Madison Teachers Inc. finds 'one more reason to recall' Walker

Todd Finkelmeyer:

The leadership of Madison Teachers Inc. is letting its membership know it has unearthed yet another reason to recall Gov. Scott Walker.

In its weekly "Solidarity!" newsletter that was mailed out Friday, the union warns how administrative rules recently released by the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission related to the implementation of Act 10 could result in teachers' pay being cut.

"This is causing a lot of angst," says John Matthews, executive director of MTI.

"This could be very bad for teachers," adds state Rep. Sondy Pope-Roberts, D-Middleton, who sits on the Assembly's Committee on Education. "These rules allow for teachers' base pay to be redefined, and I think that's absurd."

The roots of this story reach back to last summer, when Act 10 eliminated most public employees' ability to collectively bargain over virtually anything except "base wages." Even then, workers are limited to bargaining over raises that can't exceed the consumer price index (CPI), unless voters approve a hike via a referendum.

After receiving requests to explain what "base wages" could be bargained over, the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission (WERC) -- a state agency designed to settle labor disputes -- worked on rules to clarify the matter.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at April 28, 2012 9:54 PM
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