Dane County Board Extends Union Contracts

Less than a week after a judge overturned parts of Wisconsin’s collective bargaining law for local government workers, the Dane County Board has voted to extend union contracts for its employees.

The vote Thursday night would extend Dane County’s union contract with AFSCME through 2015. It was the product of lightning-fast negotiations that did not begin until Wednesday night. Normally those talks take months.

Local AFSCME leader Arlyn Halvorson acknowledged the process was quick, but he told the county board the contract was simple, “This is about us working with you and for you.”

Local Tea Party groups attacked the move. Todd Osbourne is with a group called We the People of the Republic. He said, “Rushing into new contracts with public employee unions is to disregard the interests of your constituents.”

While some County Supervisors also attacked the process, most supervisors, like Jeff Pertyl said they were reflecting the will of their constituents. “I don’t know about the rest of Wisconsin. I don’t represent Brillion or Platteville or Waukesha. I represent five neighborhoods on the East Side of Madison, and those folks sent me here today to proudly vote yes.”

In a non-binding referendum earlier this year, 68 percent of Dane County voters said they support collective bargaining for all workers. The union contracts approved Thursday night do not call for any raises, and actually lay out the possibility of a 2 percent wage cut. The upside for union workers is that they would get the option of more unpaid time off.

The window to move on contracts like these might not be open long. The state has asked the judge who overturned much of Act 10 to stay his decision, which would put the law back in place while his ruling is appealed.