Friday, January 21, 2011

Governor Walker Directs Cabinet Secretaries to Meet Regularly with Frontline Workers

EXECUTIVE ORDER # 5
Relating to a Requirement that Cabinet Secretaries Meet Regularly with Frontline Workers to Identify Waste, Fraud, and Abuse


WHEREAS, reducing Wisconsin’s unsustainable tax burden requires reining in runaway government spending;

WHEREAS, regular dialogue between state workers and cabinet secretaries can increase the efficiency of state government and reduce costs;

WHEREAS, frontline state workers can provide abundant information to cabinet secretaries on more efficient ways to provide services and identify cost savings;

NOW THEREFORE, I, Scott Walker, Governor of the State of Wisconsin, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of this State do hereby require cabinet secretaries to hold regular meetings with frontline workers in order to help identify efficiencies and cost savings.

IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of Wisconsin to be affixed. Done at the Capitol in the City of Madison this fourteenth day of January, in the year two thousand eleven.

SCOTT WALKER
Governor

Download a printer-friendly version of Executive Order# 5
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Additional Note from Marty Beil, Executive Director, AFSCME Council 24;

All,

The Executive order promulgated by Scott Walker instructs each Department head to meet with their employees regarding savings and waste in their respective agencies. We would strongly encourage each of you to contact your agency’s Secretary and request such a meeting.

Please keep a log or record of the request and response to it. Please advise your Field Representative of any meeting. We would also like you to keep track if any Secretary just shows up at your worksite for this purpose and who he/she speaks to about savings and waste. There should be a Union presence at any and all of these kinds of meetings. Please keep us and your Field Rep in the loop.

Thanks,

Marty

Former TBA Staff for the Northeast Returns

-----Original Message-----
From: Doug Burnett [mailto:DBurnett@afscme.org]
Sent: Friday, January 21, 2011 4:09 PM
To: Marty Beil; 'rabelson@execpc.com'
Cc: 'dsorensen@wiafscme.org'
Subject: TBA NE WI Staff Change


Tracy Miller let us know yesterday that she will be leaving her position to move back to Janesville. Her predecessor, Julie Heun, who left to run Steve Kagen's campaign, will be rejoining our team, starting Monday. We are very pleased to have Julie back for the fight ahead.

Authority: Marty Beil, Executive Director
AFSCME Council 24 AFL-CIO

Thursday, January 20, 2011

AFSCME Lobby Day Has Been Scheduled

The 2011 Lobby Day has been scheduled for Thursday, April 14th

Last year nearly 500 AFSCME members participated in Lobby Day!

Busses will be available from the Milwaukee, Eau Claire, Tomah, Green Bay, Appleton and Oshkosh areas again this year. Please watch your email or check this BLOG or the SEPAC website for those details or contact your Take Back America Staff person!

To sign-up for Lobby Day 2011 send an email to; info@wiafscme.org with your NAME, ADDRESS, EMAIL and indicate if you would like to take the bus to Madison! You can also register through your Take Back America Staff person.

Registration opens at 9 a.m. at the Masonic Temple in Madison. A brief program will follow, which will include a distribution of necessary talking points, instructions and directions.

Boxed lunches are also provided.

Please visit http://www.wiafscme.org to see the full Lobby Day article.

Authority: Marty Beil, Executive Director
AFSCME Council 24 AFL-CIO

Pension Story Nothing More than a Hoax

AFSCME Council 24 was made aware on Wednesday afternoon, 1/19, that a phony article appeared in the world of cyberspace. The article reported that Walker appointed Scott Jensen to begin to dismantle and raid the State pension system.

The verbiage in the release was extraordinarily similar to previous statements of Walker and his administration. In fact too be candid some initially thought that the release was legitimate. That is not the case. This release is not a real press release. It was concocted and made up, in spite of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel byline.

Charlie Sykes and WTMJ radio have issued a story that this was all a hoax perpetrated by the teachers union. (http://www.620wtmj.com/shows/charliesykes/114195214.html)

Please distribute this information to your members. This is not a legitimate story. We have spoken today with Dave Stella, Secretary of Employee Trust Funds. He also affirmed that the release was a hoax and that there was absolutely no substance to its content.

Authority: Marty Beil, Executive Director
AFSCME Council 24 AFL-CIO

AFSCME Council 24 Press Release

January 19, 2010
Contact: Marty Beil
608 836-0024

PLALE APPOINTMENT SHOWS NOTHING HAS CHANGED IN MADISON

For all the new administration's talk of change, the appointment of former Democratic State Sen. Jeff Plale to a cushy political job shows that nothing has changed in Wisconsin.

"It's old fashioned political payback, plain and simple," said Marty Beil, executive director of the Wisconsin State Employees Union, AFSCME Council 24.

"Plale broke rank with his party and broke faith with working people everywhere when he provided a key vote against passing long overdue state employee contracts," Beil said.

"Instead of casting a vote that was consistent with his long record of supporting working people, Plale clearly took his cue from the incoming governor. Now that governor is returning the favor. Unfortunately, the taxpayers are picking up the tab," Beil said.

"Instead of seeking out the best and the brightest, this governor is busy creating a country club for cronies," Beil said.

"When he says 'open for business' and then appoints people like Plale, he's obviously saying that he doesn't draw the line at the world's oldest profession," Beil said.

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"Click Here" for a printer-friendly version of this press release.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Please Help STOP the Repeal of the Affordable Care Act

Instead of working to find bipartisan solutions to create jobs, Republicans in Congress are re-fighting the political debates of the last two years by trying to repeal the new health care law and give control over your health care back to the insurance companies.Call your Member of Congress NOW at 877-264-HCAN (4226) and thank them for standing up for consumers and voting NO on repeal. Click here and tell us how your call went.

The Republicans’ repeal bill will let the insurance companies deny care to people with pre-existing conditions and return us to the days of "anything-goes" premium rate hikes that are crushing consumers and businesses. Our supporters in Congress need to hear from you today. Call NOW: 877-264-HCAN (4226) and make sure your voice against repeal is heard.

In Solidarity,

Melinda Gibson
Health Care for America Now

P.S. "Click Here" to download the full version that shows the benefits and consumer protections that the Republican repeal bill will take away from you. Call Congress today!