Thanks to everyone who completed the MPEC collective bargaining survey for Bargaining Unit G members. We incorporated the items you indicated as important in our plans. The current collective bargaining agreement or Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) will expire on June 30, 2015. Monetary issues for 2016 and beyond must be negotiated prior to January 1, 2015 in order to be included in the Governor's budget for fiscal year 2016.
Negotiations are used to resolve many issues that arise during the year; however, it is not the only vehicle we have to address issues that occur between negotiations. One of the most powerful tools that the Union and Management have to solve problems is the Labor Management Committee (LMC) which, by contract, can be established at each department, facility, and agency.
Senator Hansen (D - Green Bay) introduced a bill, 2013 SB 611, on February 17, 2014 to create a private-sector version of the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS).
To see the bill, click here.
December 2, 2014
Dear members of AFT Local 3535 (TAUWP),
I hope everyone will join us on Friday, December 12, from 4-6 PM at the Riverwest Public House to celebrate the end of the semester and the beginning of the winter holidays. Over the coming months it should be our goal to continue to expand our union and to be a stronger force for faculty and academic staff on the UWM campus. In January, I’ll be in touch with dates for next semester’s general membership meetings.
This newsletter includes the following:
November news--- see what is happening and planned for SABEA members this month.
These are the notes from the JCAC meeting 11.4.14.
http://cccft.wa.aft.org/files/jcac_notes_11-04-14.pdf
AFT-Wisconsin members highly value and honor education. As part of our values, we offer scholarships for children and grandchildren of current or retired AFT-Wisconsin members who will be attending technical colleges or universities. This year a $1,000 university scholarship and a $500 technical college scholarship were awarded.
AFT-Wisconsin has a long tradition of offering educational scholarships to support dependents of members in good standing who wish to pursue higher education at a technical college or university. Currently, AFT-Wisconsin offers one $1,000 university scholarship and one $500 technical college scholarship. The application period for 2015-2016 scholarships is now open; applications are due to AFT-Wisconsin by March 15, 2015, and winners will be notified by May 1, 2015.
Yesterday’s election results were disappointing, to say the least. With Scott Walker’s reelection, we’re going to have some tough fights on our hands in the coming months. We must remain vigilant against many threats that are likely to come our way, including forced public school privatization, outsourcing of state positions, further cuts to higher education, and centralization of power in the state technical college system. But while the political environment in the Capitol will continue to present us with challenges, remember—AFT-Wisconsin members are resilient.
This morning, the Wisconsin Supreme Court issued its ruling in Madison Teachers, Inc. v. Walker, in which the Court’s conservative majority overturned Judge Juan Colas’s 2012 decision that found most of Act 10 unconstitutional for municipal employees. The decision did not affect our state employee and UW System unions, which have been operating under Act 10 since 2011. As expected, a majority of the Court upheld the law, which is no surprise—the conservative ideologues that make up the Court’s majority have reliably sided with Scott Walker and big-money special interests in nearly every major case over the past few years. This decision is aptly summarized by Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, joined by Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson, in her dissent, which states that "the majority's failure to address the actual issues presented in this case allows it to reach results that countenance the needless diminution of multiple constitutional rights." While I (and our legal counsel) strongly disagree with the Court’s opinion, today’s decision closes the books on the major legal challenges to Act 10.
