A legislative study committee has been meeting since July to discuss UW System’s enrollment and budget challenges. The committee met for last time last month and voted on 19 proposed recommendations, and the results of their votes were made public on Thursday. Our statement on their action is here:
Tag: PROFS
Voting Information for Students
PROFS shared the message and slides below with its membership earlier this week. We encourage all faculty to take a few minutes in class to ensure students have accurate information about the process and requirements to vote in Wisconsin.
PROFS President on For the Record
PROFS President Michael Bernard-Donals was recently interviewed by Will Kenneally for WISC-TV’s public affairs program For the Record. Bernard-Donals discussed the agreement reached last week between Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) and the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents.
PROFS Statement on Regent Approval of UW-GOP Deal
PROFS Statement on JCOER Action on UW Compensation Plan
On Tuesday, the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Employment Relations met to vote on state employee pay plans. Funding for the pay raises was approved by the Legislature and signed into law by Governor Tony Evers as part of the 2023-25 state budget. The Republican-led committee declined to vote on the UW System pay plan, withholding UW employee pay raises for the foreseeable future. Our statement:
October Legislative Update
The update below was shared with Senators and guests at the Faculty Senate meeting yesterday. Senate meetings are held on the first Monday of the month in Room 272 Bascom Hall from October through May, except in January. The meetings are open to the public and more information can be found here.
PROFS Urges JCOER to Approve State Employee Pay Plan
The 2023-25 state budget signed into law by Governor Tony Evers on July 5 included funding for pay increases for state employees, including UW-Madison faculty and staff — a 4% pay increase effective July 1, 2023 and a 2% pay increase on July 1, 2024.
The Joint Committee on Employment Relations must approve the pay play for the raises to take effect. Our letter urging the co-chairs to schedule a committee meeting to approve the plan as soon as possible is below:
PROFS Statement on Paid Family Leave
PROFS recognizes the importance of paid family leave to UW-Madison faculty and supports paid family leave for all state employees. We have had discussions with Governor Tony Evers and his staff on the issue and continue to make it a top legislative priority.
February Legislative Update
This legislative update will be shared with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Faculty Senate on Monday. The senate meets the first Monday of every month at 3:30 pm during the academic year, October through May, except in January. Guests are welcome to attend the meetings. More information is here.
UW-Madison State Budget Priorities
Governor Tony Evers will deliver his first State of the State Address of his second term in office at 7 pm tonight. Coverage of the speech is available on Wisconsin Public Radio and PBS Wisconsin.
While a preview of the speech was not made available, the governor is expected to offer some insight on where he might direct some of the state’s record $6.6 billion budget surplus as part of the 2023-25 biennial budget.
PROFS has already met with members of Governor Evers’ staff to discuss the upcoming budget, and UW-Madison has outlined its priorities in the handout below. The budget process is lengthy and begins on February 15 when the governor delivers his biennial budget message.
PROFS is actively involved throughout the entire process and will continue to keep faculty and the entire university community informed over the coming months. Follow PROFS on Facebook and Twitter for the most current information.