Local Leaders Discuss Efforts to Repeal QEO Law
WEAC President Stan Johnson, presiding over a meeting of local association
presidents, fields a question from the floor.
About
200 local association presidents and other officers gathered in Madison
March 22, 2003, to discuss a statewide strategy for supporting the education
portion of Governor Doyle’s state budget and winning support for repeal
of the Qualified Economic Offer (QEO) law.
“We have a big task ahead of us. We must come together,”
WEAC President Stan Johnson told the local officers.
Assistant Executive Director for Public Affairs John
Stocks said this is the best, and possibly the only, opportunity WEAC
members will have in the foreseeable future to win repeal of the QEO law,
which has essentially stripped teachers of their collective bargaining
rights.
Doyle has included in his budget bill a proposal to
repeal the law, but many legislators are organizing to keep the QEO, “and
it will be a fight to keep repeal of the QEO in this budget,” Stocks
said. “It is not going to be easy.”
It is essential that local leaders mobilize members
back home now to pressure legislators to support repeal, Stocks said.
In addition, members must keep reminding the governor that repeal of the
QEO law is their top priority so that it remains one of his top priorities.
The budget is currently being reviewed by the Legislature’s
Joint Finance Committee, which will present its version to the full Legislature,
which is scheduled to send the budget back to Doyle for his vetoes and
signature by the end of June.
Most of the meeting involved local leaders gathering
in smaller groups to discuss ways to engage members back home in contacting
legislators.
They agreed to return to their locals and consult with
leaders to develop local plans.
WEAC is tentatively organizing member lobby days at
the Capitol in June, depending on the Legislature’s calendar.
WEAC Legislative Program Coordinator Bob Burke said
that in addition to the budget, WEAC is promoting a variety of items in
its Legislative
Agenda over the two-year session. Topics include alternative education
opportunities; 4-year-old kindergarten; relief from revenue caps; safe
and healthy schools; special education; the Student Achievement Guarantee
in Education (SAGE) program; Education Support Professionals retirement;
staff recruitment, mentoring and retention; WTCS pay equity; and parent,
family and community involvement in schools.
WEAC Executive Director Michael A. Butera told members
that survey results show that WEAC’s “consistent, disciplined”
message of Every Kid Deserves a Great School is having a positive impact
on public opinion, which is important in influencing legislation.That
and last fall’s election of a pro-education governor lay the groundwork
for our current and future efforts, Butera said, “But much, much
more work needs to be done.”
To illustrate the impact of the QEO, WEAC Collective Bargaining Director
Mike McNett cited the case of Albany, where the school board indicated
its intent to impose the QEO and informed teachers they will have to make
huge paybacks as a result. In some cases, individuals were told they would
have to return more than $3,000 in back pay. (The contract later was tentatively
settled without a QEO.)
"I don’t think we would ever see an interest arbitrator give
an award so huge, so harsh, so punitive as that," McNett said, referring
to the system of arbitration that was in place prior to the QEO law.
McNett said that while the QEO law has caused teachers to lose 7% to
inflation, school districts have been beefing up their Fund 10 surpluses,
which now average about 16% of a school district’s budget.
“So the QEO has been harder on you than revenue caps have been on
school districts,” he said.
Districts seem to have enough money for buildings and administrative
salaries but not for fair teacher or Education Support Professional salaries,
he said.
With that in mind, McNett told officers that the most important thing
they can do for their current and future negotiations right now is to
galvanize their members to lobby legislators for repeal of the QEO law.
Johnson echoed that thought, saying it is essential that Wisconsin pass
a fair collective bargaining law for teachers.
“We want to get out of the little chairs so we can sit and look
at board members as equals,” he said.
Posted March 28, 2003