Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett delivered his state of the city address Monday, and said he understands that government employees need to make increased contributions to their health care and pension benefits. “We began addressing this issue in earnest in our last round of contract negotiations, and we will continue to do so,” said Barrett, the Democrat who lost to Governor Scott Walker last November. “But there is a very important point to be made here: we have made significant progress without attacking the fundamental right to organize.”
“Most of us agree that shared sacrifices are necessary. The problem of course is that sacrifices are not always equally shared. All employees, including police and fire, are going to have to be part of the solution,” said Barrett. “No one should be given a pass based upon who they supported in a political campaign.” And Barrett warned about what the city faces when Governor Walker announces the details of his two year state budget plan. “With a high degree of certainty, I can unfortunately tell you that the cuts coming from Madison are going to disproportionately impact the city of Milwaukee.”