.JPG)
BREAKING NEWS: Federal judge strikes down portions of Act 10
Dear AFT-W Members,
This afternoon, a federal judge in Madison struck down some provisions of Act 10, Scott Walker’s union-busting legislation that effectively stripped public workers of their collective bargaining rights.
U.S. District Judge William Conley found that the portions of the bill that denied workers payroll deduction for union dues and that required yearly, absolute majority recertification elections were unconstitutional. The judge also ordered that public employers must re-instate payroll deduction of union dues after May 31, 2012.
This federal court decision is an important first step in the fight to take back our rights. As Judge Conley stated, there was “no rational basis” to deny public unions the right to decide how they will collect dues and how they will recertify.
However, this is only a first step. The stakes for winning the upcoming recall elections have never been higher. AFT-W President Bryan Kennedy points out that “this court decision provides yet another reason to support the recalls against the Governor, Lt. Governor, and the State Senators who supported this egregious legislation.” It is clear that Scott Walker and his cronies in the legislature will stop at nothing – even if it means passing unconstitutional laws behind closed doors – in order to maintain their powerful stranglehold on our state, no matter how damaging their actions are for Wisconsin’s working people and their families.
And it is imperative, now more than ever, that we work together to win the recall elections that are coming up on May 8th and June 5th. And the best way that we can ensure victory is by working to build strong unions so that our rights to negotiate for fair wages and safe working conditions and to have a meaningful voice in the workplace are restored.
News on this important story is still developing, and AFT-Wisconsin will communicate information to you as soon it becomes available.