AFSCME Council 24 UIN for 03/03/2011

Crisis at the Capitol

As you all know, the standoff at the Capitol continues as of the time of this writing. Just when you thought you’d seen it all in the Budget Repair bill, the governor has now introduced his 2-year budget bill where things went from bad to worse. A more detailed evaluation is outlined in the enclosed Legislative Report.

Rumors are abundant, as they have been for the past two weeks. What we do know at this moment is that the 14 heroes from the state senate remain out of state, blocking action on these draconian initiatives. Meanwhile, protests continue at the capitol, at least to best of our ability. Each day seems to bring about a new and pettier rule to restrict access in the Capitol and access to food for the remaining protesters inside the dome. You may have seen footage of Director Beil testifying in court about this illegal action to lock us out of our own building. The fight continues.

This week brought a change in the focus areas of the protests, when the citizens moved away from the Capitol city and brought the message to their home communities. We have reports of thousands of people showing up for protests, pickets, town hall meetings, etc. from all corners of this state and in between. Thank you to those who are working hard on these local demonstrations. It’s very important that these legislators get the message from their very own constituents. They can hear us now, or hear us later in the voting booth. Check the SEPAC website or contact your field rep to find out what's happening in your area and when, and for the most up to date information on the overall situation.

In addition, this week the process to recall state senators began in eight districts. The SEPAC website has information on these recalls, or you may have received e-action alerts about this. If you live in one of these districts, we need you. It’s critically important that we focus effort and energy to make these recalls successful. It’s a very effective tool, but only if the execution and follow through are in place. Please lend a hand - it’s an investment, which if successful, can help us level the playing field.

As to your contracts, confusion still remains. We have been officially notified that the extension of the master contracts will be cancelled as of 3/13/11. However, word is circulating by the agencies that local agreements may be kept in place. What??? We have been trying to get this resolved and clarified, but as you know, communication from the governor’s office seems to only take place through the media and so far, there has been no specific answer. We’ll keep working on it and will use our various lines of communication to you just as soon as we know anything.

All committee meetings, steward trainings and other types of business you may have had at the Council are postponed for the foreseeable future, including the Stewards in Action for 3/10 and 3/11 in Milwaukee. Until we can get some resolve, all of our energy must be focused on the task at hand.

All of your staff at Council 24 remains engaged in this fight back campaign to the fullest extent possible. We remain so proud and so energized by the commitment and support of not only our staff, but also by our members. You have been out there on the frontlines – calling, writing, e-mailing, picketing, protesting, and rallying. That’s what this fight is all about – individuals standing up for their rights. And our members, along with union brothers and sisters far and wide, are writing the book on how it’s done.

We are receiving support literally from all over the world. We have had contact of all kinds from Europe, the Middle East and Canada, as well as from nearly all fifty states. Our own AFSCME brothers and sisters have stepped up in a big way not only from the International, but across the nation with rallies of support, letters, calls and contributions. We are making history and in the meantime we are solidly bonding the house of labor together. We need to keep this going and extend it out to the recall efforts, mid term elections, and beyond. Thank you and keep up the good work.

Read the AFSCME Wisconsin legislative Report >>>