Lower State Court Restores Union Rights
By Patrick Lynn
A Dane County judge on Monday found Governor Scott Walker’s employment relations commissioners in contempt of court for scheduling union recertification elections.
The move, according to Circuit Court Juan Colas, defied a ruling he gave in 2012 finding Act 10 unconstitutional.
Colas’ ruling will give teachers and local government workers the ability to immediately enter labor negotiations with their bosses. The scheduled recertification elections in November will likely be cancelled and a Kenosha’s teacher’s union- which had been previously decertified- will at least temporarily be formally recognized by the state.
Act 10 all but eliminated collective bargaining for public employees when it was implemented in 2011 as part of Walker’s Budget Repair Bill. State officials promised to immediately appeal Monday’s ruling, and the underlying case is already heading to the state Supreme Court, with oral arguments set for November 11.