In a letter released Monday, the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s stated clerk pushed Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker to abandon a spending proposal that would balance the state’s beleaguered budget and curb collective bargaining powers of state workers.

Citing an interpretation of a 1995 General Assembly statement, Stated Clerk Grayde Parsons wrote: “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,” he added.

Parsons’ letter piggy-backs a resolution passed by the Presbytery of John Knox at a Feb. 19 meeting in Muscoda, Wis., which urges Walker “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.”

The nuts and bolts
Walker’s two-year, $28.7-billion budget includes a wide range of cuts in an attempt to balance a projected $3.6 billion shortfall.

In an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday, Walker said he would be willing to compromise with Wisconsin Senate Democrats on some aspects of the bill but could not budge on the issue of collective bargaining.

“I can’t take any of that off the table,” he said. “We cannot tear apart this budget. We cannot put this burden on local governments. But if there are other ways they are willing to work with us to find a pathway back, I think that’s what people want.”

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