Message and Statement from AFSCME Council 24 Director and Assistant Director Regarding the Publishing of Wisconsin Act 10

From: Jana Weaver [jweaver@wseu-24.org]
Sent: Friday, March 25, 2011 9:16 PM
To: AFSCME Council 24 Leadership
Cc: AFSCME Council 24 Staff
Subject: Scott Walker's Illegal Actions

Importance: High

All,

We are sure most of you have heard that the Walker Administration once again thumbed their nose at the law in Wisconsin and “published” their anti-worker budget repair bill. This is in direct violation of the temporary restraining order put in place by Judge Sumi and left in place by the Court of Appeals when they requested that the Supreme Court to accept the case. It also flies in the face of what the elected Secretary of State, Doug LaFollette, ordered. These types of actions will not be tolerated by this union or the citizens of Wisconsin. Our team of attorney’s are hard at work this evening analyzing these actions and determining the best way to stop yet another attack. Please find below a statement from Marty.

If you have questions we’ll try to answer them but the republican’s actions are unlawful and unexplainable.

Solidarity,

Marty and Jana

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Executive Director Beil's Statement
03/25/2011

Scott Walker and his allies in the Legislature have shown more clearly than ever they have no respect for the rule of law, and their extreme overreach in this massive power grab to strip workers of their rights has no bounds. In a matter of months, Walker and his Republican allies have attempted to turn our great state of Wisconsin and all its democratic traditions into their own banana republic.

By attempting to unilaterally publish their bill eliminating the rights of hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites, Walker and his cronies have willfully ignored a court order barring enactment – making a mockery of decades of both due process and transparency in Wisconsin government. It’s clear at this point that Scott Walker and his corporate benefactors like the Koch brothers will literally do or say anything in pursuit of their extreme power grab.

There can be no doubt this is illegal. Today’s actions come in arrogant defiance of both the court order and specific instructions to the Legislative Reference Bureau from the Secretary of State. Judge Sumi’s order enjoins all “further implementation” of the Act – including but not limited to the publication of the bill, and Secretary of State La Follette specifically ordered the LRB “not to proceed with publication until I contact with a new publication date.”

The Court of Appeals viewed this such a serious issue of statewide importance it called on the Supreme Court to intervene, and left Judge Sumi’s order carrying the force of law in place. If Scott Walker attempts to treat this action as having the force of law, he will have assumed the role of dictator, not governor, of the State of Wisconsin.

Scott Walker and his massive overreach for absolute power is attempting to destroy the rule of law in Wisconsin. From refusing open records requests, unconstitutionally barring access to Capitol building, steamrolling open meetings laws to jam through a budget repair in bill in the dark of night, or today’s flagrantly anti-democratic actions in the face of direct orders to the contrary by the courts and the Secretary of State, Walker and Republicans have proven themselves unfit to govern our great state of Wisconsin.

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