MacIver News Service | December 19, 2013
[Madison, Wisc…] The Joint Committee on Employment Relations (JCOER) unanimously approved agreements for five collective bargaining units and changes to the compensation plan for non-represented employees on Thursday.The collective bargaining units agreed to a one percent raise for government workers represented in the following units:
- Wisconsin State Employees Union (division of AFSCME) for the professional education collective bargaining unit
- Wisconsin State Attorneys Association for the professional legal collective bargaining unit
- Service Employees International Union (SEIU) for the professional patient care collective bargaining unit
- Wisconsin State Building Trades Negotiating Committee for the building trades crafts collective bargaining unit
- Professional Employees in Research, Statistics, and Analysis for the professional research, statistics, and analysis collective bargaining unit
The committee approved similar changes for non-represented state employees. The changes now need to be approved by the full legislature.
Wisconsin AFSCME leader Marty Beil testified in favor of the one percent raise for government workers, but used most of his testimony to rail against reforms enacted by Act 10.
“Act 10 is not working at all,” Beil said. He told the committee that public workers used to have a seat at the table to discuss working conditions, compensation, and even ways to save money.
The MacIver Institute reported in October that taxpayers have saved $2.7 billion since Act 10 was passed.
Beil even spoke about the decertification of one of the collective bargaining units he represents. He said that non-represented employees received the same one percent raise without the need for a union, which led to the union receiving less than 51 percent of the recertification vote.
The legislature is expected to take up the contracts in the spring session.