil, director of the Wisconsin State Employees Union.

The report, released Wednesday, called for the state to provide additional funding for job training, drug and alcohol treatment, anger management and other rehabilitation services intended to reduce recidivism. Beil praised the conference for supporting sufficient funding to eliminate the current shortage of correctional officers and provide probation and parole services that ensure public safety and assist ex-offenders in contributing to society.

Recommendations also emphasized the need to provide special services for mentally, developmentally disabled and elderly prisoners ? issues the union and officials from the state Department of Corrections have been working to address.

"The conference has pitched a broad tent by showing its concern for prison workers, our communities, inmates and those who carry out our criminal justice programs," Beil said. "Now, hopefully, we can get more people under that tent."

Don Huebscher
Editor
Leader-Telegram
701 S. Farwell St.
P.O. Box 570
Eau Claire, WI 54702

Your July 5 editorial attempting to fan the flames over Wisconsin’s health insurance package for state workers may have left your readers with some misperceptions that I would like to clarify.

First, there is an ocean of difference between the pay and benefits packages in the public and private sectors. The secretary of the Department of Employment Relations is quoted as saying that having employers pay all health insurance premiums "is something you don’t see very often in the private sector." Well, hefty annual wage increases to attract and retain workers, employee stock-purchase plans, profit sharing and employer-sponsored 401k plans are just some examples of things you’ll never see in the public sector. It’s not the same apples-to-apples comparison your buddies at Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce would have you believe.

Second, health insurance coverage for state workers is the product of a collective bargaining process in which employees have sacrificed in other areas to maintain this benefit. State employees have agreed to annual pay increases that are at or less than the rate of inflation and other concessions in exchange for employer-paid basic health coverage. And let’s not forget that the state’s promise to return to its workers the millions in savings that resulted from the changeover to health maintenance organizations in the 1980s never materialized.

Finally, nobody is saying that employer-paid health coverage is the only benefit that entices somebody to unattractive state government work for a paltry salary. Our members are hard-working, dedicated public servants who take pride in providing vital services to the citizens of Wisconsin ? even when they are belittled by news outlets like the Leader-Telegram.

If the state wants to maintain a quality workforce in the future, it must also maintain some recruiting tools in order to find workers in an increasingly competitive marketplace. Right now, basic health insurance coverage and a solid retirement system are the two main recruiting tools the state has to attract and retain qualified workers.

Sincerely,
Marty Beil
Director
Wisconsin State Employees Union
AFSCME Council 24

This week’s vote by the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee to fund the conversion of a building at the Northern Wisconsin Center in Chippewa Falls to a geriatric facility will help preserve the center’s $20 million annual contribution to the area’s economy, the union representing workers at the center said today.

The committee voted 14-2 Tuesday to invest $7.3 million in state funds to convert the center’s Highview Building to a facility that serves elderly and medically frail inmates within the state Department of Corrections.

"The committee recognized that there is overwhelming public support for this project within the Chippewa Falls area," said Maggie Merdler of Local 116 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). Local 116 represents approximately 600 workers at Northern Center, which has been threatened with closure because of reduced patient populations. The union has been working with community leaders, local elected officials and state officials to develop alternative uses for the center.

"The committee’s action ensures that the state will maximize its investment in the center by finding new uses for unused space at the same time we continue to provide traditional services to the most vulnerable of our citizens," Merdler said. "It’s important that we keep this project on schedule so that we don’t encounter difficulties in transitioning from one facility to another."

Merdler thanked the 2,500 area residents who signed petitions in support of the project and Rep. Tom Sykora, who helped keep the proposed project on track and in the budget. A delay would have jeopardized jobs at the center and diminished its contribution to the area’s economy.

Privatizing state probation and parole functions in an attempt to reduce the number of repeat offenders in Wisconsin is a flawed proposal that could better be addressed by increasing treatment and education resources to help agents more effectively do their jobs, the Wisconsin State Employees Union said today.

"This is another case in which legislators want to be portrayed as being tough on crime yet they’re not willing to allocate the funding needed to back up their rhetoric," said Marty Beil, the union’s executive director. Beil, a former probation and parole agent, responded to a consultant’s recent recommendation to privatize the state’s community corrections program and a study that found 22 percent of those charged with murder over a two-year period in Milwaukee were under some type of correctional supervision.

The implication, he said, is that the state’s 1,200 probation and parole agents aren’t doing their jobs properly.

"Wisconsin has a dedicated, hard-working force of agents who the judges and correctional system are giving a growing number of offenders ? many of whom have significant problems with mental illness, substance abuse and literacy," Beil said. "We can do our best to try to supervise and monitor them, but without adequate funding for such things as job training and drug and alcohol treatment we will never get to the root of the problem." He pointed out that only about 2% of the community corrections budget is allocated for treatment programs. Beil was particularly critical of the report released last week by the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute, in which consultant George Mitchell advocated privatizing the state’s probation and parole functions. Rather than examine the problems facing the state’s probation and parole system, he said, the report simply used a variety of national studies to make overly broad recommendations for Wisconsin. Some of the research was simply inaccurate, he said. For example, the report cited the privatization of community corrections in Connecticut as a model for Wisconsin to follow. However, the report didn’t mention that the Connecticut privatization initiative involved only low-risk offenders who already have a low recidivism rate and that the private agencies only assumed case management responsibilities so that the state could refocus its resources to reduce recidivism in the highest-risk offender population. The complete privatization that Mitchell recommends for Wisconsin did not actually occur in Connecticut. "What it really boils down to is that those who are declaring that the current system is broken and in need of reform ought to get out of their ivory towers and spend a week with a probation and parole agent to see what they’re up against and how it can be fixed," Beil said.

DRIVER’S LICENSE PROPOSAL A BAD DEAL FOR PUBLIC, STATE AND WORKERS, UNION CHARGES

A proposal to allow private parties to conduct regular driving examinations for new drivers would increase costs to the public, reduce state revenue and introduce conflicts of interest into the road-testing process, the union representing state employees charged today.

Local 1195 of the Wisconsin State Employees Union criticized the Department of Transportation (WisDOT) proposal contained in the governor’s recommendations for the 1999-2001 state budget. The local represents 340 WisDOT driver licensing employees statewide.

"The proposal sets a fee cap of $70 per test for non-state testers, while state examiners currently conduct up to three exams for $10," said Local 1195 President Curt Sailsbery, who referred to the proposal as the "Zombie Law" since it keeps reappearing after being eliminated from the last two state budgets. "One has to wonder why WisDOT would propose something that would greatly increase costs to new drivers and give up several hundred thousand dollars per year in lost road test fees."

Sailsbery also charged that third-party testing would allow conflicts of interest to influence driving exams. State examiners are paid an hourly wage and have no direct personal benefit from passing or failing applicants. Examiners generally do not conduct tests for applicants they have previously failed and rarely have any contact with an applicant before the road test.

Private testers, he charged, would have a direct financial interest in the outcome of the test due to the per-test charges. He added that since the proposal allows commercial driving schools to test the same students they have been instructing in driver education, an unsuccessful exam would shed doubt on the quality of teaching provided.

"In addition, state examiners work for one agency with one trainer and one, unified set of policies," Sailsbery said. "The Zombie Law would create many different companies doing road tests, each with its own management having only minimal oversight by the state. We think this lack of consistency will reduce safety on the state’s roadways."

Sailsbery said there are sufficient numbers of state driver license examiners to meet the current demand for road tests. If the Zombie Law passes, he said, WisDOT will withhold examiners from road test duties and assign them to work at processing counters, forcing the public to use third-party testers by default.

"DOT has already been withholding examiners from the road for years," Sailsbery charged. "They’ve reduced the number of examiners on staff at major teams across the state during a time when the new driver population has increased by about 20 percent. Examiners in the Milwaukee area spend only about 35 percent of their work time doing road tests. The current backlog of exams is almost entirely due to deliberate underutilization of examiner resources."

Instead of allowing third-party testing, Local 1195 advocates increasing the road test fee from $10 to $15 for three tests. The added revenue should be used to add entry-level positions for inside workers, which would free up road testers for examining work. However, WisDOT should be required to assign enough examiners to road duty to keep the backlog at four weeks or less. Sailsbery said this goal can be met if Wisconsin DOT would manage its employees more efficiently.
###

MADISON -- The union representing law enforcement officers who must preserve the peace at Saturday’s Ku Klux Klan rally at the State Capitol today urged its members and the public not to attend a counter demonstration organized to coincide with the rally. Instead, the Wisconsin State Employees Union (WSEU) recommended that those wishing to demonstrate their displeasure with the Klan and its beliefs participate in “Work for Justice” activities at the Madison Labor Temple, 1602 S. Park St. Organized by the Madison Urban Ministry, the peaceful demonstration will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday. “In a free society, the KKK is entitled to publicly display its ignorance and bigotry with messages of hate, intolerance and violence toward others,” said WSEU Executive Director Marty Beil. “But if we give them the confrontation they want, it will only endanger the public and the law enforcement officers we represent while advancing their sick publicity and ideology.” WSEU represents the University of Wisconsin, State Capitol and State Patrol officers who will be on hand for Saturday’s rally.

The Wisconsin State Employees Union (WSEU) today announced the endorsement of Gov. Tommy G. Thompson in his Nov. 3 bid for an unprecedented fourth term to the state’s highest elected office.

The executive board for the 26,000-member union approved the endorsement recommendation submitted by its political arm, the State Employees Political Action Committee.

WSEU Executive Director Marty Beil said the endorsement of Gov. Thompson reflects the positive relationship his administration has developed with state employees.

"While we may not always see eye to eye with the Governor on everything, he has been open and supportive of issues that benefit the workers we represent," Beil said. "Under his administration, we have made significant contract gains, a growing economy has helped avoid massive layoffs, and our work environments are safer and more secure."

Beil expressed confidence that the administration’s already strong relationship with its employees will continue to grow over the next four years of the governor’s term in office.

IMPLEMENTATION OF NEW LICENSE LAW RESULTS IN DIMINISHED SERVICE FOR MOTORISTS

For more information, contact: Curt Sailsbery, President, AFSCME Local 1195 (715) 258-0129

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation's (DOT) implementation of a new license plate law is unnecessarily forcing state motorists to drive farther, pay more and wait longer for their license plates and titles, the union representing drivers license examiners charged today.

Under a new state law that went into effect Sept. 1, motorists purchasing a vehicle are required to obtain a permanent or temporary plate within two business days. The law was intended to discontinue the practice of motorists attaching "license applied for" (LAF) signs to their vehicles while waiting for the metal plates to be processed and mailed. Wisconsin DOT has entered into agreements with financial institutions, county clerks, law enforcement agencies and auto dealerships to provide the plate services.

However, while state motor vehicle customer service centers statewide have the capability of immediately issuing permanent license plates to motorists, drivers license examiners are being instructed by management to refer customers to the outside vendors, usually the county clerk's office, the union said.

"In an era when government continually talks about getting in touch with its customers and providing opportunities for "one-stop shopping, "it's very frustrating to know that we could provide these plates faster, cheaper and more efficiently but are being told to refer customers elsewhere for less service, even though it's 25 miles out of their way," said Curt Sailsbery, president of AFSCME Local 1195.

Sailsbery, an employee of Wisconsin DOT's Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV), said the inconvenience is most severe in Wisconsin's rural areas. Statewide, there are approximately 80 Wisconsin DOT satellite offices that provide vehicle and driver services to smaller communities as infrequently as once a month, although many communities receive DMV services once a week.

"So in addition to providing services to these areas only once a week, now the employees are assisting customers in completing the paper work and then shuffling them to another location, where they receive service from someone who is already overworked, often doesn't understand the registration process and has a hard time answering their questions, "Sailsbery said. "Instead of one person processing the application, handing them a permanent metal plate and making sure they receive their title in a week to 10 days, now the customer deals with two people, has to pay extra for a temporary plate and then waits six to eight weeks for their permanent plate and title. For what they pay, I think state motorists deserve better service than that."

In addition, the total fee is $8 at county clerk's office while it is$5 at the DMV centers, Sailsbery said.

He predicted that the state's full-service DMV centers in more populated areas will become overburdened as rural residents utilize them in order to avoid the hassles of obtaining plates in outlying areas.

"This is not a scare tactic in order to increase union staffing levels," Sailsbery said. "We could provide better, faster, more convenient service with the current number of employees if management would simply let us." Sailsbery said the union hopes to change the legislation to give vehicle purchasers up to five business days to obtain a permanent or temporary license plate, which would ease the hardship on rural communities that receive service only once a week.

September 17, 1998

UW HOSPITAL WORKERS APPROVE 3-YEAR CONTRACT BY WIDE MARGIN

Officials from the union representing state employees expressed satisfaction today after workers at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics voted overwhelmingly to approve a three-year contract, the first contract negotiated with the hospital since it became a privately run facility.

Nearly 90% of Local 1942 members who cast ballots Wednesday voted to ratify the contract, which provides 4% annual pay increases, retroactive to July 6, 1997, for the first year of the contract and July 6, 1998, for the second year. Local 1942 represents blue collar, technical and administrative support employees at the hospital.

The contract also provides separate pay adjustments for specific job classifications within the bargaining unit, maintains workers’ status as state employees, and continues the seniority and transfer rights granted under previous contracts. A new employer-funded education provision allows employees to pursue training to enhance their job performance and career development.

"Even though it was a long time in coming, this is a good initial contract that recognizes the significant contributions of these workers in making UW Hospital a nationally recognized facility," said Marty Beil, executive director of the Wisconsin State Employees Union. "We’re relieved that the lengthy negotiation process is over, that our members unanimously approved the contract and that we have developed a positive relationship with management to resolve other issues in the future."

August 31, 1998

MARINETTE STUDENT AWARDED TOP SCHOLARSHIP

Katharine Kornely of Marinette was recently awarded the top academic scholarship in a competition sponsored by the Wisconsin State Employees Union. The $1,000 scholarship, renewable for four years, is awarded in memory of the late Jim Boyd, a former president of the statewide union.

Kornely was the valedictorian of her senior class at Marinette Catholic Central High School, where she also won numerous awards for athletic and academic achievements. In addition, she was a three-year member of the National Honor Society, served on the Marinette and Menominee Area Foundation Youth Advisory Council, and volunteered at the Bay Area Medical Center.

Kornely recently began classes at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she is pursuing an interest in international relations.