More information on proposed state labor contracts was released Friday following calls from legislators to release the documents to the public.
The MacIver Institute, a free market capitalism think tank, posted some of the contracts after past requests for access to complete versions of the contracts have been denied.
The section of the contracts released included provisions about overtime work and taxation, as well as the proposed increased health care payments state workers will be required to pay.
Republican members of the Legislature wanted to see the documents in case a lame duck session held later this month to discuss ratifying the contracts negotiated by Gov. Jim Doyle in November
The proposed contracts are for several state workers unions including the Wisconsin State Employees Union and concern work done from July 2009 through June 2011. WSEU is the largest in the state and represents about 22,000 state employees.
In order for the agreements to pass, the Legislature and the Joint Committee on Employment Relations must ratify them, and the WSEU’s bargaining unit also must approve the contracts.
If 60 percent of legislators agree to consider passing the contracts, legislators may call a special session to debate the documents.
Gov.-elect Scott Walker has asked legislators to refrain from passing state contracts that might conflict with future budget decisions.
Although looking at such contracts in a lame duck session is not usual, it is also not an unreasonable move by the Doyle administration and the Legislature, according to Barry Burden, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin.
“Approving contracts at this late date is unusual, but it’s entirely understandable,” Burden said in an e-mail. “Many contracts have expired, so the state is behind when it comes to approving them.”
Walker asked the Doyle administration not to finalize the contracts until after Walker takes office on Jan. 3, claiming the contracts will further restrict the new budget.
According to a letter Walker sent to outgoing Democrats as well as incoming Republican state legislators, approving these labor contracts could have serious implications on the upcoming state budget, which is expected to fall short by about $3 billion.
Several legislators have called upon the Doyle administration to release the contracts in full.
Although the WSEU released a summary of the contracts, the contracts posted online by the MacIver Institute so far contain the most information.
Sen. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, called for a release of the documents, claiming the finances in the contracts have been kept under wraps.
“Democrats in charge of the state Capitol are rushing to pass through state employee contracts at the 11th hour, and they’re keeping the price tag a secret,” Fitzgerald said in a statement.
According to Burden, the last minute examination of these contracts by the Legislature may be a move to prevent further stalls in finalizing the contracts.
Burden added the move also provides Democrats with an opportunity to support one of their key constituents – labor unions.
“It’s unlikely that unions will reach easy agreement with the incoming administration, so approving now prevents unions from falling further behind,” Burden said.
