Dear Legislator:
On
behalf of the National Taxpayers Union’s more than 7,800 members in Wisconsin,
I urge you to support Governor Walker’s proposal to carefully limit collective
bargaining and to require payments for pensions and health care for most state
employees.
There
is no debate that Wisconsin faces serious fiscal challenges. The state must
address a $3 billion deficit in the next budget and a $137 million deficit in
the current one. But the state does not have a revenue problem; in fact,
Wisconsin already has the ninth-highest state and local tax burden as a
percentage of income in the nation, which is higher than the neighboring states
of Iowa, Illinois, and Michigan. Rather, the problem is that the cost of
government is too high and unsustainable.
In order to meet this challenge
prudently, Governor Scott Walker has proposed to limit collective bargaining for
most state and local government employees, except those responsible for public
safety, to the issue of wages. Additionally, Gov. Walker proposes requiring
public workers, who currently contribute nothing toward pensions, to contribute
5.8 percent of their pay to their retirement plans and to cover 12.6 percent of
health care premiums (up from an average of 6 percent). By enacting these
reforms, the state will have a freer hand and stronger position from which to
negotiate more manageable salaries and benefits for state workers, which will
save money for the taxpayers who foot the bill.
Collective bargaining for public employees was instituted in
an era when workers did not enjoy legal protections, competitive salaries, or
many benefits. Now, thanks to anti-discrimination, safety, and workplace environment
regulations and laws, public employees have many safeguards against abuse.
Moreover, many state workers now enjoy more job security and better wages than their
counterparts in the private sector, through policies such as automatic step
increases, defined benefit pension plans, and low health insurance premiums.
The unfair and disproportionate costs that can result from unbalanced
collective bargaining simply cannot be sustained, especially in an economy like
this one.
Given the state of Wisconsin’s budget and the difficult
choices that lie ahead, the General Assembly
cannot continue to let its hands be tied when it comes to negotiating state salaries
and benefits. Therefore, our members hope you will support the Governor’s
sensible proposals to save money for taxpayers.
Sincerely,
John
Stephenson
State
Government Affairs Manager
CC: Governor Scott Walker
Letter
