HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-94FEBRUARY 22, 2011 11 -94 RESOLUTION
(CARRIED 5 -1 LOST LAID OVER WITHDRAWN )
PURPOSE: RESOLUTION OPPOSING PROVISIONS OF THE BUDGET
REPAIR BILL PROPOSED BY GOVERNOR WALKER
INITIATED BY: DEPUTY MAYOR JESSICA KING
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, 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 Oshkosh community; and
WHEREAS, good faith public section collective bargaining is critical for the long-
term delivery of innovative and cost - effective public services; and
WHEREAS, the City of Oshkosh has experienced a long history of productive
relationships with our public employees and our public unions; and
WHEREAS, the state budget adjustment legislation proposed by Governor
Walker would prohibit any local governmental unit from collectively bargaining with its
employees, except for public safety employees, and collective bargaining rights under
current law would be effectively retained for public safety employees only; and
FEBRUARY 22, 2011 11 -94 RESOLUTION
CONT'D
WHEREAS, with 10,655 public sector employees in Winnebago County, the
estimated cuts in take -home pay from the "Budget Repair Bill" would be $3,235.00 or a
net loss of over $34,500,000 to our local economy; ( Numbers are from: Institute for
Wisconsin's Future (IWF) — Non - partisan taxpayer org.
http: / /www.wisconsinsfuture.org /publications pdfs /IWF public employee cuts.pdf )
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 Oshkosh in addressing current or future budget challenges; and
WHEREAS, the proposed changes in collective bargaining rights included in
SB11 could jeopardize the City's federal transit funding and impact the City's ability to
continue public transit services;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Oshkosh Common Council
hereby requests 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 prohibit public employee
collective bargaining, including the sections of the proposed legislation relating to
represented employee classification, prohibited 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.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City of Oshkosh stands in solidarity with
the hard working men and women of the public sector and thanks them for their
invaluable contribution to our community through plowing our streets, keeping our
families safe, maintaining our water services, staffing the library, cleaning our parks,
putting out fires, driving our busses, cleaning our schools and teaching our children.