The Public Section Burden on the Taxpayers

Wisconsin Senate GOP Finds Way to Bypass Missing Democrats, and Votes to Restrict Collective Bargaining for Public Workers

Wisconsin lawmakers called a conference committee meeting -- which is open to the media -- where the key fiscal component of the bill, a refinancing provision, was stripped out. The collective bargaining component, the pay cuts, pension reform -- were still there. That allowed the stripped-down bill to pass the Senate with no Democrats present. - David Weigel, Slate

Other public employee unions, such as the police and firefighters, had restrictions on their union rights, such as the inability to strike, so that teachers, nurses, and social workers, should not think of themselves as exempt from state restrictions on their bargaining rights. - Republican State Sen. Dale Schultz, At a Wisconsin Town Hall, the Mood Turns Against Compromise, The Atlantic, March 7, 2011

March 9, 2011

Fox News - Bypassing Democrats hiding out in Illinois, Wisconsin Senate Republicans voted Wednesday night to strip state workers of their collective bargaining rights.

Republicans voted 18-1 to pass the stripped-down budget bill in a hastily arranged meeting. None of the Senate Democrats were present.

The state Assembly votes on the bill Thursday.

All 14 Senate Democrats fled to Illinois nearly three weeks ago, preventing the chamber from having enough members present to consider Gov. Scott Walker's so-called "budget repair bill" -- a proposal introduced to plug a $137 million budget shortfall..

The Senate requires a quorum to take up any measures that spend money. But Republicans on Wednesday split from the legislation the proposal to curtail union rights, and a special conference committee of state lawmakers approved that bill a short time later.

The lone Democrat present on the conference committee, Rep. Tony Barca, shouted that the surprise meeting was a violation of the state's open meetings law but Republicans voted over his objections. The Senate then convened within minutes and passed it without discussion or debate.

Spectators in the gallery screamed "You are cowards."

Before the sudden votes, Democratic Sens. Bob Jauch said,

If Republicans "chose to ram this bill through in this fashion, it will be to their political peril. They're changing the rules. They will inflame a very frustrated public."

Walker praised the legislative action.

"The Senate Democrats have had three weeks to debate this bill and were offered repeated opportunities to come home, which they refused," he said in a statement.

"In order to move the state forward, I applaud the Legislature's action today to stand up to the status quo and take a step in the right direction to balance the budget and reform the government," he said. "The action today will help ensure Wisconsin has a business climate that allows the private sector to create 250,000 new jobs."

State Senate Democratic Minority Leader Mark Miller issued a statement saying,

"Tomorrow we will join the people of Wisconsin in taking back their government."

Idaho Votes to Phase Out Teacher Tenure, Restrict Collective Bargaining

March 9, 2011

Fox News - The Idaho Legislature has approved a bill that would phase out tenure for new teachers and limit their collective-bargaining rights, marking a victory for lawmakers seeking union reforms in state capitals across the country.

The bill went to Gov. Butch Otter's desk after it was approved by the House on a 48-22 vote, with nine Republicans joining Democrats in opposition to the GOP-backed measure after hours of debate.

The measure is part of Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna's plan to reform the K-12 education system in Idaho. It would restrict collective bargaining agreements to salaries and benefits while also phasing out "tenure" for new educators and current teachers who have yet to attain it. New educators would instead be offered one- to two-year contracts following a three-year probationary period.

"Through this plan, we are going to attract and retain more quality teachers in Idaho by offering a two-year contract, increased pay and the opportunity to earn bonuses," said Republican state Rep. Bob Nonini, according to Fox 12 in Idaho.

Supporters of the legislation contend the plan will hand over more power to Idaho's locally elected school boards when it comes to labor relations.

But the Idaho Education Association bemoaned passage of the legislation to limit the union, saying it will gut teacher rights. The group planned protest rallies across the state on Wednesday, when the House is expected to take up another piece of Luna's reform plan and vote on a bill that would introduce merit pay.

"One person's medicine is another person's Kool-Aid and I refuse to drink it," Democratic state Rep. Brian Cronin said, according to Fox 12.

Teacher tenure is a longstanding benefit for public school teachers and college professors dating back to the beginning of the 20th century. The campaign for tenure sprung out of other workers' rights movements and was tied to the push for broader women's rights -- it was meant to keep experienced teachers safe from the whims of administrators and cultivate talented instructors.

But over the years, teachers' unions have pressed for expanded rights, and critics of tenure -- which in some cases can be earned in just two years -- say it's morphed into a tool to keep bad teachers from being fired.

Under the Idaho proposal, teachers with seniority would no longer be safe when school districts reduce their work force; a program that provides cash incentives for teachers to retire early would be eliminated; and Idaho school districts that lose students would no longer get to hold on to 99 percent of the state funding that came with that student for another year to avoid teacher cuts.

"There are parts of it that I think are going to create more problems than they solve," said state Rep. Shirley Ringo, a Democrat and retired teacher.

The House will next take up legislation that would tie some teacher pay to student achievement and award bonuses for those who take on leadership roles or hard-to-fill positions.

The biggest piece of Luna's reform package remains stalled in the Senate. That legislation would boost technology in the classroom, require online courses and increase the minimum teacher pay from $29,655 to $30,000. It would also increase classroom sizes in grades 4 through 12 to pay for a bulk of the education reforms, including the pay-for-performance plan that will go before the House carrying a $38 million price tag in its first year.