Judge Rules Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s ‘Right to Work’ Law Unconstitutional
One of the Laws the Wisconsin Republican Based Presidential Candidacy Upon Is Unconstitutional, Says Judge
Five years ago Governor Scott Walker rammed through a union busting bill and signed it into law. Months of protests before the bill passed and after the Wisconsin Republican signed it into law captivated the nation. It also prompted a recall election, which Walker survived. The law, Walker insisted, was necessary to fix the state economy, despite there being not a shred of truth to that claim.
Last year, Gov. Walker went further, signing into law another union-busting bill, making Wisconsin the 25th “right to work” state in the nation.
Today, a Wisconsin County judge declared Walker’s union-busting law unconstitutional.
Combined, those laws are literally the platform that Walker based his presidential candidacy upon. He even insisted that since he stood up to the unions, he could stand up to ISIS.
The lawsuit was filed the day after Walker signed the “right to work” bill into law, by the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO, United Steelworkers District 2 of Menasha, and Machinists Local Lodge 1061 of Milwaukee.
Because Wisconsin state law “obliges unions to represent all employees at so-called closed-shop companies, regardless of whether those workers formally belong to the union,” the unions argued Gov. Walker’s “right-to-work law violates the state constitution’s prohibition against the taking of property without providing just compensation,” the Daily Reporter explains.
Dane County Judge William Foust ruled the “right to work” allows a “taking” of union property, the Daily Reporter notes, making it unconstitutional.
Karoli Kuns at Crooks and Liars writes the “key sentence” in the ruling states that unions “have a legally protectable property interest in the services they perform for their members and non-members.”
The ruling is here.
Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel will appeal.Â
Â
Image by Joe Brusky via Flickr and a CC licenseÂ
Enjoy this piece?
… then let us make a small request. The New Civil Rights Movement depends on readers like you to meet our ongoing expenses and continue producing quality progressive journalism. Three Silicon Valley giants consume 70 percent of all online advertising dollars, so we need your help to continue doing what we do.
NCRM is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. From unflinching coverage of religious extremism, to spotlighting efforts to roll back our rights, NCRM continues to speak truth to power. America needs independent voices like NCRM to be sure no one is forgotten.
Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Help ensure NCRM remains independent long into the future. Support progressive journalism with a one-time contribution to NCRM, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you. Click here to donate by check.