November
2006
Union Boss Abelson Must Share Blame for County Layoffs
AFSCME union boss Rich Abelson is upset with Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, but Abelson shouldn't be feigning shock now that Walker is planning to lay off county employees. Walker said that he would order layoffs if the County Board passed the budget that was supported by Abelson.
Walker put together yet another budget with holes in it, battering veterans, the disabled and law enforcement. When the County Board restored funding, Walker chose to veto the entire budget rather than just the cuts that were restored because he didn't want to be seen as heartless.
What has to frost county supervisors now is that Abelson, in his own classic form, is saying that the county, not just Walker, is dysfunctional.
This is the same Abelson who blamed County Supervisors and the former County Exec for the pension scandal. Yes, a union boss, the guy who benefited from the pension program passed in 2000 and lobbied for it, blamed elected leaders for the problems. Did Abelson look at the package that supervisors were given? No. Did he find the lines that would have clued in elected leaders to any problem? No. Could he have found those lines? No — because they didn't exist. There was no documentation or evidence to support Abelson's claims.
If in fact Abelson truly knew in 2000 that the pension plan would cause problems, he also had to know that the current budget, if passed, would cause problems. So if county jobs are lost or privatized, Abelson needs to take responsibility for his role in leading negotiations to the brink. Those who hired Abelson need to hold him accountable — in much same fashion that the knee-jerk Abelson said that elected officials who voted for the ill-conceived pension plan (that he supported) should be held accountable.
This doesn't exonerate Walker. His budget was horrible and frought with under-funding. It is becoming clearer and clearer that Walker had hoped to do exactly what he is doing – out-sourcing county jobs to nonunion vendors.
What Abelson probably didn't count on is Walker making the cuts mid-December — right before Christmas. Walker said he was going to do it. Did Abelson think he was lying? Truth be told, Walker knows he doesn't have to make any cuts in the current year because of next year's budget, but it could be that Walker is playing a dangerous game of collective bargaining poker with Abelson. Goading Abelson is easy because Abelson is shirking any blame. But if Abelson cares about those county jobs, he needs to get to the negotiating table and, yes, that likely means that employees will have to cover more of their health care costs in the pending contract.
Here's a clue for Abelson when dealing with elected officials in the future. Don't hang out to dry the people who support your issues. Don't go off half-cocked and make ill-conceived comments that Republicans like Walker will later turn around and use in campaign literature against the supervisors you need. The next time you've got a problem, don't just attack everyone — attack the source.
It's a good thing that Abelson never became a doctor. His cure for cancer would be to throw the patient in front of a train. What is surprising is that he's managed to keep his job even as many of the people he is paid to represent are faced with losing theirs.
Somehow, life just isn't fair.
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Jim McGuigan
Jim McGuigan, Watchdogging County Government, Watchdogging Unions
Abelson has every right to cry foul: Walker is not negotiating in good faith, is collective bargaining through the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and raising the ante with more talk of regional control/privatization schemes at the airport that Republicans and our pal Jeff Plale seem to like so much.
On the other hand, Abelson makes a critical error in pointing fingers at the county, describing Walker and the Board as “clearly dysfunctional.” Wake up Abelson, the Board and the County Executive are oppositional forces — they do not agree. Did Abelson think the question was: Is this your fault, Rich?
The Board has tried to help AFSCME District 48 in these negotiations by extending funding for those positions. Walker threw it back in the Board’s face and is today reportedly lining up plans to privatize the services represented by those 120 positions.
Abelson needs to get to work and find a way to work with Walker and the board to save those jobs. If he doesn’t, Gibb Building Maintenance, a bottom-feeding cleaning company that pays its janitors the bare minimum with no health insurance, will be cleaning the courthouse by the end of the month.
JD,
You are right in one point — Abelson needs to wake up but he needs to take some responsibility and he needs to work with Walker.
The board is by statute supposed to make legislative decisions for the county but Walker has the right to make administrative changes.
Also, the janitors need to get active in supporting county elected officials who support them and I’m not just talking about their unions writing checks. A campaign without foot soldiers is a campaign that can only succeed by raising boatloads of cash.
AFSCME janitors or the SEIU janitors whose gains in the private sector are threatened by Milwaukee county’s race to the bottom? It’s a bit late to talk about elections if you’re talking about the courthouse – janitorial and security. Those jobs will be gone by the end of the month unless AFSCME and Walker can agree to a contract. The parks jobs? Who knows. Walker has Abelson over a barrel. “We’re not going to be blackmailed into a contract,” Abelson also said.
Taking responsibility when contract negotiations are on the brink means a strike vote.
If county employees are willing and able to strike over their health insurance premiums, Abelson should lead in that direction and take Walker head on. The race to the bottom has to end, and why not here? Supervisors should join them on the picket lines, not focus on Ableson’s bad judgement when talking to the Journal Sentinel.
Milwaukee County shouldn’t be in the business of feeding the low wage, no health benefit economy — especially when we’re talking health care reform in the state. Can supervisors sit on their hands while Walker deteriorates both the job market and quality of life in the county?
I was referring to the AFSCME janitors. I’m concerned those jobs may already be on their way out.
You seem to be suggesting that there’s a disconnect between Abelson and AFSCME members. But it’s AFSCME members who saw Abelson make the gaffe’s he has which led to pro-Walker Supervisors getting elected. If they’re comfortable with him at the helm, then they’re about to be tested.
afscme
May 10th 2007______________________________________________
I asked and asked that some effort be made to determine the truth in this situation.
No real effort was ever made by anyone connected to AFSCME – why because they were all protecting each other. All gutless in respect to their so called “solemn obligation†when it came to approaching these proceedings in which there were so many lies told, it may be impossible to count them all. I was lied about by management, and lied to by AFSCME. The result being, a very poor quality management was not only, not questioned by the union, it was aided and supported. This leaves many more union members in a worse position than before. ( talk to them, I have )( I believe there is sufficient printed material to verify this ) My disappointment in the actions or non-actions taken by various members of afscme is hard to relate after eighteen and a half years of otherwise enjoyable employment at the University of Wisconsin. I believe afscme owes me and my family the truth about this period of time, both for the time I worked and their own integrity and self respect.
>
NO EFFORT MADE
The person bringing the original grievance about, was the same person presiding over the grievance meeting. The complaint was based on what one person supposedly told another person who supposedly told the supervisor. ( third hand ) The same supervisor was the direct supervisor of my supposed union steward. Would any reasonable person really believe that this supervisor making the accusation was going to find against himself ?
On top of that my steward, said nothing. This was after “meeting with me to devise his approach.†( or as I certainly believe, report directly to his supervisor to gain favor.) This entire farce was too extreme to be anything but planned. At the end of one grievance meeting in which my steward said not a word, after the other parties left the room, He said to me “You are being railroadedâ€
Is this steward talk for anything good ?
Add to this the fact that my steward had never attended one other grievance meeting as a steward period, a fact that no one would verify to me for about one year, and the fact that for about two months He told me daily as I asked, that He had filed an appeal to the first meeting outcome- an action that had never been taken. ( this was an out and out lie to keep me from filling for an appeal myself ) As well, this fact was stated to be a known lie by ” the previous steward in a conversation with me while I was at the local 171 office doing research. Also as I have stated elsewhere I have never received proof that my steward ever attended steward training. ( to this day ) I know He only attended ONE local 171 meeting because I went to the office asked for all the minutes of a years local meetings and scanned the roll call for those present. He attended a TOTAL of ONE meeting – where he was proclaimed a steward. ( not much interest or enthusiasm ) on his part.
This is but a drop in the “agenda†bucket on someone’s part. And only a small part of the mishandling and non-representation I received over a matter as serious as my employment after eighteen and a half years.
To say:
I received NO representation
Would be a gross understatement…
I received NO representation deliberately from afscme –
And found myself vs. management and local171 reps. That were lying directly to me.
These people are responsible for taking my employment and my families insurance.
I was un represented.
Dave W
The person bringing the original grievance about, was the same person presiding over the grievance meeting. The complaint was based on what one person supposedly told another person who supposedly told the supervisor . ( third hand ) The same supervisor was the direct supervisor of my supposed union steward. Would any reasonable person really believe that this supervisor making the accusation was going to find against himself ?