Last night Gov. Walker spoke in a fireside chat to the people of Wisconsin about the importance of passing his controversial budget repair bill. Without it, Walker said 1,500 state employees will be laid off before June 30 and up to an additional 12,000 public employees at both the state and local levels will face layoffs.

Continue Reading »

On Wednesday, the busses that brought in waves of union demonstrators for the past week halted. The  Starbucks across the street from the capital no longer has lines out the door. Ian’s Pizza will probably have to start charging by the slice again.

After nearly eight straight days of protests in Madison, the demonstrations are running out of steam. This is likely the result of a weekend blizzard, a drop in public opinion, and the ensuing stalemate between a stalwart Governor Walker and the fourteen missing Democrat Senators hiding out in Illinois. But world events have put the protests in Madison on the back burner. Attention has shifted to turmoil in Libya, earthquakes in New Zealand, and Somali pirates. The round-the-clock media coverage has diminished and that might be the final dagger in the heart of the pro-union demonstration.

Yes, the college students remain camped out in the Capital rotunda. The campus communists, socialists, and anarchists strive to remain relevant, but the movement that galvanized public employees to flock to Madison all last week is faltering. The teachers balked on Monday when WEAC president Mary Bell ordered teachers back to work this week.

AFSCME claims they halted the busses because  ”action is spreading out across the state.” Sure sounds like they just can’t fill busses anymore.

Events could change very quickly and the crowds could be back in the street, but on this brisk Wednesday morning, Madison is pretty quiet.

The massive protests, AWOL Democratic senators and the battle over public employee unions have garnered national headlines this week as Governor Scott Walker’s controversial budget repair bill attempts to make it’s way through the legislative process. But what’s been overshadowed by all the drama is the plain and simple fact that Wisconsin is broke. Not just broke, but $3.6 billion in debt.

Continue Reading »

Sources have confirmed that Governor Scott Walker is considering suspending direct deposit for the “Wisconsin Fourteen.” In order for the missing Democratic senators hiding out in Illinois to receive payment, they might have to return to the office and pick up the checks on their desks.

Fourteen Wisconsin Democrat senators skipped town last week in order to prevent the State Senate from voting on Governor Scott Walker’s Budget Repair Bill. In order to call a quorum to pass fiscal bills, twenty senators must be present to vote. With nineteen Republicans ready to vote in favor of the Budget Repair Bill, only one Democrat is needed to pass the bill.

As the showdown continues, might Governor Walker’s tactic lure at least one Democratic senator back in need of a paycheck? With salaries around $50,000 per year for state senators, it will be awfully tempting.

Stay tuned.

A recent Milwaukee Journal Sentinel poll found overwhelming public support for Gov. Walker’s Budget Repair Bill.  Eighty percent of the 183,226 readers who participated in the survey supported cutting benefits for union workers and removing collective bargaining over anything other than wages.  Only 18 percent of people felt the bill was wrong, and three percent believed something needed to be done, but the current bill was too strong.  click here to see the poll results.

At the Madison rally on 2/19/11, doctor’s were signing fake excuses for teachers. I am not a teacher, but I managed to get a note. They did not ask for any identification or where I might teach. They were literally handing these out to anyone and everyone.

Media Trackers confronts a doctor in Madison who is assisting teachers by signing fraudulent doctor’s excuses. There were at least four different doctors in white coats signing sick forms.

On Friday, the Milwaukee Public School District was forced to close the doors of all its 184 schools after more than 600 teachers called in “sick” in order to travel to Madison to engage in protests against Governor Walker’s Budget Repair Bill. The Milwaukee Public School District is the largest school district in Wisconsin with over 82,000 students and 184 schools.

Governor Walker’s Budget Repair Bill would require modest contributions to pensions and healthcare for teachers and other public employees, as well as restricting collective bargaining rights to wages only.

The average salary of a Milwaukee Public School District teacher is $56,095 according to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Including benefits, the average compensation package for Milwaukee teachers is $86,297 per year.

If these 600 Milwaukee teachers are not docked pay, it could cost taxpayers nearly $186,983.32 to pay teachers to attend protests in Madison on Friday.

Of course the costs associated with Milwaukee teacher’s calling in “sick” and forcing schools to close is not all in dollars.

According to Census Bureau estimates, nearly 33% of of all children in the Milwaukee Public School system live in poverty. Essential services occur during the school day such as the administration of medicine and guaranteed meals.

On Friday, Milwaukee Public School teachers decided that maintaining their $56,000 salary and $30,000 benefits package are more important than the children of Milwaukee whom they claim to serve. It was more important to join the protests in Madison than administering medicine, feeding children, and educating students.

Note to Readers: The figures in this article were amended after a mistake was discovered. Thank you to our vigilant readers.

Quick, when you think of a union guy do you picture a hard-working, average Joe toiling day in and day out at his job or do you picture a sophisticated lobbyist earning well over six-figures?

 

The stereotype of the union that so many of us hold is downright false. The Legislative Fiscal Bureau determined that the average compensation for a Wisconsin public employee this year is $76,500. And while that’s what the average Joe is earning, a really telling picture emerges when we look at Wisconsin Union leaders. While they rail against the “injustices” piled on the worker, they’re taking home compensation well over six-figures. This isn’t Grandpa’s union folks.

A Media Trackers analysis of 2009 Form 990s filed for local Teamster chapters found that over 22 people in just five chapters made over $100,000 at the local level. This doesn’t take into account that many of these individuals also are compensated at the national level. Additionally, for most of the leaders, this isn’t even their full-time job (from which they will draw another salary).

At the State Professional Education Info Council WEAC/NEA, executive director Michael Moore’s compensation package for 2009 was $160, 575. in comparison, Service Employee International Union (SEIU) president Michael Thomas’s salary of $86, 243 seems low by union standards.

A MacIver study of 990s showed inflated compensation at the powerful American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 24 SEPAC where its executive director Marty Beil pulled in $161,847 in 2008 while his assistant, Jana Weaver, made a respectable $138,553. AFSCME’s 24 2009 LM-2 showed that 16 of its field representatives made more than $90,000. Richard Abelson, Executive Director of ASCFME Council 48 in Milwaukee garnered $106,122 in 2009 according to the organization’s LM-2.

February 17, 2011, Milwaukee, WI– On Thursday, thirteen Wisconsin school districts had to close their doors due to the number of teachers calling in “sick.” In fact, many of the “sick” teachers showed up in Madison today to protest the Budget Repair Bill. At issue are their salaries and pension plans.

According to data from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, the average teacher’s salaries and average fringe benefits appear to be very generous given the recent economic downturn. Media Trackers has compiled the information below for the school districts that were forced to close on Thursday.

Continue Reading »