Event: https://fb.me/e/23qAo4Wdr

Event by Wisconsin State Workers Organizing Committee

(Location is inside the Rotunda. Near exhibit on Limited Term Employees, up one floor from the ground level. Near Fightin’ Bob La Follette statue.)

Join state employees and our unions, in this gathering to call for work for *Equal Pay for Equal Work* at state agencies. We are calling on Governor Evers and state agency leaders to change their hiring practices, and end the abuse of Limited Term Employees (LTEs) now. Join us in this fight for fair staffing and quality public services!

Equal Pay for Equal Work! LTEs are being cheated!

State agencies have relied on a large number of “Limited Term” Employees for decades. LTE work is not limited to seasonal or temporary tasks, and is widespread among many agencies, in blue collar, technical, professional and scientific job classes. Limited Term Employees (LTEs) are paid significantly less than comparable permanent employees, have no paid sick leave or vacation, and have a waiting period to get health insurance.

These essential workers deserve fair compensation. LTEs are consistently paid far less than permanent employees in the exact same job classification, with similar experience and years of seniority with the state. Over 100 LTEs are making under $15 an hour!

State agencies have used loopholes to keep employees stuck in dead end jobs for years or
decades. This is a big disservice to those workers. Using such a contingent workforce also undermines the stability and quality of key public services for Wisconsinites.

The LTE system contributes to poor morale and erosion in the quality of public services. This combines with related staffing problems in state agencies such as high vacancies, rampant overtime, decades of wage caps, attacks on the Civil Service system, and over a billion dollars a year in wasteful private consulting contracts. There are record vacancies, open permanent jobs in state agencies. There were 5,700 vacancies in FY22, enough to convert all LTEs to permanent workers. These staffing practices contribute to the hollowing out of public programs, making it impossible to serve the people of Wisconsin with quality public services.

State agencies depend on the work of LTEs, who perform core functions year round. All LTEs deserve fair pay and benefits. LTEs may be Seasonal or Part Time, but many are not. Job titles found within the LTE ranks include accountants, paralegals, chemists, hydrogeologists, archeologists, archivists, librarians, revenue agents, technical writers, information technology (computer) workers — even human resources jobs are well represented, ironically. The excuse that these are “temporary” jobs is used to justify poor pay for LTEs. We reject this idea that temporary workers deserve less. But also, deceptive practices are being used to call these jobs temporary when they clearly are not. Hundreds of LTEs have over five years of state service.

LTEs did not get the full raise that other state employees got recently – losing four months of it, typically. Holidays for LTEs are sad because they lose hours and suffer with short paychecks.

Join us to call for an end to the abuse of LTE workers in state agencies.