I work for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. We serve the most students from Wisconsin of all the campuses in our renown system. We've had no salary increases, due to frozen budgets, in six years. Our faculty members are paid between 20 and 30% below the mean for comparable public universities. Our class sizes are on a constant rise. Our physical plant staff (janitors, electricians, painters, carpenters) has been down to the bare bones even before the recent state fiscal "crisis." And, as soon as Walker's Legislative Lapdogs figure out how to pass their labor-busting bill, we will be paying a sizable amount to our benefits package, which has historically been the strong argument for non-competitive salary deals.
But this is all hunky-dory, since we learn today that Governor Walker actually likes us; nay, Loves and Respects us! Read below the fold to see what came in my email twenty minutes ago.
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: "Governor Scott Walker" < GovernorWalker@wisconsin.gov >
To: "Governor Scott Walker" < GovernorWalker@wisconsin.gov >
Sent: Monday, May 2, 2011 1:11:52 PM GMT -06:00 US/Canada Central
Subject: Recognizing Outstanding Public Service
Thank you for your service to Wisconsin. Our state is proud of the hard work and dedication you bring to your job everyday. To express our appreciation, we are creating a new State Employee Recognition Program that will honor state employees who have gone above and beyond the call of duty.
The program will have three awards. The first will be for outstanding customer service. We’ll be asking Wisconsin residents to nominate the state employees who have impressed them with outstanding service.
The second award will be for outstanding innovation. We are asking you to nominate your colleagues who have demonstrated innovation, ingenuity, and creativity in problem-solving, efficiency, and cost-saving techniques in carrying out their work.
The third award is for ongoing dedication. This award is for the unsung heroes who serve as role models to other employees; the employee who always pitches in to help, who consistently exhibits a positive and helpful attitude, and always “goes the extra mile” to assist his or her colleagues. Again, we are asking for your help in nominating your peers who deserve this special recognition.
You can find nomination forms at this link . I hope you’ll help us recognize the most outstanding state employees for special recognition. I also encourage you to watch this video message expressing our thanks.
Thanks again for your dedication to public service.
Scott Walker
Governor
Updated by noise of rain at Mon May 02, 2011 at 06:14 PM CDT
Video Update: We R So Luvved!