1% Raise Equal to $1.7 Million in Salary and Fringe Benefits
MacIver News Service | January 14, 2014
[Madison, Wisc…] The Wisconsin Legislature approved five new collective bargaining contracts on Tuesday that would give employees in those unions a one percent raise.The one percent raise is equal to $1.7 million in salaries and fringe benefits for about 2,400 represented government workers annually. The approved one-year contracts will increase general purpose revenue (GPR) spending by $757,747.
The collective bargaining units affected are:
- 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
Under 2011 Act 10, government unions in Wisconsin are only allowed to collectively bargain for salary increases within the rate of inflation. The MacIver Institute reported in October that taxpayers have saved $2.7 billion since Act 10 was passed.
Union leaders claimed during committee meetings it was unfair that these contracts took so long to approve, when non-represented employees received the same one percent raise in the state budget. However, workers represented by these five unions will receive a lump sum payment for their pay going back to June 30, 2013.
Both the Senate and Assembly approved the contracts on Tuesday.