AREA UNION-BACKERS HOLD OUT OF HOPE OF COMPROMISE
Monday, February 21st, 2011 -- 12:38 PM
A group of protesters outside the Clark County Republican Party's Lincoln Day Dinner Saturday night were still hopeful Gov. Scott Walker's budget-repair bill would be voted down."Right now, they only need one other senator to change their mind," said AFSCME representative Jim Mills, "if things go the way they're going, I think that's the possibility."
Steve Dykstra is a state correctional officer who works at Jackson Correctional Institute outside of Black River Falls. He said the fight wasn?t about greed, but about protecting the middle class.
"I've been in the state system for 26 years...the whole time, we've had our bargaining rights, we've taken less wages to keep our benefit packages. Most of the guys that (work there) are lucky if they make $35,000 per year. The starting wage is $14.89," Dykstra said.
"The money is going to hurt us all, but it's losing the right to bargain that's going to crush everybody."
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.