State Employees Say Job Cuts
Undermine State Priorities
MADISON (March 1, 2004) - Insisting that “you get what you pay for”, the Wisconsin State Employees Union, AFSCME Council 24, has launched a radio campaign to counter the politically expedient notion that the state can have its cake and eat it too.
The 60-second spot highlights areas where political rhetoric doesn’t match reality in Wisconsin, focusing on cuts in traffic and game law enforcement, health care and education.
“We all hear politicians say they care about issues like highway safety and combating chronic wasting disease. But then they cut back on State Troopers and Conservation Wardens. Clearly, their rhetoric doesn’t match reality,” said Marty Beil, WSEU executive director.
More than 2,000 state employees were eliminated in the current budget and the governor proposes to cut another 2,000 in the next budget. Most of those are front-line employees who directly serve citizens.
“That means fewer Troopers patrolling highways, fewer Wardens protecting natural resources, fewer health care workers, fewer staff to keep our universities second to none. This is where the rubber meets the road,” Beil said.
The cuts come despite figures that show Wisconsin already has among the lowest number of state employees in the country. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, for the seven-year period beginning in 1996, Wisconsin has been in the bottom five in the number of state employees per 1,000 citizens.
Though the number of state employees had been growing modestly in recent years, most of that growth could be attributed to new correctional facilities. “Somebody has to keep these facilities secure. You don’t want the prisoners to guard themselves,” Beil said.
“We’re all for finding efficiencies and ways to save money. Our members are uniquely qualified to help. We all pay taxes too. We all contribute to the health of Wisconsin’s economy.” Beil said.
“But you can’t make things better by pulling arbitrary numbers out of thin air. It’s got to be a top-to-bottom review and the discussion should involve people who actually do the work. Right now, we have a bunch of generals who seem to have forgotten that they need the troops,” Beil said.
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