Earlier today we posted a BLOG entry regarding Scott Walker's plan to lobby legislators against holding a "special" legislative session to address tentatively agreed upon state employee contracts that have been expired since July 1st, 2009. This posting has bothered me all day and I am now providing my commentary to his publicly made statements.
Scott Walker has not even been sworn into the Office of Governor and yet he is boldly going where no Governor-elect has ever gone before and that is on the edge of interfering with the sworn duties of the incumbent Governor and his Administration.
ALL represented state employees are in the process of nearly reaching or have actually reached a tentative agreement with Governor Jim Doyle's Administration as to the terms of the already expired state employee contracts. The Doyle Administration will then bring these contracts before the "incumbent" legislature for ratification as well as the various state unions will do by bringing the contracts before their membership for ratification. If both sides ratify the tentatively reached agreements (contracts) then Governor Jim Doyle will execute his responsibility and sign into law the ratified contracts.
It is very important to note that the present negotiations, assuming they yield ratified contracts will start all over again in the first six months of 2011 because the contracts will expire on June 30th, 2011. At that time Scott Walker will now have his opportunity to bring his terms forward for negotiations and the negotiating will begin. Given the constant public barrage of insults and claimed attacks on ALL public sector workers it is a given that state employees will not see "Forward" progress on negotiations anytime soon in the next four-years unless state employees would be willing to bend over, grab their ankles and I am sure that you know the remaining verbage of that saying.
Scott Walker says he will lobby the public to engage the legislators to not support a "special" legislative session to address ALL of the expired state employee contracts, but let it be known that will be his vehicle to appeal to support from our very neighbors, friends and even family members of his call that state employees want more when everyone is doing with less. In other words, he will promote less than the truth, he will spin his words and actions and he will send the fight to our communities pitting private sector against public sector. He assumes and knows that the media will run with his communications to the legislators and the media will actually be his vehicle to get his message of spin and fear to our communities.
No other group of public sector workers know better how Scott Walker operates than the AFSCME members (Council 48) of Milwaukee County who have had to face Scott Walkers lies, inaction and just plain fear that he puts into his constituents minds in order to achieve his agenda for the past many years.
State Employees need to "Stand Proud" of the services that you provide everyday to the residents and visitors of Wisconsin, you need to convey to your neighbors, friends and all of your family members just what services you do deliver and the impact it has for Wisconsin.
If Scott Walker would somehow have an epiphany and earns your respect then when you have contact with him provide the respect that we customarily do in America of looking the person in the eye, providing a cordial greeting and shake their hand, but do not ever allow yourself to kneel and touch your forehead to the ground in expression of deep respect, worship, or submission, that is known as "kowtowing". We DO NOT do that here in America.
DO NOT allow Scott Walker to create an environment in Wisconsin of conquer and divide (private sector vs. public sector). Stand Proud, soundoff and pushback to Scott Walkers world of hatred.
Posted by Steven Williams
PEL Coordinator
AFSCME Council 24
This posting is a personal reflection of the writer and is not done with the authorization of the leadership of AFSCME Council 24 or the Wisconsin State Employees Union.
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