November 12, 2010
Contact: Marty Beil
608 836-6666
This week's coup attempt by Gov.-elect Scott Walker not only was a breath-taking display of arrogance, it signaled a fundamental disregard for the rule of law, according to Marty Beil, executive director of the Wisconsin State Employees Union, AFSCME Council 24.
On Thursday, Walker tried to force Gov. Jim Doyle to essentially stop working well before his term expires.
"We know the financial crisis has created extraordinary times for our state and nation, but this does not mean we should abandon the rule of law. Governors are elected to four-year terms in this state. They aren't supposed to abdicate months early when a new one is elected," Beil said.
Walker's call to abandon work on long overdue 2009-2011 state employee contracts demonstrates a disappointing disregard for statutes governing labor relations.
"There is a duty to bargain on the part of the employer. It's not just a duty -- it's the law. You can't just ignore the law because you don't respect unions," Beil said.
Trying to blow up many months of painstaking work is sending an extremely hostile message to state workers, Beil said.
"If he wants to fight, we are not afraid to fight. We've been here nearly 80 years. We've seen plenty of politicians come and go and we will see many more come and go," Beil said.
"But if Scott Walker wants to work with the people on the front lines who truly make Wisconsin work, we are ready to work with him. We'd certainly prefer cooperation, but it's a two way street," he said. Beil said he is mystified how Walker's efforts to pull the rug out from under Doyle helps the state'seconomy recover. "What does not bargaining with state employees have to do with bringing jobs back to Wisconsin?" Beil asked.
"How does turning away hundreds of millions of federal dollars and sending it to other states help Wisconsin? How does it help Wisconsin to guarantee we need to continue sending energy dollars out of the state instead of paying it to Wisconsin farmers and foresters?" he continued.
"In these difficult times, I'm convinced that we will accomplish more by pulling together. If Scott Walker wants to go it alone, as it appears so far he does, the entire state will be the loser," Beil said.
Click here to download and distribute this press release >>>
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment
This blog is created to not only keep you informed, but to receive feedback from you as well. Please feel free to comment on any posts. We reserve the right to remove any post we deem inappropriate in language and/or content.