Late last night, the Assembly voted to adopt Wisconsin’s 2015-2017 budget, rubber-stamping drastic cuts to education and public services as well as bad policy items that have no place in a budget. The State Senate and Assembly have signed off on the 2015-2017 Wisconsin State Budget and the final budget bill now goes to Governor Walker’s desk for his vetoes and eventual signature.
Let’s be clear, there is very little in this budget worth saving. The list of items that hurt working families includes the destruction of good, family-supporting jobs, the erosion of public education, threats to our natural resources, the dismantling of prevailing wage standards, harmful changes to FamilyCare and givebacks to corporate special interests – the list goes on and on.
Contact Gov. Walker and tell him this budget is the worst budget in Wisconsin’s history. The Governor can be reached by calling (608) 266-1212 or emailing govgeneral@wisconsin.gov.
Call Gov. Walker and tell him what you think about this budget. Take your pick. The harm that is being inflicted on Wisconsin’s working families through this budget is unbelievable and will prove to be disastrous for Wisconsin.
Here are some suggestions of what you might ask him to veto, but the list goes on and on.
Remove Changes to Prevailing Wage: Gov. Walker should strike any changes to our state’s long-standing prevailing wage laws. No quantitative study can show that weakening prevailing wage protections will achieve cost savings for the state. Construction workers are hardworking citizens who deserve a fair wage for a fair day’s work. Prevailing wage strengthens the middle class and lifts up all workers. All prevailing wage changes should be taken out of the budget.
Save the Weekend: Human beings are not machines and require proper rest for safety and emotional well-being. Removing the required 24-hour rest period in a 7-day workweek will harm Wisconsin workers, families and communities. Gov. Walker should save the weekend and veto this proposal.
Say No to Payday Lenders: Payday lending is a big business, with skilled, highly-paid lobbyists, that preys upon low-wage workers and the economically vulnerable. Republicans have expanded the power of payday lenders in the budget bill. Now payday lenders will be able to sell insurance products, give financial advice and open up new ways to scam people who are struggling to pay their bills. Gov. Walker should send back the campaign contributions from payday lenders and veto this blatant pay-to-play giveback.
Support Living Wages: Gov. Walker should show support for raising wages for workers by keeping the living wage standard and local living wage ordinance ability in state statute. Currently, the budget strikes living wage language from our state statute. Gov. Walker should veto these changes.
Restore Tenure and Shared Governance to UW: Shared governance gives faculty, staff and students a voice in decision-making on UW campuses. Tenure is one of the fundamental principles of academic freedom that protects learning and research from political interference. Gov. Walker should restore tenure so that our UW-campuses can retain and attract top-quality professors and save shared governance so the people who work and learn have a meaningful voice in decision making.
Restore Funding to K-12 Schools and Remove Voucher Expansion: Gov. Walker should use his veto pen to remove the expansion of unaccountable voucher schools in the state of Wisconsin. He should restore funding levels for K-12 schools so that our neighborhood, public schools have the necessary resources to educate the next generation of Wisconsinites.
IRIS/FamilyCare: Gov. Walker should remove the givebacks to special interests that weaken programs that care for elderly and disabled Wisconsinites.
Keep Electricians Licensed: The final budget removes the requirement that only licensed electricians conduct work on the installation, repair, and maintenance of private on-site wastewater treatment systems and well pumps. To ensure quality and safe work this requirement should be reinstated.
Save the Night Watchmen and Women: The budget eliminates 60 Correctional Officer positions at our prisons, leaving night towers vacant at a time when prisoners are most likely to escape. Governor Walker should restore these positions and keep our communities safe.
Save Department of Natural Resource Positions: Walker’s budget cuts 66 positions, including scientists and researchers, from the DNR that protects our natural resources. We should save these jobs.
Gov. Walker has one of the most powerful veto pens in the country. Call Gov. Walker at( 608) 266-1212 and tell him what you think of this budget. The time is now to call on him to use this pen to strike all language that hurts working people in the state of Wisconsin. Use this pen. Use it liberally. Use it to strike all language that hurts working families in Wisconsin.
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