Yesterday more than 450 front-line public service and health care workers from around Wisconsin converged on the State Capitol for AFSCME Lobby Day. The message was clear: quality public services are fundamental to creating the conditions for economic recovery.
“We can’t cut our way out of a recession. Working people, both those who provide and those who benefit from public services, have sacrificed more than their fair share. We must find new sources of revenue or run short term deficits in order to support high quality essential services,” said Phil Neuenfeldt, Secretary-Treasurer of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO.
Union members were briefed by AFSCME leadership and Secretary-Treasurer Neuenfeldt before heading off for pre-scheduled visit with their own legislators at the Capitol.
Members shared their thoughts about the need to invest in vital services, reject privatization schemes and protect worker bargaining rights. Some members also attended hearings on bills of interest and turned in hundreds of registration slips on key bills.
The sea of green was everywhere in the Capitol, and for a few important hours, front-line workers outnumbered the sharp-dressing lobbyists in the halls of power. It was a reminder that the needs of working families cannot be ignored.
"Every day AFSCME members are being asked to do more with less, even as the need for services we provide grows more desperate. Wisconsin can't create jobs by continuing to eliminate jobs, especially when those jobs help keep our communities running," said Rick Badger, executive director of AFSCME Council 40.
AFSCME members emphasized the importance of maintaining a quality public workforce. "Cutting essential public jobs only to outsource them means a loss of accountability and inevitably costs more in the long run. It's a bad deal for Wisconsin citizens," said Marty Beil, executive director of AFSCME Council 24.
AFSCME members also asked legislators to protect hard won bargaining rights that ensure professionalism and high standards in the workforce. "Public employees keep their side of the bargain by doing difficult and often dangerous work on the front lines. All we ask is that employers honor their side of the bargain," said Rich Abelson, executive director of AFSCME Council 48.
(Top Photo: Group picture of AFSCME Lobby Day. Middle Photo: Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Phil Neuenfeldt. Bottom Photo: AFSCME members meet with State Senator John Lehman. All photos courtesy of Bob Allen. Portions of this article originally appeared on the AFSCME Council 11 website. For more pictures from Lobby Day, visit our flickr account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wisaflcio/sets/72157623555525380/)
Comments