Five unions representing teachers and other employees of the South Milwaukee School District ratified new contracts over the weekend, Superintendent Rita Olson confirmed to me in an email.
Now they wait to see what will happen in Madison as to their future of their pay, benefits and collective bargaining rights.
From the highlights Dr. Olson provided:
- All steps given in the 2009-2010 and 2010-11 school years would be honored and individuals would not be required to move backwards to previously held salaries.
- The contract would have a 0 percent per cell increase in the first year and a 1.28 percent per cell increase in the second year.
- Effective July 1, 2011, health insurance premiums would be increased to 9 percent or current law, whichever is greater.
- There is also a cap on health insurance contributions for retirees, and staggered years of service to qualify for retirement health insurance benefits.
This sounds fair and reasonable to me … and a great example of what I continue to say in the debate over the governor’s union-busting plan: Let local units of government (in this case, the school district) work with their unions to control costs and deal with budget pressures as they see fit.
State government should not force our hands, especially when it comes to what we can and can’t collectively bargain for with our workers.
To the governor and those in the Senate and Assembly: Accept the compromise proposed by Senate Democrats, which gives you the savings you need to help solve the state budget crisis and allows local governments to deal with looming shared revenue cuts.
I thought that’s what this was supposed to be about anyway. Isn’t it?
Of course, I know it’s not. I get it. This is first and foremost about breaking public unions and ending more than 50 years of collective bargaining with barely a debate — and no desire for any level of compromise. It’s about balancing the budget on the back of middle class workers. And it’s wrong.
South Milwaukee Blog 
Please stop with the “breaking the unions” falsehood. Most worker protections, merit hiring, just cause for discipline and termination, are the result not of collective bargaining but of Wisconsin’s uniquely strong and century-old civil service law. These unions are government organized as an interest group to lobby itself to do what they always wants to do – grow in power. They use mandatory dues from members to elect their members’ employers. Governments, not needing to make a profit, extract government employees’ salaries from taxpayers. Government sits on both sides of the table in cozy “negotiations” with unions. This must stop if we have any chance of correcting our State’s fiscal mess.
Randall: Of course, we disagree on this. If what Walker is proposing does not break the unions, then I’m a camel in Capitol Square. (Oh wait, that actually happened.) This is absolutely about busting organized labor … and the changes he is proposing in his “budget repair bill” would most certainly do that over time. As to civil service protections, I think they are great, but they do not, nor would not, provide nearly the same protections unions do for their workers. And, of course, they do not allow for collective bargaining … which is where I think civil service protections fall well short. I also take issue with the reference to to union/employer negotiations as “cozy.” While that may be the case in some instances, the negotiations I’ve witnessed (including the reports I received about the recent ones in South Milwaukee with our public employees) were, and have been, far from that.
Good to hear this is settled, as the administration and faculty can now focus. I still wonder how much shortfall our district will have due to our still broken education funding formula. Walker is (and has during his campaign) announced that the state cannot continue it’s 2/3rds funding for education.
On Wednesday (tomorrow) at 6:30pm the District announces their list of potential cuts on Wednesday. The district budget is still in limbo due to the Dems on the Run.
Stay tuned. There is more bleeding to come.
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Rocket Mom: Unfortunately, you are right. I fear the bleeding has just begun for local school districts and city governments. I am very worried about the cuts the City Council will be faced with in the next few months.
Sorry Erik, but the “bleeding” must stop. I applaud Gov. Walker as he is the first and only one to have “balls” to make these necessary cuts. Unfortunately under Doyle’s tenure, the Republicans were the minority and things got “railroaded” through the Senate and Assembly. Now that the cards are turned, the Dem’s are acting like babies. I actually applaud the individuals that have started the recalls against most of the fourteen Senators in hiding. The interesting part of this story is that Obama is secretly having his supporters come to Wisconsin to protest as he is worried that when this passes in Wisconsin, Ohio, and other States, he will also need to do this on the Federal level. AND I just heard this evening that he is calling his “troops” out of Wisconsin and having them travel to Ohio because the Governor there is starting up a similar budget bill as Gov. Walker. There have been different views about the actual savings, but no matter which numbers are right, the savings to the State will be huge!
I also agree with Randall. WEAC and the Firefighter unions have become so huge that a lot of dollars of union members go to lobbying efforts. Have you ever asked the SM Firefighters where the proceeds go from their annual spaghetti dinner???? I have, and was told it goes into the union coffers for “special programs”. Special programs such as for lobbying expenses….
I heard that it costs taxpayers in Milwaukee, 1900.00 a month to fund a single MPS teachers health care benefits. Erik, can you tell us what it costs South Milwaukee taxpayers to fund a single SM teachers health care benefits per month?
crickets chirping…
Melanie: I honestly don’t know. But I can check with Superintendent Olson, a regular reader of this blog.
I have the information you are looking from district. The cost of a family insurance plan is $1,727 per month for district employees. The single plan cost is $758 per month. Taxpayers do not pay that entire amount. Teachers, custodians and clerical workers contribute 3% toward their insurance premiums. Administrators and non-union members contribute 5%. Thanks to Blaise Paul, director of business services, for the assist.
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the 14 Senators that have abandoned their posts are doing a great diservice to the citizens of Wisconsin. It has become very clear to me that
they are acting in the interest of the Unions and not the State of Wisconsin.
Scott Walker was elected by the people of this State, the Unions do not run
the State of Wisconsin.
I believe that they have sealed their fate come election time.
Thanks Erik. I have been trying to find this info but it is nowhere to be found. I think it should be a matter of public record.
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