Republicans Consider Restriction of Bargaining Rights in Budget Bill

As the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee continues work on the governor’s 2005-07 state budget proposal, Republican leaders have signaled their intent to draft a proposal that would restrict public employees’ collective bargaining rights.

In a statement released Wednesday (June 1, 2005), state Representative Dan Vrakas proposed a health insurance pool for all state and local government workers, including school district employees. State Senator Alberta Darling and Representative Terri McCormick have also proposed a plan that would make choosing a health insurance provider a prohibited subject of bargaining for unionized public employees.

Such a plan would stick educators with higher premiums and deductibles, while eroding the quality of their health insurance benefits, WEAC President Stan Johnson said. “Cutting benefits for teachers and education support professionals is not an effective method of health care cost reform,” he said. “The Republican proposal would simply shift skyrocketing health care costs on to the backs of hardworking school employees, whose salaries continue to lose pace with inflation and fall further behind the national average.”

There’s a perception that education employees do not pay for their health insurance, Johnson said, but in fact, teachers and support staff have sacrificed pay increases at the bargaining table in exchange for health insurance coverage for their families. “Great schools depend on great teachers and staff, and without fair compensation the best and brightest will pursue careers in other fields,” he said.

Governor Jim Doyle proposed a state budget in February that makes historic investments in public education while providing property tax relief. The proposal includes an additional $850 million investment so that the state lives up to its commitment to fully fund two-thirds of the cost of public education, and includes additional aid for the SAGE class size reduction program, 4-year-old kindergarten, and teacher mentoring.

The governor’s budget also called for repeal of the Qualified Economic Offer law, which has eroded teacher salaries, causing them to stagnate. In April, the Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee stripped the QEO repeal without holding a public hearing or taking a vote on the record.

As part of its budget proposal, the Joint Finance Committee is expected to hamstring school district revenue control flexibility by cutting to $120 the allowable per-pupil increase. School districts have set their local budgets expecting the allowable increase to be $248 for the 2005-06 school year and $252 for 2006-07.

If the per-pupil reduction became law, school districts statewide would be forced to cut millions for their budgets, possibly resulting in staff layoffs, increased class sizes, and reduced course offerings, Johnson said. “Such a proposal would jeopardize Wisconsin’s future by depriving schools of the resources they need to educate and train the workforce of tomorrow.”

Johnson is urging all WEAC members to participate in Lobby Day on June 16 by coming to Madison to talk to their legislators about preserving investments in public education. “Lobby Day is scheduled at a critical time when legislators are making key decisions on education in the state budget bill,” he said. “The more people we have there to tell them, the greater our chances of preserving Wisconsin’s great schools. Our children’s futures depend on it.”

Lobby Day will be held at the Monona Terrace Convention Center and at the Capitol. It will include visits with legislators, speeches by the governor, State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster and WEAC leaders, a hearing on health care issues, and discussions with colleagues. To attend Lobby Day, members must register in advance by visiting the Members Only area of OnWEAC, or by contacting their UniServ offices.

Resource page on the 2005-07 state budget

Posted June 3, 2005