Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Voting Record

2003-2004 Wisconsin State Legislature

(Unfavorable on Override) The 2003-2005 State Budget included a provision that would limit property tax increases according to a set formula. This was billed as a "property tax freeze" and it would have removed local control from officials elected by the people at the local government level. Working families rely on quality public education and dependable public services, both of which were at risk from this proposal. Governor Doyle vetoed this provision (Sections 943M, 1532M, 2043D, H,S,U,W,Y). The recorded vote of 21 to 12 was on an attempt to override the Governor’s veto and a vote to override was a "wrong" vote. A two-thirds majority is needed for a veto override and the attempt failed.

(Unfavorable on Passage) This bill restructured the way Wisconsin businesses are taxed. The new formula will result in tax breaks for large corporations that total approximately $45 million each year, and still another shift of the tax burden to working families. SB 197 changed the formula for calculating the corporate tax from one based on sales, property and payroll to one based only on sales (called "single sales factor"). The position of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO was that this change should be considered only if the state also implemented "combined reporting" so that business profits could not be hidden from taxation in out-of-state subsidiaries and it would help balance the substantial loss of revenue. The recorded vote of 24 to 9 was on passage and a vote in favor was a "wrong" vote. The bill passed both houses and was signed by the Governor.

(Favorable on Passage) This is the agreed-upon bill negotiated by labor and management representatives on the Unemployment Insurance Advisory Council. It included improvements that will help low-income workers who are involved in training programs, plus other changes. The recorded vote of 33 to 0 was on passage and a vote in favor was a "right" vote. SB 340 passed the Legislature and was signed by Governor Doyle.

(Unfavorable on Passage) Health Savings Accounts are being pushed as part of a campaign for "consumer-driven health care", which simply means that more health care costs are being shifted to individuals and working families. SB 568 would use state tax credits to subsidize individual Health Savings Accounts tied to high-deductible, catastrophic insurance policies. This subsidy is estimated to cost Wisconsin taxpayers close to $40 million dollars in lost revenue in the first few years to encourage a health policy that will undermine existing comprehensive, employment-based insurance. The recorded vote of 17 to 16 was on passage and a vote in favor was a "wrong" vote. The bill passed the Legislature but was vetoed by Governor Doyle.

(Unfavorable on Passage) SJR 15 would require a two-thirds vote in each house to raise certain taxes. This rejects our time-tested, reliable process of majority rule. It turns control of the Legislature over to a handful (one-third plus one) of legislators to decide if and how public education and services will be funded. This would encourage the worst kind of special interest politics and could deny reasonable, needed revenue increases for essential public services and quality public education. It would also make it impossible to achieve real tax fairness by closing some corporate tax loopholes. The recorded vote of 18 to 13 was on passage and a vote in favor was a "wrong" vote. The resolution passed the Senate but died at the end of the session.

(Unfavorable on Senate Substitute Amendment 1) This bill changed financial regulations for banks, commercial lending institutions (high-risk lenders) and credit unions. It also included a provision that gives the wage claim liens of workers a superpriority over other creditors—up to $3,000. Wage claim liens are filed when workers are left unpaid, usually when an employer closes. The cap of $3,000 did not exclude penalties for employers that violate Wisconsin’s laws concerning Advance Notice of Plant Closing or Cessation of Medical Coverage, so it provides a significant disincentive for employers to observe these laws since their financial liability is limited. The Wisconsin State AFL-CIO tried to protect enforcement of these laws by excluding violations from the cap in SSA 1, but an exclusion was not included in the final version. The recorded vote of 20 to 13 was on adoption of SSA 1 and a vote in favor was a "wrong" vote. AB 2 passed both houses and was signed by the Governor.

(Unfavorable on Passage) This bill would require voters to be able to produce a valid Wisconsin driver’s license or photo identification card issued by the Department of Transportation before they are allowed to register to vote or cast a ballot. Currently, other types of identification can be provided. The effect of this legislation is to construct intentional barriers to registration and participation, especially for some 85,000 senior citizens who lack a photo ID. It would also disenfranchise the disabled and low-income individuals who rely on public transportation and who would need to get separate ID cards. There is no evidence that identification fraud is a major problem in Wisconsin elections. The impact of a photo ID requirement would be to give greater voice in our elections to the affluent and the privileged, which is the intent. The recorded vote of 19 to 14 was on passage and a vote in favor was a "wrong" vote. AB 111 passed the Legislature and was vetoed by Governor Doyle.

(Unfavorable on Passage) The Municipal Employment Relations Act (MERA) governs the collective bargaining relationship between labor and management in local units of government in Wisconsin.

AB 598 would amend MERA to make the privatization or contracting out of work and its impact a "permissive" subject of bargaining. This means that a local government would not be required to even discuss the effect of such a major decision on its employees. The recorded vote of 17 to 16 was on passage and a vote in favor was a "wrong" vote. AB 598 passed the Legislature but was vetoed by Governor Doyle.

(Unfavorable on Passage) This bill bans a specific kind of living wage ordinance at the local government level. It would prohibit an ordinance that requires, at a minimum, that a certain wage be paid to all public and private sector workers employed in the jurisdiction of the local government. The City of Madison is the first local unit of government in Wisconsin to enact this specific type of living wage ordinance. AB 633 would deny the people of the City of Madison or any other community from making their own decisions on this issue. Local living wage ordinances of various kinds are advocated by labor, community and religious groups as a way to raise low-wage workers out of poverty, since the federal and state minimum wage has been stuck at $5.15 since 1997. The recorded vote of 18 to 15 was on passage and a vote in favor was a "wrong" vote. AB 633 passed both houses of the Legislature but was vetoed by Governor Doyle.

(Favorable on Passage) This is the agreed-upon bill negotiated by labor and management representatives on the Workers Compensation Advisory Council. It increases the maximum supplemental benefit rate from $202 per week to $233 per week for injuries that occurred before May 13, 1980, plus other changes. The recorded vote of 33 to 0 was on passage and vote in favor was a "right" vote. AB 699 passed the Legislature and was signed into law by Governor Doyle.

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