Vukmir Says Collective Bargaining Changes Needed

A Tonawanda Elementary School teacher pressed state Sen. Leah Vukmir Sunday on whether teachers should expect to see class sizes rise and less control over their working conditions, if the governor's budget reforms are adopted.

"How are you going to prevent that kind of damage?" third-grade teacher Molly Hopp asked Vukmir at a town hall meeting Sunday at the Brookfield Public Safety Building. The question drew applause from some in the crowd of about 160 people.

Vukmir, a Republican senator from Wauwatosa, said teachers still will be able to talk with their school boards and principals about working conditions, and will have new civil service job protections.

"I think you're going to find that it's going to actually increase your ability to have a say over what goes on in your classroom," Vukmir said, drawing crowd applause.

Sunday's town hall meeting was led by U.S. Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner. He was joined by the four state lawmakers who represent Brookfield: Vukmir, state Sen. Rich Zipperer and state Reps. Paul Farrow and Dale Kooyenga.

The 80-minute session was split between federal and state questions, with Vukmir responding to most state budget questions. Several constituents raised concerns about Gov. Scott Walker's controversial repair bill, which would eliminate most collective bargaining rights for most public workers.

Public employee unions would be able to negotiate a contract on just one issue: a maximum wage increase equal to the consumer price index. They no longer would be able to collectively bargain contractual agreements over health and pension benefits, work hours, job assignments, or any economic issue except the capped wage increase.

Vukmir said: "We are not getting rid of collective bargaining. It will continue for wages."

Vukmir echoed what Walker has said: that state government faces a $3.6 billion deficit and it should not be solved by raising property taxes - either at the state or local level. 

Walker says he needs to cut $1.2 billion in state aid to local governments and school districts and in order to make up for that loss without raising taxes, schools and governments need the power to control their labor costs.

Walker wants public employees to pay 5.8 percent toward their pensions and 12.6 percent of their health care premiums. Police officers, firefighters, sheriff deputies and state troopers, however, would be exempt from the contributions and would continue to have full collective bargaining rights.

School districts would see their revenue caps reduced by 5.5 percent, and other local governments would not be able to increase their property tax levies except to accommodate new growth.

Elmbrook School officials have said Walker's budgets would mean a net $1.6 million loss for the district, with the 5.5 percent cut outweighing the health and pension savings. 

Vukmir said the reforms were "heavy lifting" that were required to stop the cycle of passing debt onto the next generation of children and grandchildren.  

"It's not easy," she said. "We know that we're asking a burden on behalf of our government employees, people who work very hard and teach our children and work in our municipalities."

And those are the people who are in danger of being laid off if the governor's proposals aren't adopted, Vukmir said. "I am concerned about our teachers, in particular," she added.

She noted that Walker is preparing to lay off 1,500 state workers if his pension and health contributions are not approved. Vukmir said without the concessions another 5,000 to 10,000 layoffs could occur in school districts and local governments statewide during the next biennial state budget.

Andrew Risser, a Milwaukeean who lives in Vukmir's district, said he believed there were other ways to balance the state budget. 

"Increasing funding for highways while cutting for education - that doesn't make a lot of sense to me," Risser said.

Others praised Vukmir and Sensenbrenner for working to control taxes and deficits and encourage job growth.

 George Semrad, who employs 65 people at IMS Electro in North Lake, said it was time to get control of the nation's growing $14 trillion deficit.

"We've got to get the cutting down," he said.