Presbyterians Confront Gov Walker on Unions

At the last meeting of John Knox Presbytery they passed the following resolution to be sent to Gov. Walker of WI. Today I received a forward from the Stated Clerk of General Assembly supporting the John Knox Presbytery position. It may be viewed following the JKP statement.



At the February 19, 2011 meeting of John Knox Presbytery a resolution came from the floor asking the presbytery to make a statement to the state representative and Wisconsin Governor calling for good faith negotiations with Wisconsin public employee unions to deal with the current budget issues.  As approved by the presbytery, the following statement was sent to the state representatives, Governor Scott Walker and the other Wisconsin presbyteries:

Statement of the John Knox Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church (USA) As Christians, we are well aware that difficult economic times call for hard choices on the part of our elected representatives.  The State of Wisconsin, like many states, is facing significant financial challenges and difficult decisions in balancing its budget. The decision to reduce or eliminate the state’s projected budget deficit, however, does not nullify the moral obligation of the elected leaders of Wisconsin to respect the legitimate rights of workers, including public employees, to organize and collectively bargain.
The 207th General Assembly (1995) of the Presbyterian Church (USA) adopted as policy the paper “God’s Work in our Hands: Employment, Community and Christian Vocation.”  It affirms a longstanding Presbyterian principle that vocation is a lifelong response to God in all aspects of one’s life, and that work is an integral part of our response to God’s call.  Therefore, all aspects of the workplace, including wages, benefits, working conditions, and labor-management relationships, are of concern to God and thus of concern to the church.
The 1995 General Assembly statement specifically provides: Justice demands that social institutions guarantee all persons the opportunity to participate actively in economic decision making that affects them.  All workers…have the right to choose to organize for the purposes of collective
bargaining.
Therefore, The Presbytery of John Knox, meeting on February 19, 2011 in Muscoda, Wisconsin, calls upon Governor Scott Walker and Wisconsin’s other elected representatives to enter into good-faith negotiations with Wisconsin’s public employee unions to deal with Wisconsin’s current budget issues and to respect the rights of all workers to collectively bargain for wages and benefits.
We encourage peaceful dialog and discussion to reach consensus for the benefit of all the people of Wisconsin.  Further, we call upon Presbyterians to continue to monitor the state budget process in Madison and to join with other Christians of good will in advocating and praying for a just resolution to Wisconsin’s current budget issues
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PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (U.S.A.)
OFFICE OF THE GENERAL Assembly
GRADYE M. PARSONS
STATED CLERK
February 28,2011
Governor Scott Walker
115 East Capitol
Madison, WI 53702

Dear Governor Walker:

I am writing on behalf of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) on the matter of collective bargaining by public employees of state governments. The policies of our General Assembly, the highest governing council of our church, have repeatedly addressed matters ofunionization and collective bargaining. We fully support the urgent communication you have received from the John Knox Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), our regional judicatory based in Madison, Wisconsin, and repeat what they have quoted for you-a portion of our long-standing commitment to the right of workers to bargain collectively.

The 1995 General Assembly statement ("God's Work in Our Hands") specifically provides: "Justice
demands that social institutions guarantee all persons the opportunity to participate in economic
decision making that affects them. All workers ... have the right to choose to organize for the purposes of
collective bargaining." Therefore, The Presbytery of John Knox, meeting on February 19,2011 in
Muscoda, Wisconsin, calls upon Governor Scott Walker and Wisconsin's other elected representatives to
enter into good-faith negotiations with Wisconsin's public employee unions to deal with Wisconsin's
current budget issues and to respect the rights ofall workers to collectively bargain for wages and benefits.

As Presbyterians we base the rights ofall workers, corporations and governments in a doctrine of covenant or mutual accountability that undergirds all contracts and includes our social contract in the United States. We share with many people of faith the conviction that collective bargaining is a concrete measure by which burdens and benefits are shared in a manner deeply consistent with both our faith and our democratic values.

Our doctrine of vocation affirms that all human beings have a calling from God to serve the common good.
It is our understanding that your state workers have already agreed to significant sacrifices as an
appropriate part of the overall effort to reduce expenses. To take away their future right to collective
bargaining is an attack on a basic principle, rather than simply a cost-cutting measure. We challenge your
administration to embody fairness and the sharing ofburdens in your tax and wage policies, and to lead
by your own example.

In Christ's mission,
Gradye Parsons
Stated Clerk ofthe General Assembly