Wisconsin unions sue over new collective bargaining law

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Reuters

Wisconsin unions sue over new collective bargaining law
MADISON | Wed Jun 15, 2011 4:38pm EDT

MADISON (Reuters) - Unions representing public workers in Wisconsin filed a lawsuit in federal court on Wednesday to block the state's new curbs on collective bargaining, which were upheld by the state's Supreme Court on Tuesday.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, claims the controversial measure is unconstitutional because it creates two classes of public workers in the state -- those covered by the new rules and those exempt from them.

The law eliminates most collective bargaining rights for most Wisconsin teachers, road workers and other public employees and requires them to pay more for pensions and health coverage.

But certain public workers, including firefighters and other public safety workers, have been exempted from the new rules.



Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/15/us-wisconsin-unions-lawsuit-idUSTRE75E5L520110615?rpc=401&feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews&rpc=401

[Pharaoh]

1. Kicking for Wisconsin! n/t

[highplainsdem]

2. K&R

[iwishiwas]

3. Ha ha--HERE IS WALKER'S STATEMENT!!....

....Walker responded to the suit saying, “I think overwhelmingly the people of the state feel the legal action is done and it’s time to move forward.”........






http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_e0810a92-9782-11e0-a27f-001cc4c002e0.html

[leftyohiolib]

4. apparently not all think it's time to move forward

[iwishiwas]

5. Wisconsin does NOT need the Walker type of forward.!!

[iwishiwas]

6. BTW-Walker and his repug poodles are moving WI BACKWARDS!

[RhodaA]

7. Judge in case appointed by Obama - Much better article at link below

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/123934004.html
The case was assigned to Federal Judge William M. Conley. Conley is an appointee of President Barack Obama.

[Imajika]

8. Good try, but there is no likely no federal case here...

"In a statement, the groups said they filed the suit because the collective-bargaining legislation 'denies hundreds of thousands of public employees their right to collectively bargain for a better life. The groups challenge the constitutionality of the state’s Budget Repair Bill which would destroy collective bargaining rights for all but a select group of public sector workers.'"

There is no constitutional right for public employees to collectively bargain. The Federal Government even limits the rights of collective bargaining for many of its employees, and many states do the same. There are even "right-to-work" states that not only don't allow collective bargaining by public employees, but are as aggressively anti-labor as they legally can be in the private sector as well.

If this got past a sympathetic circuit court judge, it would be immediately slapped down by an appeals court or by the SCOTUS.