Agency News Archive
CLE HOURS APPROVED FOR FIFTH ANNUAL SPRING CONFERENCE
The
Fifth Annual Wisconsin Public Sector Labor Relations Conference held at the
May 20, 2009
SAVE THE DATE -- THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 2010 --
SIXTH ANNUAL
WERC Chair Judy Neumann
announced today that the WERC will again be co-sponsoring a day-long conference
on a variety of public sector labor relations topics at the
Program and registration information will be posted on this website and otherwise distributed when finalized.
All members of the labor-management community are cordially encouraged to save the date for the conference.
For further information, contact Georgann Kramer.
May 4, 2009
FIFTH ANNUAL SPRING CONFERENCE CONDUCTED
The Fifth Annual Wisconsin
Public Sector Labor Relations Conference was held at the
As in past years, the Conference was sponsored by the WERC and co-sponsored by the UW Law School and the State Bar of Wisconsin Labor and Employment Law Section. The conference was coordinated by Dan Nielsen and Georgann Kramer of WERC.
Two milestones recognized during the opening plenary session were the retirement of Prof. Carin Clauss of the UW Law School and the 70th anniversary of the WERC and its predecessor agency, the Wisconsin Employment Relations Board. [photo]. Former Commissioners in attendance included Arvid Anderson, Zel Rice, Howard Bellman, Charles Hoornstra, William Strycker and Marshall Gratz. [photo].
WERC Chair Judy Neumann has
expressed WERC's intent to continue the Conference as an annual spring
event. Evaluation form responses from
attendees will be reviewed carefully. Individuals
and organizations with additional comments or suggestions about the Conference
are welcome to submit them in care of Georgann Kramer.
June 25, 2008
STAFF ATTORNEY HIRED
WERC Chair Judy Neumann has announced that Michael R. O'Callaghan has been offered and has accepted employment as a WERC attorney to replace Karen Mawhinney.
O'Callaghan grew up in
O'Callaghan's first day of work will be July 14, 2008. He will be stationed at the WERC Madison office.
May 27, 2008
Effective immediately, the
street address of the WERC Madison office has changed to
The physical location of the
office remains unchanged, but the street address has changed because
March 19, 2008
STAFF ATTORNEY VACANCY POSTED
A job announcement regarding a WERC staff attorney vacancy
has been posted. To view the
announcement on the State of
Please note that completed application materials must be
submitted to the
The Commission encourages everyone to share the announcement with persons who might be interested in applying for the position.
NEUMANN NOMINATION CONFIRMED
Governor
Doyle's nomination of WERC Chair Judy Neumann as a member of the Commission for
a term ending March 1, 2013, was unanimously approved by the Wisconsin Senate
today.
February 27, 2008
After 30+ years as a labor
relations attorney, Sharon Gallagher announced that she will retire from the
staff of the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission with her last day of
work likely to be sometime in late November, 2008.
Following her retirement,
The commission and staff wish
December 26, 2007
REVISED FORMS REFLECT
FILING FEE INCREASES EFFECTIVE IN 2008
Revised case initiation forms in PDF and RTF formats are now available reflecting the increased fees applicable for certain types of cases filed on or after January 2, 2008. Hard copies of the revised forms are also available upon request directed to the WERC Madison office. Questions regarding the revised forms should be directed to Georgann Kramer.
The fee for grievance arbitration cases and mediation-type cases (mediation/interest arbitration/fact-finding) will increase from $500 (split equally between the parties) to $800 (split equally between the parties) and the fee for filing an unfair labor/prohibited practice complaint will increase from $80 to $100. There continues to be no fee for filing a petition for election, petition for unit clarification, petition for declaratory ruling, petition for a union security referendum or for requesting a panel of ad hoc arbitrators. There also continues to be no additional fee for an interest arbitration or fact-finding case where a fee was previously paid regarding an earlier mediation case concerning the same bargain. The current $50 filing fee for certain types of civil service personnel appeals remains unchanged.
KAREN MAWHINNEY RETIRING
After 20+ years at the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission, Karen Mawhinney announced that she will retire from the agency with her last day of work being February 1, 2008.
Karen joined the Commission's staff in 1987 after working several years in
television news production and then writing and editing legal publications for
CCH in
Karen has been a well-respected neutral in labor-management dispute resolution throughout her years as a WERC staff mediator, arbitrator and hearing examiner. She has efficiently handled several complex representation cases, and she is well known for issuing written decisions and awards in advance of the agency's time guidelines.
Karen intends to maintain a private arbitration practice following her
retirement. She will also continue to pursue her interest in breeding and
boarding
The commission and staff wish Karen good health and happiness for many, many years to come.
SUN PRAIRIE CIRCUIT COURT DECISION NOT APPEALED
The WERC issued the following statement today concerning its decision not to appeal the Circuit Court's decision affirming in part and revesing in part the Commission's decision in Sun Prairie Area School District, Dec. No. 31190-B (WERC, 3/06):
In that case the Commission held (1) that the District had
violated the collective bargaining agreement between the parties by the manner
in which it had handled certain staffing changes; and (2) that a clear and
longstanding practice on a mandatory subject of bargaining that conflicts with
contract language is the status quo during a hiatus between contract that may
not be unilaterally changed. The
Commission also held that, if such a practice has been properly renounced, it
may be eliminated during the term of the successor agreement unless the other
party has been able to negotiate a change in contract language such that the
practice is retained. Commissioner
Gordon concurred in the first holding but dissented from the second holding,
taking the position that the contract language rather than a conflicting
practice should be the status quo during a hiatus.
On review, the Circuit Court affirmed the Commission’s
decision on the first issue (that the District had violated the collective
bargaining agreement) but reversed the Commission on the second issue (the
unilateral change). The Court viewed the
District’s conduct as occurring during the term of a contract, rather than
during a hiatus, and in that context held that the conduct did not violate the
District’s bargaining obligations.
The District, the
A circuit court decision does not establish binding
precedent for other cases. The
Commission majority and dissent continue to adhere to the views they expressed
in the Sun Prairie decision regarding the nature of the status quo during a
contract hiatus.
OUTSIDE SEARCH ENGINES BLOCKED FROM SEARCHING
WERC DECISIONS, GRIEVANCE AWARDS AND PERSONNEL APPEALS
By majority vote, Commissioner Gordon dissenting, the WERC has directed that steps be taken to block outside search engines (Google, Yahoo, etc.) from searching WERC labor relations decisions, grievance awards and personnel appeals on the WERC website and from searching WERC labor relations decisions and grievance awards on the WisBar website.
The Commission majority's action in that regard is an effort to balance the privacy concerns of individuals named in those documents with the needs of the labor relations community and the public at large to have full-text search access to those documents.
All WERC website content
remains fully searchable directly from the WERC site. Interest awards and other general WERC web
content remain accessible to outside search engines, as well.
It cannot be known how quickly the blocking process will become effective. In the meantime, however, the WERC has removed the "[G]" links by which Google searches of labor relations decisions, grievance awards, and personnel appeals had been facilitated from the upper right-hand corner of the WERC website's opening page.
Questions about the above developments can be directed to Marshall Gratz.
FILING FEE INCREASES EFFECTIVE IN
2008
To avoid professional staff
layoffs and the resulting reduction in dispute resolution services, the
Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission (
Fee revenue is used to fund five
professional
As part of the administrative
rule-making process,
Written comment regarding the fee
increases can also be sent to WERC at anytime by fax (608 266-6930), e-mail (werc@werc.state.wi.us) or regular mail (
ROBERT McCORMICK (1928-2007)
Robert M. (Bob or Mac) McCormick
passed away on Friday, July 27, 2007, at the Don and
Bob served as a Mediator,
Arbitrator and Examiner for the WERC for 28 years. Among many, many others in the public and
private sectors, he mediated Dairyland Power,
Services will be held on
Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2007, at 11 a.m. at
For a more detailed obituary please click here.
ADOBE READER VERSION 8 INCLUDES SEARCH FUNCTION IMPROVEMENTS
Adobe has released a new and improved Version 8 of the free Adobe Reader. The updates of the Search features should provide WERC website users with an improved ease of use of the PDF format files on the WERC website. Download the latest Adobe Reader.
WERC WEBSITE OPENING PAGE REVISED
In an effort to provide users of its website with more convenient access to its contents, WERC has revised the opening page of the site.
The revised page includes most of the links that were
available on the former opening page, but presented in a way that hopefully
makes more of them available more quickly and conveniently. It provides a new WERC Contacts grouping including directories
of WERC personnel by name and by function and a directory of ad hoc
arbitrators, and an About WERC grouping
including the agency news archive, organizational chart and general information
about the agency and its mission and goals.
It retains custom searches of
various agency documents, using both the State of
Like its predecessor, the revised opening page ends with a detailed contents list organized into the existing set of broad content categories. However, the detailed list is presented in a more compact and straight forward site map format, replacing both the previous detailed contents list and what had previously been a separate site map page.
Questions, comments or suggestions regarding the WERC website can be sent to Marshall Gratz.
LABOR RELATIONS FORMS REVISED
The WERC has now completed a comprehensive revision of all of its labor relations case-processing forms. The revised forms are now ready for immediate use. A linked list of the revised forms offers them for downloading in both printer-friendly PDF format and word-processor-friendly RTF format. Because some of the forms are new and others are renumbered, the list also provides the old filename prefix and form number, if any, to faciliate transition to the new forms.
Many of the forms changes result from the agency's recent comprehensive labor relations rules revision. For example, e-mail addresses and fax numbers are now routinely requested, if available. The Commission encourages inclusion of that information so that WERC personnel can make optimal use of electronic communications in case processing.
The revised forms are also available in hard copy form from the WERC Madison office. For assistance with the new forms, contact Georgann Kramer.
February 14, 2007
-- REMINDER --
TEACHER UNIT SETTLEMENT REPORTING IS MANDATORY
The Commission again reminds
school district representatives that the municipal employer is required by
Statute and Commission rules to submit (to WERC and the labor organization
involved) the teacher unit settlement information called for on Form D of the
ERC Chapter 33 Appendix as soon as possible after the effective date of any
collective bargaining agreement covering school district professional
employees.
Form D (including some recent format revisions made during the comprehensive rules revision project) together with Forms A, B and C are available on this website in PDF and word processor formats. Questions about compliance with the requirements of Form D can be directed to WERC General Counsel Peter Davis.
REVISED RULES PRINT-OUTS NOW AVAILABLE
The comprehensive rules revision adopted by the Commission
on April 26, 2006, was formatted, annotated and published by the Revisor of
Statutes' office in the Wisconsin Administrative Register on June 30, 2006. The
revised rules therefore took effect on the following day, July 1, 2006, and first
applied to cases filed (ERC 1-28, 30-33 and 50) or matters that arise (ERC 40)
60 days after the effective date of the rules, i.e., on and after August 30,
2006.
The 100 pages of rules as revised are now available in letter-size loose-leaf hard copy print form. They are newly priced at $10.00 per copy and can be ordered using the website order form. For more information contact Georgann Kramer.
REVISED RULES PUBLISHED AND DOWNLOADABLE
The comprehensive rules revision adopted by the Commission
on April 26, 2006, was formatted, annotated and published by the Revisor of
Statutes' office in the Wisconsin Administrative Register on June 30, 2006. The
revised rules therefore took effect on the following day, July 1, 2006, and first
applied to cases filed (ERC 1-28, 30-33 and 50) or matters that arise (ERC 40)
60 days after the effective date of the rules, i.e., on and after August 30,
2006.
For a fully codified and downloadable copy of the WERC's rules as they now appear in the November 2006 Administrative Register [click here]. For an analysis highlighting material changes in the rules [click here].
Questions about the rules revision project should be directed to WERC General Counsel, Peter Davis.
STAFF ATTORNEY HIRED
WERC Chair Judy Neumann has announced that Danielle L. Carne has been offered and has accepted employment as a WERC attorney to replace David Shaw.
A graduate of the University of Iowa College of Law, Carne
has worked for the last three years as an associate in the
Carne's first day of work will be August 21, 2006. She will be stationed at the WERC Madison office.
May 1, 2006
SECOND ANNUAL SPRING CONFERENCE CONDUCTED
The Second Annual Wisconsin Public Sector Labor Relations Conference was
held at the
Approximately 444 registrants and participants shared in the day-long Conference program featuring plenary and panel presentations on a variety of topics of interest to public sector labor relations practitioners. To view the program, [click here]
As in 2005, the Conference was sponsored by the WERC and co-sponsored by the UW Law School and the State Bar of Wisconsin Labor and Employment Law Section. The conference was coordinated by Dan Nielsen of WERC.
WERC Chair Judy Neumann has expressed WERC's intent to continue to make the Conference an annual spring event. Evaluation form responses from attendees will be reviewed carefully. Individuals and organizations with additional comments or suggestions about the Conference are welcome to submit them in care of Georgann Kramer.
March 2006
DAVID SHAW RETIRING
After 25+ years at the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission, David Shaw announced that he will retire from the agency effective in mid-August, with his last day of work being July 28, 2006.
David joined the Commission's staff in 1981 after several years in private practice as a labor and employment attorney.
David has been a well-respected neutral in labor-management dispute
resolution throughout his years as a WERC staff mediator, arbitrator and
hearing examiner. He has often been assigned complex hearing-type cases, and
his decisions have always been been characterized by outstanding clarity and
depth of analysis. He played a major
role in the drafting of several Commission decisions in the 1980's involving
the constitutionality of
David intends to maintain a private arbitration practice following his retirement. An avid outdoorsman, David will no doubt be taking frequent hunting and fishing trips, as well.
The commission and staff wish David and his wife Mary good health and happiness for many, many years to come.
STAFF ATTORNEY HIRED
WERC Chair Judy Neumann announced today that Steve Morrison has been offered and has accepted employment as a WERC attorney to replace Dennis McGilligan.
Morrison
worked as an examiner, mediator and arbitrator for the WERC for three years
ending in August of 2003, and since then he represented
Morrison's
first day of work will be May 1, 2006.
He will be stationed in
December 27, 2005
APPEALS INFORMATION REGARDING
ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT UNIT CLASSIFICATION SURVEY
The State of
1) some of the limits of the WERC’s authority,
2) the requirements for filing an appeal,
3) the steps taken by the WERC to process a reallocation appeal, and
4) how to access more specific information relating to the appeal process.
November 28, 2005
DENNIS MCGILLIGAN RETIRING EFFECTIVE JANUARY 13, 2006.
After a 33-year career as a neutral in dispute resolution, consisting of 28 years as a WERC mediator, arbitrator, hearing examiner, and five intervening years with the Wisconsin Personnel Commission as a Commissioner and later as Chair, Dennis P. McGilligan announced his intention to retire from State service. His last day of work for the agency will be on January 13, 2006, with his official severance date sometime in April.
Throughout his WERC service, Dennis has earned the respect of labor and management representatives for his skills as a mediator, grievance arbitrator, and hearing examiner, and for his expertise in labor-management cooperation training and facilitation. Since 1991, Dennis has worked tirelessly as a trainer and facilitator providing encouragement and support for both labor-management committee effectiveness and the consensus bargaining process. Most recently, he has served as Director of the agency's Labor Management Cooperation Program.
In addition to his service in the labor-management dispute resolution field, Dennis served for several years as Coordinator of the Wisconsin Farm Mediation & Arbitration Program administered by the Wisconsin Department of Aghriculture, Trade & Consumer Protection.
Dennis' retirement plans include maintaining a private arbitration and mediation practice with a labor management cooperation trainining and facilitation component, spending more time with his family, and -- hopefully -- staying in touch with his WERC colleagues.
The Commission and staff wish Dennis, his wife Mary Louise Griffin, and their family many happy and healthy years on the occasion of his retirement from the agency.
Following Dennis' departure, John
Emery will be leading the agency's Labor-Management Cooperation program.
April 29, 2005
STAFF ATTORNEY HIRED
WERC Chair Judy Neumann announced today that Stanley Michelstetter has been offered and has accepted employment as a WERC attorney to replace Edmond Bielarczyk.
Michelstetter worked as an examiner, mediator and arbitrator
for the WERC for eight years in the 1970's and since then has been very active
on the Commission's ad hoc panel, the FMCS panel, and other state panels.
He has issued some 69 interest arbitrations in
Michelstetter's first day of work will be May 19, 2005. He will be stationed at the WERC Madison office.
April 29, 2005
SPRING CONFERENCE CONDUCTED
The First Annual Wisconsin Public Sector Labor Relations Conference was held
at the
Approximately 410 registrants and participants shared in the day-long
Conference program featuring plenary and panel presentations by
The Conference was sponsored by the WERC and co-sponsored by the UW Law School and the State Bar of Wisconsin Labor and Employment Law Section. The conference was coordinated by Dan Nielsen of WERC.
WERC Chair Judy Neumann has expressed the agency's interest in making the Conference an annual spring event. Evaluation form responses from attendees will be reviewed carefully. Individuals and organizations with additional comments or suggestions about the Conference are welcome to submit them in care of Georgann Kramer.
January 11, 2005
PUBLIC SECTOR LABOR RELATIONS CONFERENCE PROGRAM ANNOUNCED
WERC Chair Judy Neumann today announced the program for the First Annual
Public Sector Labor Relations Conference to be presented at the UW Law School
in
The day-long Conference program features plenary and panel presentations by
The Conference is sponsored by the WERC and co-sponsored by the UW Law School and the State Bar of Wisconsin Labor and Employment Law Section. The conference is being coordinated by Dan Nielsen of WERC.
Registration information will be posted on this website and otherwise distributed when finalized. For further information, contact Georgann Kramer
December 2004
ED BIELARCZYK RETIRING
After 25+ years at the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission, Edmond Bielarczyk, Jr. announced that he will retire from the agency as of January 21, 2005.
Ed joined the Commission's staff in 1980 after working as a Personnel Specialist with the Wisconsin Departments of Administration and Employment Relations. Prior to his State service, Ed was a Staff Sergeant with the US Air Force.
Ed has been a highly effective and productive neutral in labor-management
dispute resolution throughout his years as a WERC staff mediator, arbitrator
and hearing examiner. He has often led the staff in numbers of field activities
conducted and numbers of miles driven conducting them. For many years, Ed has served as Director of
the WERC’s Labor-Management Cooperation program. In that capacity, he has trained hundreds of
labor and management representatives in both the municipal and state sectors
throughout
Ed intends to maintain a private arbitration practice following his
retirement. He also plans to spend time with his family and friends within and
outside
The commission and staff wish Ed and his wife Maggie good health and happiness for many, many years to come.
October 22, 2004
SENDING FEEDBACK TO WERC
In response to a suggestion received at the October 19 Green Bay Regional Forum meeting, and in an effort to facilitate feedback from WERC customers and the public concerning issues relating to the WERC and its services, a new link has been added to the Content links appearing near the top of the opening page of the agency website. That link opens to the agency’s quality assurance page
The quality assurance page notes that each member of the WERC staff is supervised as shown on the organizational chart elsewhere on this site. [view it] Parties interested in communicating with the WERC about the quality of the services it provides in any given case or generally or on any other topic relating to the agency are welcome to contact WERC Chair Judy Neumann or any of the other Commissioners or Team Leaders listed on that chart. [contact information].
E-MAIL ADDRESSES REQUESTED
In an effort to facilitate greater use of e-mail during case processing, the WERC is requesting parties to include e-mail addresses, if known, for all parties and parties' representatives for whom phone numbers and mailing addresses are provided in complaints, petitions, personnel appeals and requests for mediation and grievance arbitration services. This informal request is for e-mail addresses to be included in addition to the other information called for on the forms involved. Parties with questions about this request should contact Georgann Kramer.
September 29, 2004
JANE BURROWS BUFFETT 1940-2004
The Commission recently received word that on September 25, former WERC
staff attorney Jane Buffett, 64, died at her home, surrounded by her
family. A service of burial was held on
September 28 at the
There will be a service of memorial
and thanksgiving on Saturday, November 27. A full obituary and notice of that
service will be published in
Jane’s body was put to rest beside
that of her daughter, Vera, who died on September 17, 1983. Jane is survived by
her husband of forty years, Roger Buffett, their devoted sons Perry and Carl,
her daughters-in-law, Sara Buffett and Audrey Freudenberg, and four loving
grandchildren: Erika, Allison, Simon and Zelia. Among those who mourn her will
be countless friends and relatives whose lives Jane has touched. Jane was a
woman of many hats: an English teacher (and later a tutor), a
mediator/arbitrator for the State of
The family has expressed special
thanks to Eliot Williams and all of the other doctors, nurses and staff at the
University of Wisconsin Hospital. With their help, and the love, help and
support of many, many friends, Jane was able to live life with zest for over
eight and one half years, while living with multiple myeloma, for which a cure
is yet to be found.
WERC Chair Judy Neumann announced today that plans for a park bench or other memorial in Jane’s honor are underway and that further information regarding location and contributions will be posted on this website when available.
September 13, 2004
AD HOC ARBITRATOR CONFERENCE CONDUCTED
The Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission sponsored a
day-long conference in
The Conference was coordinated by Arbitrator Herman Torosian
and WERC Chair Judy Neumann. The 43
attendees heard presentations from WERC representatives concerning various
administrative issues affecting Roster members, caselaw and other developments
affecting grievance and interest arbitration in
The Commission hopes to conduct future conferences for its Ad Hoc Roster members on a biannual basis or more often if developments warrant.
September 1, 2004
OCTOBER, 2004 REGIONAL FORUM LOCATIONS ANNOUNCED
The Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission announced the locations for
the regional forums scheduled on four evenings during October of 2004, in
The purposes of the forums are to permit interested persons to meet the members of the WERC, to discuss service delivery issues, and to give the agency feedback, advice and suggestions.
All interested persons are invited and encouraged to attend. The forums have been scheduled and located as follows:
For more information, contact WERC Chair Judy Neumann, 608-266-6130, e-mail Judy.Neumann@werc.state.wi.us
April 6, 2004
INTEREST AWARD ISSUES INDEXES ADDED TO WEBSITE
Indexes of interest awards including the issues arbitrated and the competing wage offers, if any, involved, are now available on the WERC website. The separate indexes of general employee (INT/ARB) awards and of police-fire (MIA) awards have been developed and are being maintained by WERC Staff Attorney Richard McLaughlin.
The indexes, which are posted in PDF format, list arbitrator, award identification and issuance date information for both consent and nonconsent Wisconsin interest awards issued in and after 1972 (MIA) and 1978 (INT/ARB). Issues involved are listed for awards issued in and after 1972 (MIA) and 2000 (INT/ARB). Competing wage offers, if any, are listed for awards issued in and after 2000 (MIA) and 1999 (INT/ARB). The text of nonconsent interest awards can be found by use of linked lists or interest award search functions available elsewhere on the website.
The initially posted indexes cover awards issued through 1-2-04 (MIA) and 1-16-04 (INT/ARB). Updated indexes will be posted periodically.
WERC EXPEDITES ELECTION CASE PROCESSING
In an effort to further encourage the prompt disposition of election petitions, the WERC has revised its standard initial letter to the parties. The WERC will continue to encourage stipulations. However, the WERC will explicitly state that any party may request that a hearing be scheduled, even while a stipulation is being further pursued. If the WERC receives a request for a hearing, the hearing will be scheduled for a date within 30 days of the request. The WERC’s revised standard letter will also set time limits for the parties to respond to proposed stipulations.
October 6, 2003
KURT STEGE HIRED FOR TRANSITION PROJECT
Kurt M. Stege has been hired by the WERC in a project employee position as Personnel Commission Transition Attorney.
Kurt's primary responsibilities will include familiarizing the WERC and its staff with the various personnel appeals functions recently transferred to the WERC from what had been the State Personnel Commission.
Kurt had served for many years as a staff member and General Counsel for the Personnel Commission before that agency was eliminated as a part of the recent State budget.
Kurt will be stationed at the WERC's
July 31, 2003
STEVE MORRISON TO LEAVE WERC STAFF
Staff Attorney Steve Morrison has announced he will be leaving his WERC
employment effective at the end of business on August 15, 2003. He has accepted
employment in the Brown County Corporation Council's Office in
Steve has been with the agency since the fall of 2000, stationed in
The commissioners and staff wish Steve well in his new position, and wish Steve good health and happiness always.
Cases that were previously assigned to Steve are being transferred to other WERC personnel. Parties with questions about the status of any such case are welcome to contact Marshall Gratz.
May 23, 2003
HENRY HEMPE RESIGNING
After 16 years as a member of the WERC, including service as Chairperson from 1989 to 1996, A. Henry Hempe today announced his intention to resign from the agency. In his announcement to agency personnel, Commissioner Hempe stated, "[i]t is mutually agreed between myself and Governor Doyle that my resignation will be effective on June 15. Sue Bauman will be coming in as a Commissioner on June 16. I wish her well."
Commissioner Hempe also stated that he values his associations over the years with all WERC personnel, and he expressed his confidence that each of the three newly-appointed WERC members will do well in the performance of their responsibilities.
Before joining the WERC, Commissioner Hempe had been engaged in the private
practice of law in southcentral
Throughout his years with the agency, Commissioner Hempe has been a strong
and effective proponent of labor-management cooperation and consensus
bargaining. He was instrumental in developing the agency's LMC training and
facilitation functions, and he has been active in promoting and providing those
services to parties in both the state and municipal sectors. He has also served
for many years on the State of
As Chairperson of the WERC, his contributions to labor peace included chairing a panel of labor and management representatives known as the Council on Municipal Labor Relations, which was created as a part of the 1993 State budget law to develop recommendations for the Legislature regarding major public policy issues then under consideration as regards municipal contract negotiation dispute resolution procedures.
While he has not formally announced his future plans, it is widely anticipated that Commissioner Hempe will establish a Madison-based private mediation and arbitration practice with a labor-management-cooperation training and facilitation component, and that he will pursue his longstanding interests in hunting, fishing and generally enjoying the great out-of-doors.
The Commission and staff wish Henry and his wife Cornelia many years of good health and much happiness.
April 14, 2003
WERC ANNOUNCES FOUR REGIONAL FORUMS
The Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission announced today that it has scheduled regional forums on four evenings during June of 2003, in Green Bay, Eau Claire, Milwaukee and Madison.
The purposes of the forums are to permit interested persons to meet and get know the newly appointed members of the WERC, to discuss service delivery issues, and to give the agency feedback, advice and suggestions.
All interested persons are invited and encouraged to attend. The forums have been scheduled as follows.
For more information, contact WERC Chair Judy Neumann, 608-266-6130, e-mail Judy.Neumann@werc.state.wi.us.
April 18, 2003
SUSAN BAUMAN NAMED COMMISSIONER
Governor Jim Doyle announced the appointment today of former Madison Mayor Sue Bauman to the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission.
"I am pleased that Sue Bauman will be serving our state as a member of the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission," Governor Doyle said. "Having served six years as Mayor, 12 years on the Common Council, and 16 years as a lawyer on employment and labor issues, Sue is uniquely qualified for this job. She will bring valuable expertise to the Commission, and make an important contribution to our state."
Bauman will serve a term to expire March 1, 2005.
Susan J.M. Bauman was elected Mayor of Madison on April 1, 1997. Prior to
assuming the office of Mayor, she served 12 years as a member of the Madison
Common Council. She received her law degree from the University of
Wisconsin-Madison in 1981 at the same time as she received a Master’s Degree in
Industrial Relations. Prior to her election as Mayor, she engaged in the
private practice of law, emphasizing employment and labor, for almost 16 years.
Before attending law school, Bauman was a teacher in the
Governor Doyle's press release announcing the appointment stated that Ms. Bauman's service with the WERC is scheduled to begin on June 1.
April 10, 2003
PAUL GORDON NAMED COMMISSIONER
Governor Jim Doyle announced the appointment today of Paul Gordon to the
Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission. Gordon has most recently served as
the City Attorney for
March 28, 2003
STEPHEN BOHRER RESIGNING
Staff Attorney Stephen Bohrer announced today that he will resign from his
WERC employment effective at the end of business on April 25, 2003. He has
accepted employment as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of
Steve has been with the agency since early January, 1999, stationed in
The commissioners and staff wish Steve well in his new position, and wish Steve, his wife Ann and their family good health and happiness always.
March 18, 2003
HAHN RESIGNING
WERC Commissioner Paul Hahn has announced his intention to resign from the Commission effective on April 25, 2003.
Commissioner Hahn has served as a member of the Commission since April of 1997, after being appointed by Governor Thompson to a term nominally expiring on February 28, 2003. For the past two years, Commissioner Hahn has led the agency's effort to develop a comprehensive revision of its administrative rules. Prior to joining the Commission, Mr. Hahn was engaged in the private practice of law since 1969, retiring in December of 1996.
Following his resignation from the WERC, Mr. Hahn plans to establish a
private arbitration practice from his home in
The commission and staff wish Paul and his wife Jane good health and happiness for many, many years to come.
If no successor to Commissioner Hahn is appointed by April 25, his position will become vacant at that time. That would not prevent the Commission from issuing decisions on which Commissioner A. Henry Hempe and Chair-designate Judith Neumann agree. Other cases would await appointment of a third Commission member to break the tie. Ms. Neumann plans to begin work with the agency on April 1.
March 5, 2003
JUDITH NEUMANN NAMED WERC CHAIR
Governor Jim Doyle announced the appointment today of Judith M. Neumann as
Chair of the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission. Neumann, a native of
January 2003
SORENSON NOMINATION WITHDRAWN
On January 6, 2003, Governor Doyle withdrew 127 gubernatorial nominations which were, as of that date, awaiting confirmation by the Wisconsin Senate. Among those withdrawn were Governor McCallum's February, 2002 nomination and designation of Steven R. Sorenson as a WERC member and chair, respectively. Mr. Sorenson began work in those capacities on March 25, 2002.
Governor Doyle has advised Mr. Sorenson and others that the withdrawal of their nominations does not necessarily rule out the possibility that they could be renominated, and Mr. Sorenson has advised the Governor of his continuing interest in resuming his work for the WERC.
Accordingly, at present, vacancies exist in both the six-year WERC member term that began on March 1, 2001 and the 2-year designation of a WERC member as Chair which also began on March 1, 2001. Until Governor Doyle formally designates a WERC member as chair, those responsibilities will be shared by Commissioners A. Henry Hempe and Paul A. Hahn. The WERC member vacancy does not prevent the Commission from issuing decisions on which Commissioners Hempe and Hahn agree. Other decisions will await appointment of a third member to break the tie.
September 2002
AMEDEO GRECO RETIRING
After 29+ years at the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission, Amedeo Greco announced that he will retire from the agency as of September 6, 2002.
Amedeo joined the Commission's staff in August of 1973 after working as a
legal advisor to NLRB chairman Frank W. McColluch and NLRB member Ralph Kennedy
in
Amedeo has been a highly effective and productive neutral in labor-management dispute resolution throughout his years as a WERC staff mediator, arbitrator and hearing examiner. He has often led the staff in numbers of cases handled and awards/decisions issued, and he has frequently been jointly requested by parties to serve as a mediator or grievance arbitrator. Over the past 20 years, Amedeo has been a member of the National Academy of Arbitrators and active in a variety of Academy programs and committees.
Amedeo intends to maintain his private arbitration practice following his
retirement. He also hopes to make frequent boat trips in search of bluefish
from his hometown Atlantic Highlands Township Pier in New
The commission and staff wish Amedeo and his wife Linda good health and happiness for many, many years to come.
July 2002
MARY BLUM IS RETIRING
On June 19, 1967, she walked into the
The Commission and staff wish Mary and her husband Dave a long, happy and healthy retirement.
March 19, 2002
STEVEN R. SORENSON NOMINATED AS WERC COMMISSIONER AND CHAIR
Governor McCallum has nominated Attorney Steven R. Sorenson as a member of the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission and has designated Mr. Sorenson as chair of the agency. The nomination is for the remainder of a six year term that began on March 1, 2001. It is subject to confirmation by the Wisconsin Senate; however, because the nomination fills a vacancy, Mr. Sorenson will assume his duties as both commission member and chair beginning on March 25, 2002.
A native of Chippewa Falls and a past president of the State Bar of
Wisconsin, Mr. Sorenson most recently has been engaged in the private practice
of law in Ripon and Fond du Lac including service as Village Attorney in Fairwater
and Town Attorney for Towns of Utica (Winnebago County) Springvale and
Rosendale (Fond du Lac County). He was previously City Attorney for the City of
Mr. Sorenson is a 1972 political science and business administration
graduate of
December 28, 2001
MEIER RETIRES
WERC Chairperson James R. Meier has advised Governor McCallum that he will be retiring effective January 5, 2002.
Meier was appointed to the Commission in August 1995 by then Governor Tommy Thompson who subsequently designated Meier as WERC Chairperson in January 1996.
Meier comments that he is proud of the agency’s accomplishments during his six years as Chairperson -- particularly the improved timeliness of Commission and staff decision-making; stationing of staff members in Eau Claire and Wausau; creation of a website that gives all WERC customers easy, timely and free access to agency decisions and procedures; and completion of a comprehensive proposed revision of the agency’s administrative rules.
WERC General Counsel Peter Davis praised Meier as a leader with vision, integrity and guts who was willing to make difficult and unpopular decisions on the merits regarding both agency operations and cases.
Meier, a
Before coming to
[April, 2001]
TOM YAEGER RETIRING
After 27+ years at the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission, Tom Yaeger announced that he will retire from the commission as of July 7, 2001.
Tom's contributions to the Commission's work and reputation have been so substantial and so varied as to make it impossible to do them justice in a few sentences. Since March 4, 1974, when he joined the agency as a mediator, arbitrator and hearing examiner, Tom has been a highly effective and respected neutral in labor-management dispute resolution. As the agency's staff director from July 1980 - March 1991 and as a team leader ever since, Tom has been responsible for a wide range of supervisory and administrative responsibilities as well as carrying a caseload of his own..
Tom described his future plans this way, "While I am not yet ready to retire to an easy chair and call it a career, I do want to change the focus of my work life. While I still have my health, I want to take the opportunity to concentrate on establishing a private arbitration practice, spending more time with my family located around the country, and taking more time away from work to finish unfinished projects. . . . I will be forever grateful for having had the opportunity to pursue such a professionally rewarding career, and to everyone from whom I have learned so much."
Everyone at WERC wishes Tom and his wife Sally good health and happiness for many, many years to come. Discussions are under way regarding plans for a suitable recognition event in Tom's honor. Details will be announced when they are known.
In response to Tom's
resignation, WERC Chair James Meier announced that the agency will not be
hiring a new person to fill the vacancy created by Tom's resignation. Tom's
supervisory and administrative responsibilities will be allocated among other
agency personnel, principally Peter Davis, Marshall Gratz, Bill Houlihan and
Georgann Kramer.
Beginning May 1, parties with questions or communications that would otherwise have been directed to Tom Yaeger can now direct those communications to Peter Davis at 608-266-2993. An updated WERC organization chart [view it] and list of primary contact persons for various WERC functions [view it] are available elsewhere on the WERC website.
December, 2000
LIONEL
After a long and dedicated career in State service, including 20 years as a WERC mediator, arbitrator, hearing examiner, Lionel L. Crowley announced his intention to retire from State service effective on December 21, 2000.
Lee joined the staff of the then State Bureau of Personnel's Bureau of Collective Bargaining in 1972. He later spent two years in private law practice and then joined the WERC professional staff in 1981. Throughout his years of WERC service, Lee has carried a heavy hearing and writing caseload. He has provided outstanding service to labor, management and the public by consistently issuing his examiner decisions and grievance arbitration awards in a timely fashion, often well in advance of the applicable agency timelines. Lee has also contributed significantly to an improved understanding of the WERC and its complaint case process by editing numerous editions of the WERC World publication and by co-authoring the agency's Hearing Examiner Manual for Complaint Cases which is available on the agency's website.
Lee's future plans include becoming what he describes as "the junior
person on my wife's staff" at her estate planning law firm,
Cases that were previously assigned to Lee are being transferred to other
WERC staff members. Parties with questions about the status of any such case
are welcome to contact Tom Yaeger.
September, 2000
"EMPLOYE" IS NOW "EMPLOYEE"
Effective immediately, the WERC has directed that "employe" be spelled with a double-"e" at the end of the word in all agency documents. The Legislature recently authorized the alternative use of "employee" for official State purposes.
September, 2000
STAFF ATTORNEYS
HIRED FOR
Two staff attorneys are being hired by the WERC, effective in the fall of 2000. They are Steve Morrison and Lauri A. Millot.
Steve comes to the WERC with substantial experience as a private practice
litigator and civil case arbitrator based in
Lauri comes to the WERC with significant experience as a human resources
professional in the
They will both be stationed in
June, 2000
DOUGLAS KNUDSON RETIRES EFFECTIVE JULY 7
After a distinguished 30-year career as a WERC mediator, arbitrator, hearing examiner and Representation Case Coordinator, Douglas V. Knudson announced his intention to retire from State service effective on July 7, 2000.
Throughout his long and dedicated WERC service, Doug has earned the respect of labor and management representatives in the private and public sectors for his skills as a mediator, grievance arbitrator, and hearing examiner, and for his expertise in conciliation and coordination of representation disputes. He has successfully resolved countless representation cases, sparing the parties and the agency a great deal of time and cost. He has worked tirelessly to improve the parties' understanding of the WERC's representation processes, rules and case law, and he has provided valued guidance to numerous WERC Commissioners on the intricacies of representation case law and procedure, as well.
Doug's retirement plans include travel, spending time with his grandchildren, maintaining a private arbitration practice, and -- hopefully -- staying in touch with his WERC colleagues.
The Commission and staff wish Doug, his wife Lynda, and their family many happy and healthy years on the occasion of his retirement from the agency.
Following Doug's departure, Tom Yaeger will be performing Doug's
representation case processing responsibilities, at least for the near term.
[April, 1999]
WASB PUBLIC SECTOR DECISIONS DIGEST AVAILABLE IN CD-ROM FORMAT
The Wisconsin Association of School Boards recently announced publication on
CD-ROM of a compiled version of its digests of WERC and related court decisions
concerning the
The new WASB consolidated public sector digests are published in Adobe PDF format and searchable with free Adobe Acrobat Reader with Acrobat Search software that is included on the WASB CD-ROM.
Digests published by the WERC covering municipal and state sector decisions prior to 1976 and covering private sector decisions prior to 1989 are currently available in HTML format elsewhere on the WERC website [view list]. In addition, WERC is currently exploring the possibility of converting and indexing those WERC-published digests so that, once downloaded, they too can searched with Acrobat Search software. For information concerning planned WERC electronic publications, contact Marshall Gratz.
STAFF ATTORNEYS HIRED
Two experienced attorneys are being added to the WERC staff, effective in early January, 1999. They are Stephen G. Bohrer and John R. Emery.
Both come to WERC with substantial experience as private sector attorneys in
They will both be stationed in
Press Release - April 9, 1997
PAUL HAHN NOMINATED AS WERC COMMISSIONER
Mr. Hahn engaged in the private practice of law since 1969, retiring in December of 1996. His entire career was devoted to the practice of labor relations representing private and municipal employers and not-for-profit organizations. Mr. Hahn's experience included all aspects of the collective bargaining relationship between employers and unions in the public and private sector, as well as early experience in State sector labor relations. His nomination to the Wisconsin Employment Relations by Governor Thompson was supported by representatives of management and labor.
Mr. Hahn commented as follows regarding his nomination: "I look forward
to serving the labor relations community in
TOROSIAN RETIRES
Herman Torosian is retiring this April after serving 21 consecutive years as a Commissioner with the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission.
Torosian has been the agency's acknowledged leader and institutional conscience since Morris Slavney's retirement in 1983. His tenure assured the continued status of the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission as a nationally acclaimed labor relations agency.
"As I look back at my career with the WERC, I will remember the work as
challenging and satisfying," Torosian said. "More importantly,
however, I feel proud and privileged to have served the State of
Torosian's service to the State of
Current Governor Tommy Thompson echoed Earl's sentiments. "Herman
Torosian has served the people of
Former governor Martin Schreiber recalled Torosian's role in settling the first state-wide strike by State employes and characterized Torosian as "critically important in advice and counsel, mild mannered, intelligent, hard working, and possessing great integrity and an uncommon ability to relate to people."
Torosian believed passionately that the leaders of the Wisconsin Employment
Relations Commission should be fully engaged in the agency's work. Thus, in
addition to fulfilling his role as an agency decision-maker, Torosian
maintained a substantial mediation caseload during his entire tenure as a
Commissioner. In bargaining units ranging in size from two to 20,000 employes,
Torosian exercised his mediation skills with patience, humor, and a devotion to
the collective bargaining process. To meet the needs of the parties in
protracted labor disputes and strikes, Torosian and his family sacrificed much
time together. His 26 days of mediation during a 1977
Torosian recalls that "During this time of state-wide strike activity, most of our time was spent putting out fires. The demands on mediation as a dispute resolution procedure were great, requiring sacrifices by all those involved. However, as a mediator, the reward of helping the parties and the affected public made it all worthwhile."
Although widely respected and sought after as a mediator, Torosian's
contributions to the development of
Torosian joined the WERC as a staff mediator immediately following his
graduation from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1967. Appointed by
both Democrats (Gov. Patrick J. Lucey in 1974 and Gov. Tony Earl in 1983) and
Republicans (Gov. Lee Dreyfuss in 1981 and Gov. Thompson in 1989 and 1992),
Torosian's career as a Commissioner reflects a level of bipartisan support and
respect which may never be seen again. At the time of his retirement, Torosian
had the longest continuing tenure of any current labor relations agency leader in
the
During his tenure as a Commissioner, Torosian served with ten fellow Commissioners including Morris Slavney (1974-1983), Howard Bellman (1974-1976), Charles Hoornstra (1976-1978), Marshall Gratz (1978-1979 and 1983-1987), Gary Covelli (1979-1984), Danae Davis Gordon (1984-1987), Stephen Schoenfeld (1987-1989), A. Henry Hempe (1987 to present), William Strycker (1989-1995), and James Meier (1995 to present).
Following his retirement, Torosian anticipates continuing to serve as an arbitrator and mediator. Current Commission Chairperson James Meier also announced "We are delighted that Herman has agreed to continue to work with our agency on a part-time basis."
Torosian and his wife, Una, will continue to live in
STRYCKER RESIGNS AS COMMISSIONER; MEIER APPOINTED
WERC Commissioner William K. Strycker resigned his post as a WERC
Commissioner in mid-August to become the Human Relations Director at
Strycker, who was appointed to the Commission in 1989, was praised by WERC Chairperson A. Henry Hempe as knowledgeable and effective. Hempe added that he was particularly grateful for Strycker's strong support for the labor-management cooperation and consensus bargaining training initiated by the Commission in 1990.
Meier, a
Before coming to
Hempe and Commissioner Herman Torosian, along with other WERC staff members welcomed Meier to his new duties. "Jim Meier brings us a rich background in labor relations, as well as a diversity of experience in both courtroom and administrative areas, and we look forward to working with him," Hempe said.
Commenting on his appointment, Meier said, "I feel privileged to have the opportunity of working with the fine professional and support staff at the WERC."
Meier's appointment will be scheduled for confirmation by the Senate later this fall.
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