Update: Our Unions at WITC

What is the status of the ‘budget repair’ bill? When will it become law?
As of right now – May 20 – the budget repair bill is not law, because a District Court has issued an injunction preventing it from taking effect. That injunction could be lifted by the Supreme Court, which would likely make the law effective, or the injunction could be extended to some point in the future. The legislature can still revote, and pass the bill again, this time after giving the proper notice, and that would likely make the law effective. While no one knows for sure what will happen, or when, we expect the bill to become effective some time in June of this year.

As you probably already know, when the bill becomes effective all public employees, including Tech College faculty and support staff, will be subject to the increased costs for pensions and health care. The budget repair bill also rescinds most of public employees’ legislative right to bargain, leaving only the right to bargain very limited wage increases.

However, being a union has never been about the legislative ‘right to bargain’. It’s about our collective voice and our ability to work together collectively to bring about change. We will still have the ability to organize ourselves on our campuses and work places to advocate for ourselves on many important issues. Since the law is not in effect, our union is bargaining under the existing law. If the union and College can reach an agreement before the law takes effect, that agreement would be a legitimate contract. But as you know, the College’s Board has not been willing to come to agreement with the union so far, in spite of considerable concessions offered by both unions, and we don’t see then changing their mind anytime soon.

If the College refuses to come to an agreement, and the law takes effect, how will bargaining work under the new law with such severe restrictions?
Even with such ridiculous restrictions, Tech College unions can still advocate and organize around issues, and demand to meet to discuss these issues with administrations. We will have the ability, as a union, to meet with administration and come to an understanding around almost every issue that a legal collective bargaining agreement would cover.

There is a long history of this kind of “negotiation” both nationally and in Wisconsin, in which teachers and other public employees negotiated binding agreements with their employers prior to gaining legal bargaining rights in 1959. In such a system, our right to bargain comes not from legislation, but from our union’s mandate. Such a mandate comes from wide-ranging support for the union in its activities and its positions vis-a-vis the College. It will also require a high membership rate going forward – we must be able to show that our union is the voice for faculty and support staff at WITC.

Why should I continue as a member in the union if we no longer can bargain as we did before?
As discussed above, even without full bargaining rights, we can still meet, negotiate, and advocate on issues with administration. We intend to do that. But beyond that, our union is our vehicle for making the political change needed to move forward from Walker’s power grab. Our plan is to build on the energy of the rallies and protests in our community, in Madison, and all around the state over the last several weeks. In the next few months, we’ll participate in several recall campaigns to win a Senate majority that will support collective bargaining and workers’ rights. We’ll continue to strengthen our coalition with other unions, organizations, and citizens who stand with us for our rights. And we’ll pursue a long-term campaign to reclaim real bargaining rights and protect the high quality, accessible technical education that Wisconsin is known for.


Why should I still pay dues after getting a substantial pay cut?
This is definitely a hard time to be a public employee – we’re all facing anywhere from an 8 to 12% pay cut because of the Governor’s budget repair bill. But unless we come together right now, we’ll never have the ability to regain our full bargaining rights and bargain again for fair compensation and benefits, and we won’t have the membership we need to negotiate with the administration from a position of strength. We need to pool our efforts, our experience – and our resources – to have the power we’ll need to restore Wisconsin’s commitment to worker rights.

How will I pay dues, if it’s not possible to pay them through payroll deduction?
Our Local is working on ways to make paying your dues as easy and safe as possible. You will likely have the option of paying through a bank draft – a regular deduction from your checking account at your bank – or by using your credit card. Either way, you can rest assured your financial information will be treated safely and securely. By paying your dues, you’ll be doing your part to keep our union strong and vibrant, and to make sure Walker’s plan to penalize public employees while giving breaks to his corporate buddies doesn’t succeed.

Now is the time to recommit as a member of the union and help us protect what we’ve earned at WITC.