Number
101328
Version
ORIGINAL
Reference
Sponsor
ALDS. WADE, ZIELINSKI, COGGS, AND BAUMAN
Title
Resolution opposing provisions of the State Budget Adjustment Bill proposed by Governor Walker.
Analysis
This resolution expresses the City of Milwaukee’s opposition to provisions of the State Budget Adjustment Bill proposed by Governor Walker.
Body
Whereas, Among Wisconsin’s great assets as a state are the public employees who work hard to provide the essential services and infrastructure essential for the people and businesses of Wisconsin to thrive; and
Whereas, Wisconsin led the nation in giving public employees the right of collective bargaining, and the nation’s largest public employee union, the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, was founded in Madison in 1936; and
Whereas, In 1959, Wisconsin passed the nation’s first comprehensive public employee bargaining law, Section 111.70, Wis. Stats., which provided the right of collective bargaining to public employees, and required municipalities, school districts, the university system and other public entities to bargain with unionized employees; and
Whereas, Skilled public employees and proactive employee unions are intrinsic to the Wisconsin tradition of innovative and progressive public service and have been instrumental in the provision of quality public services for residents and businesses in the Milwaukee community; and
Whereas, The City of Milwaukee has experienced a long history of productive relationships with its public employees and public unions; and
Whereas, The budget adjustment legislation proposed by Governor Walker would remove the ability of public employee unions, except for public safety employee unions, to bargain over pensions, health insurance and would limit those unions to negotiate only on base wages; and
Whereas, Prohibiting the provisions of current law regarding collection of union dues and certification of unions would assist neither the State of Wisconsin nor the City of Milwaukee in addressing current or future budget challenges; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, By the Common Council of the City of Milwaukee, that the City of Milwaukee urges that the Wisconsin State Legislature delete the provisions of the Fiscal Repair Bill currently being considered under Special Session SB11 pertaining to Collective Bargaining and Employment Relations that would restrict employee collective bargaining, including the sections of the proposed legislation relating to represented employee classification, prohibited subjects of bargaining, annual bargaining unit certification requirements, union dues provisions, changes to interest arbitration under MERA and limitations on the terms of a labor agreement; and that said items be given separate consideration, with public hearings, legislative committee mark-up and deliberation in each house of the legislature; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the City of Milwaukee stands in solidarity with the hard-working men and women of the public sector and thanks them for their invaluable contribution to the community through plowing streets, keeping families safe, maintaining water services, staffing libraries, cleaning parks, putting out fires, driving buses, cleaning schools and teaching children.
Requestor
Drafter
LRB125651-1
Teodros W. Medhin/lp
2/16/2011