On Friday March 30, Governor Walker approved revised
emergency administrative rules for determining base wages for bargaining under
Act 10. Under these new rules, base wages will no longer be equivalent to an
individual’s actual salary, but rather a lesser amount that excludes
compensation for educational attainment, credentialing, lump sum merit, and
overtime, among other items. While this change applies to state and municipal
employees, it will likely affect our K-12 and tech college teacher locals
disproportionately, as many of our teacher union contracts include educational
attainment salary bumps.
These new rules reflect a departure from the Wisconsin Employment
Commission’s original interpretation of how base salary should be calculated.
The original emergency rule, which was unanimously approved by the Commission,
defined base wages much more broadly. At Walker’s request, the Commission
redrafted the rules to further limit unions’ ability to negotiate on their
members’ behalf. These new rules were approved by the Commission along partisan
lines. James Scott and Rodney Pasch, the two Walker appointees voted in favor
of the new rules, while Judy Neumann, the remaining Doyle appointee on the
Commission, dissented. For a copy of the new rules, go here: http://werc.wi.gov/selected_press_releases_and_werc_world_articles.htm#maximum_base_wage_increase_rules_redrafted.
The revised rules set the base wage, and, therefore the CPI
increase, substantially below the amount needed to pay teachers their current
salaries. For instance, if the union contract has a base salary for a starting
teacher with a BA of $38,000, but a starting salary for a teacher with an MA is
$50,000, the bargained salary increase up to CPI will be figured on the
teacher’s base salary of $38,000 rather than her actual salary of $50,000. Any
increase beyond this amount—and, in fact, any part of the teacher’s current
salary that is attributed to educational attainment or other “supplemental
compensation”—will not be bargainable under the new rules.
These new administrative rules are another example of
Governor Walker’s overreach and his willingness to use the political process to
bust our unions and undermine public education and state services. Under the
new rules for municipal employees, general employees are divded into
essentially two classes—teachers and other general employees whose salary
increases have not been linked to educational attainment. As a result, the rules
seem to discriminate against teachers: there is no rational basis for treating
teachers' salaries differently than other general municipal employees. Further,
the new rules may have the consequence of reducing teachers’ take-home pay. The
union is looking into both these matters.
The news is dire, but it does not necessarily mean that
teachers will see a pay cut. Nothing in the rules requires districts to cut
teacher pay. Districts still have the ability to seek input from the union on
supplemental salary plans, and they still have the ability to include salary
increases for educational attainment in policy or handbooks. There is strong
incentive for districts to continue the educational attainment increase.
Students benefit from having teachers who have continued their own education. Our
union locals should be working with their administrations and boards and with
the larger community to ensure that educational attainment increases are
preserved in the handbook and/or in board policy.
These rules are also yet another reason in a long list for
recalling Governor Walker and his Republican cronies in the legislature. This
is not only a matter of union rights. It is a matter of protecting and
perserving Wisconsin public education. To participate in the recall election
process, email Jessica Ulstad at ulstad@aft-wisconsin.org.
