JCOER Puts Politics Before Pay

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 19, 2023

JCOER Puts Politics Before Pay

All State workers deserve raises and a living wage

MADISON, WI – American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 1 is grateful that on October 17, 2023, the Joint Committee on Employment Relations (JCOER) approved 6% raises over two years for some State workers, many of whom are represented by our Local.

However, similar raises for our colleagues in the Universities of Wisconsin were not approved. Previously, a co-chair of the committee, Representative Robin Vos (R-Rochester), stated that he would prevent raises for all Universities of Wisconsin employees due to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) work being done within the Universities of Wisconsin.

By approving wages for half of the state workforce, while leaving out roughly 35,000 other employees, JCOER is playing politics as usual. Through a failed divide-and-conquer strategy, they hope to drive a wedge between unhappy and underpaid State workers who work within agencies, bureaus, commissions, and more, while punishing Universities of Wisconsin workers for working in higher education.

Local 1 stands in solidarity with Universities of Wisconsin workers who are trying to pay their bills in the face of historically high inflation. When JCOER puts politics before pay, working families suffer. All workers, including all State employees, deserve raises that keep up with the cost of living, and it is shameful to force over 35,000 workers to take a pay cut via inflation in order to score points in political games.

Local 1 also stands with the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh workers who face brutal layoffs to address a funding shortfall – all while the State sits on a surplus of $7 billion dollars. It is terribly disappointing to see families lose their sources of income, to see careers end in forced retirement, and to see valuable positions be canceled, all while the State has the money to fully fund University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and other system schools.

We urge JCOER to set aside politics and provide the Universities of Wisconsin employees their raises sooner rather than later. Putting politics before pay is reprehensible.