Extraordinary Session Silences Debate on Budget and Collective Bargaining Rights
The people of Wisconsin are back in the streets today, rallying against the Walker agenda to kill collective bargaining in Wisconsin by sneaking a provision to do so into an already devastating budget proposal. “Walker is giving fat tax breaks to corporations and big businesses while attacking social services, accessible healthcare, affordable public education, including nearly a billion dollars in cuts to K-12 education and the UW System, and silencing the voice of employees in the workplace,” said Alex Hanna, Teaching Assistants’ Association (TAA) co-president.
Gov. Walker’s latest move, to ram through in the budget what he failed to implement in the budget repair bill, is the biggest affront to democracy yet, after a winter of misguided processes on devastating bills. Even worse is the fact that the Republicans are stifling debate by invoking a so-called “Extraordinary Session” to ram the bill through faster.
“Tacking on the destruction of collective bargaining to this already appalling budget would further devastate the most vulnerable Wisconsinites,” said Hanna. “Walker and the Fitzgeralds are pulling out all the stops, including those of democracy and due process, as their attack on working families continues.”
If passed, the 2011-2013 budget would include drastic cuts to higher education, the technical college system, K-12 education, Badger Care and Medicare. Full debate within the legislature should be a requirement for the passing of any bill, and in particular one that so dramatically changes the course of the state. Graduate employees will be out in force today to say no to the content and process of this budget.
The Teaching Assistants’ Association represents nearly 3,000 graduate employees at the University of Wisconsin – Madison and is the oldest graduate employee union in the world.
For Immediate Release:
June 14, 2011
Contact:
Alex Hanna, TAA co-president, 765-404-6996
Adrienne Pagac, TAA co-president, 608-772-4103