In a closed session, the Milwaukee County Board approved County Executive Scott Walker’s plan to increase unpaid furlough days for 1,468 workers to 22 days this year.
This whole mishigoss is due to Walker’s refusal to submit an honest budget to the board.
To remain true to his “no new tax” pledge, he offered a fantasy budget that included $32 million in wage and benefit cuts--about a 15% cut for the average worker.
Last October, the County Board Research Division’s analysis called it “highly unrealistic” because it was not built on existing or pending labor agreements. It concluded: “The 2010 Recommended budget clearly was developed to force employee unions into concession bargaining on wages and benefits.”
The board tried to soften that, finding an estimated $10 million to $17 million in savings. (The number keeps changing.)
The problem with all of this is that those concessions were never offered to the unions before or during the budget process. In fact, the unions had pending agreements with the county. But those agreements were torpedoed by the board during the budget process.
The current package of concessions had not been proposed to the unions until after the budget had been finalized.
That’s why I gasped when I read this line in the JS coverage of today’s meeting:
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Walker has said he proposed the furloughs because county unions have not accepted concessions built into the county's 2010 budget. Those givebacks include a pay freeze, higher employee contributions for health insurance, overtime restrictions and a 20% cut in pension credit.
I mean, if Walker had any clue, his labor negotiator would have offered this package during the 18 months of negotiations that produced the pending agreement scuttled last fall. Walker’s got everything backwards because he doesn’t know how to craft a budget or manage county workers.
Unfortunately, the extra furlough days will only save the county an estimated $2 million. They’ve got to come up with $8 million more to save the 2010 budget. I’ve heard that layoffs are on the way--hundreds of layoffs.
Walker has played this game before and it gets riskier and riskier each time. Unfortunately, the folks who have to pay the price for it are the county workers who will give up close to a month’s pay this year while providing the same level of service as last year.
Here are some reactions:
Walker’s Tweets:
Spoke @ Walworth-Fontana Rotary Club 4 lunch re: 250,000 jobs pledge. Now off 2 courthouse 4 meeting w/ large dept heads. 19 minutes ago via HootSuite %u2028
Just on @SykesCharlie talking about my 250,000 job pledge. Co Board still debating furlough days. I had briefings all AM in courthouse. about 3 hours ago via HootSuite
Statement from Board Chair Lee Holloway:
“As painful as it may be, the majority of Supervisors who voted for this resolution, in my humble opinion, are looking further down the road than just the here and now. They are trying to minimize the need for mass layoffs later this year, and I commend them for understanding the need to be proactive by issuing these additional furloughs.”
Statement from Milwaukee County Supervisors John F. Weishan, Jr., and Chris Larson:
“The County Board, the legislative branch of County government, sets policy and appropriates money. Decisions made beyond that, we believe, lie solely with the administration. The County Executive does not need approval from the County Board to impose additional furlough days.
“It’s inappropriate for the County Board to inject itself into administrative functions, and that’s why we voted no this morning. The record should reflect that it’s Scott Walker’s decision to add these additional furlough days, rather than come up with more creative ways to work with union leadership and address the budget deficit that was built in to the 2010 budget by the County Executive himself.
“These furloughs will have a huge impact on County services, including programs that generate revenue. That’s why we are asking for department heads to give us a report by April detailing the impact these furloughs will have on the services that our constituents demand.”
