Milwaukee County Members

of
Milwaukee District Council 48 AFSCME, AFL-CIO

October 2010

It seems like years since we have had a Contract with Milwaukee County, given all the
politicking, illegal actions, stall tactics, and bad faith bargaining the County has engaged in with
the Union. (The Contract actually expired on December 31, 2008.)

As we all remember, we had a mutually negotiated agreement, ratified by our members, which
the County Board initially laid over and ultimately voted down. Since that time, the parties have
been at final and binding Interest Arbitration. But again, the County stalled the process by
claiming that the Union’s Final Offer contained subjects that were not mandatory issues. We
worked out an agreement to resolve that issue only to have the County renege on the settlement
agreement causing the claim to go to a hearing. Briefs have now been filed and we are awaiting
a decision for the WERC (Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission). When the decision
is issued (which we think should be any day), the parties will have to finalize their offers and
finally select an arbitrator, get a date(s) for the hearing, hold the hearing, file briefs, and await a
decision from the Arbitrator, who will select either the Union’s or the County’s Final Offer. It is
winner takes all.

In the meantime, the County passed a 2010 Budget that contained a whole list of employee
concessions that the County has never proposed to the Union in any bargaining session. When
they adopted the 2010 budget, however, the concessions were still never presented to the Union.
And an unbalanced budget contrary to State Statute was adopted. The County Executive later
unilaterally amended the actions of the County Board and issued more furlough days for a total
of 26, or a 10% reduction in wages for some of our members.

We are now faced with yet another budget cycle for 2011 and again the County Executive has
proposed an unbalanced budget, making further employee concessions a part of the budget and
again without ever presenting these concessionary proposals through negotiations.

At this point, the focus of the Union’s efforts to bring the County into line has been on the legal
system. The Union has:

 Filed a Bad Faith Bargaining charge against the County and the County Board.
 Filed a charge of violation against the State Statute requiring a balanced budget.
 Filed an EEOC complaint that the County’s actions adversely impacted older workers.
 Filed a claim that the County unilaterally reduced wages and benefits by their furlough
days without negotiating with the Union on a mandatory subject.
 Filed a claim that the furlough days violated a previous arbitration decision, limiting the
number of hours that could be reduced. This was appealed by the County to circuit court,
where it was overturned and is now on appeal by the Union.
  Filed a claim that the furlough days impacted workers close to retiring in that the final
average wage was reduced.
 Filed a claim on the contracting out and subcontracting out of work without following the
proper procedure under the Contract.
 Filed a claim of coercion, specifically with the 2011 County Executive Budget which
proposes a set of concessions or else.
 Filed a claim on the application of furlough days to employees in the same classification
without regard to seniority.
 Filed a claim on the scheduling of furlough days without regard to seniority.
 Filed a claim that the policy prohibiting overtime during a week when a furlough day was
scheduled violated the Contract and resulted in unjust discipline (i.e. in essence a
suspension from work).
 Filed a claim that the County refused to negotiate on issues of wages, hours and working
conditions and unilaterally implemented same.

As a member, we all understand the frustration and anxiety these actions place on us as we try to
do our jobs. We are faced with a very conscious effort to make public employees out to be
villains. They forget that we are taxpayers and voters. Some would say we should just accept
our current fate. But what will that gain? There are no promises that we will be treated fairly
and honestly in the future. The Union did not draw the line in the sand. The Union did not try to
stall negotiations or be unreasonable in our demands. (If you look at the Union’s Final Offer, it
certainly represents a number of cost saving items to help with the bottom line. The Union is not
opposed to working together, in a partnership.

The Union does object to being the scapegoat and the fall guy. As we have always said, we both
as individuals and as a collective bargaining group are part of the community and we will be part
of the solution; but the rules have to be in place for all sides, and we cannot allow the bullying to
be successful.

You and I are the Union. Our collective actions mean more than ever. We thank you for your
continued support and actions. Together we will win.

The County Presidents

John Knox – Local 170

Kevin Schoofs – Local 567
David Eisner – Local 594
Patricia Rogers – Local 645
Kurt Zunker – Local 882
Milt Bartelme – Local 1055
Ron Hart – Local 1654

ml/opeiu9afl-cio