Boots & Sabers

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Owen

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0736, 21 Jun 22

WEAC’s priorities are not Wisconsin’s, but they are Tony Evers’

My column for the Washington County Daily News is online and in print. Here’s a part:

Given that WEAC’s motives are sordid, and they own Governor Evers, it is worth looking at WEAC’s top priorities that Evers may advance in a second term. Conveniently, Evers asked WEAC for their top five policy priorities. WEAC responded with their top four priorities. Even WEAC is failing at math and following directions.

 

WEAC’s first priority is to “remove all restriction related to compensation issues.” Currently, Act 10 limits compensation negotiations to the rate of inflation. Given that we are seeing over 8% inflation in Biden’s economy, WEAC would push for even more spending with which to burden the taxpayers of Wisconsin.

 

WEAC’s second priority is to place all government employees in the state health plan. In theory, this could be positive, but the emails also show that WEA Trust, the corrupt health insurance company owned by the teachers union, was an insurer for the state plan. Prior to Act 10, unions would negotiate into their contracts that the district was required to use WEA Trust. Then WEA Trust would charge above market rates. The union owns WEA Trust and forced school districts to use them at inflated rates. WEAC’s priority was to funnel more taxpayer money into WEAC via WEA Trust. Thankfully, Republicans in the Legislature would not support such a mandate and WEA Trust, unable to compete on a level playing field, has since exited the health insurance market.

 

WEAC’s third priority is to put a “just cause” provision in state law for government employees. Under current law, Wisconsin is an “at will” state where employers can end someone’s employment for any reason, or no reason, as long as it is not discriminatory. WEAC wants school districts to only be able to terminate teachers with just cause in order to prevent the “possibility of employee layoffs tied to budget shortfalls.” In other words, in an era of declining enrollment and people moving their kids out of government schools that failed them during the pandemic, WEAC wants to prevent school districts from reducing staff to be in line with lower enrollments. WEAC wants taxpayers to continue paying for government employees when there is not enough work to justify their jobs.

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0736, 21 June 2022

8 Comments

  1. penquin

    >Given that WEAC’s motives are sordid…

    That’s only a “given” among extremists trying to destroy public education & partisan populist hacks trying to win elections….get outside your lil’ bubble and you’ll see that most folks support public education & the teachers who are teaching. And despite the constant claims to the contrary – members of WEAC are teachers. If you are shit-talking the group, then you are also talking about the individuals who make up that group….don’t try and claim otherwise.

    There is also a small whiff of hypocrisy – would you support a law which puts those same Act 10 restrictions (can not negotiate anything except compensation, and even that is limited) on all private sector workers as well? Or at least private schools who receive gov’t funding via “vouchers”….shouldn’t they have the same tight restrictions & limitations as public school teachers?

  2. dad29

    Join public sector, live with the consequences.

    You like extreme job security, high-end benefits, and large pension? Taxpayers may have thoughts about that.

    They picked their poison.

  3. Jason

    >That’s only a “given” among extremists trying to destroy public education & partisan populist hacks trying to win elections….get outside your lil’ bubble and you’ll see that most folks support public education & the teachers who are teaching

    Strawman.

    >If you are shit-talking the group, then you are also talking about the individuals who make up that group….don’t try and claim otherwise.

    Yet another logical fallacy

    >There is also a small whiff of hypocrisy – would you support a law which puts those same Act 10 restrictions (can not negotiate anything except compensation, and even that is limited) on all private sector workers as well? Or at least private schools who receive gov’t funding via “vouchers”….shouldn’t they have the same tight restrictions & limitations as public school teachers?

    I would support private business negotiating those things with their employees… Just like I did with Act 10. I’ll even go further, it’s time for Act 10 to apply to all public sector careers and roles.

  4. Mar

    As a former public school teacher, I would love to blow up public education and start over.
    Even in more conservative areas, public education is failing. Teaching to the tests. Treating climate change as fact instead of theory. Grooming kids for pedophiles and at least 155 school personnel arrested this year for sexual abuse, book smart but life experience stupidity of teachers etc

  5. penquin

    > live with the consequences…They picked their poison

    Sounds as if you are saying the people who take care & maintain our cities, counties, state & country should be punished for doing so. If that isn’t the message you are trying to convey, then could you please clarify…thanks.

  6. Mar

    Let’s see. Public employees got Juneteenth off or get holiday pay. Most private sectors did not. Same with MLK and President’s Day and probably a few other holidays.
    The public sector employee could work in the private sector but they choose not to
    And if the public sector truly wants they want a union, they can but they have to convince 50% of their fellow employees.

  7. Jason

    >Sounds as if you are saying the people who take care & maintain our cities, counties, state & country should be punished for doing so.

    Could you be any more sensationalistic about this? *eyeroll*

    Do you have any fact based evidence that Act 10 had any negative effect on teachers or schools or students?… thanks.

  8. dad29

    Not only is he a troll, Jason, he’s not a very bright one. As you observed, he loves him some straw men and false choices–but he’s a Bumper Sticker guy; it’s all the Left has. Real thought and argument takes……mental horsepower.

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