Posted on 04/02/2012 2:58:28 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
Across Wisconsin, typically sleepy elections for local governments and school boards are being enlivened by a debate about how public workers should be treated now that most of their legal union rights have been repealed by Gov. Scott Walker's 2011 budget repair bill.
Elected officials in hundreds of municipalities and school districts are rewriting pay scales, benefit plans, work rules and disciplinary procedures as contracts expire, and many public sector workers are upset about what they've lost and worried about the future.
"Just because their rights as employees have been trampled on, they aren't going to sit there silently," said Christina Brey, spokeswoman for the Wisconsin Education Association Council, the state's largest teachers union. "They are finding other avenues."
Scott Johnson, a Fort Atkinson School Board member being challenged for his seat in Tuesday's election, said he was very disappointed the local teachers union recommended his opponent, but he's not surprised because he has been open about his attitude toward unions.
"Philosophically, I struggle with the idea of unionized civil servants (because) they can influence the very boards that they negotiate with to receive compensation," said Johnson, seeking his fifth three-year term.
Teachers who interviewed him didn't like his stance against giving preferences to workers with higher seniority when it comes to layoffs, rehiring and promotions.
"If they are the top of the game, they have nothing to worry about," Johnson said.
(Excerpt) Read more at host.madison.com ...
Wisconsin Labor Stirring Up the Electorate ping
FReep Mail me if you want on, or off, this Wisconsin interest ping list.
I don’t think this story would be worded any differently if it had been penned by a PR flack at AFL-CIO headquarters.
Probably was. I used to work for a newspaper, and you’d be amazed at the number of times that articles went in directly from supplied press releases to the finished copy with little, or no, editing.
I once confronted a reporter for the La Crosse Tribune on why they never challenged Kind. The response:”Oh, we just write down what he says.”
They are either just flacks or stenographers.
Verify The Recall is our friend.
We are outing liberals all over the place.
Mark Belling is outing them day after day.
It’s a beautiful thing.
Thanks to all FReepers who worked on Verify The Recall!
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