As you all know by now, Governor Walker has decided to retain the Ass't DA's.
No furloughs.
It is worth recalling how this 'furlough' question arose in the first place.
James E Doyle (the Doylet) negotiated a labor agreement with the Ass't DA's, wherein he promised that they would not have to take more than 5 layoff days/year.
Within a few weeks, James E. Doyle (the Doylet) announced that ALL State employees would have to take EIGHT days' layoffs. That included the Ass't DA's.
The guy is incapable of keeping his word for any period of time.
I'm sure that Foley & Lardner are very proud of their new "star" associate, no?
It's worse.
ReplyDeleteIn 2003 Assistant DA's were the ONLY state employees Doyle furloughed. After that the Association of State Prosecutors negotiated a cap of five furlough days per year.
Doyle not only issued the eight furlough days per year edict (while approving goofy state spending increases) but then both he and the legislature signed up on a contract renewal that retained the five-day cap. Then he tried to violate the very contract he signed.
Doyle surprisingly has never been a friend to prosecutors. There was a near 75% turnover of Assistant DA's during his tenure. Gov. Tommy Thompson signed a law in 1989 to make all Assistant DA's state employees to improve pay and retain talent. Doyle not only balked at adequate pay but his own staff said that the state is short 117 Assistant DA's, some of whom are paid less than their secretaries.