2 Unions Sue To Overturn Wisconsin Collective Bargaining Law

Two Wisconsin labor union locals are suing to overturn Gov. Scott Walker’s signature collective bargaining law.

Locals 139 and 420 of the Operating Engineers of Wisconsin say Act 10 violates their rights to free speech and free association under the First Amendment. They filed their lawsuit last week in federal court in Milwaukee.

The law curtailed collective bargaining rights for most public employees in Wisconsin, including teachers.

Walker spokesman Tom Evenson tells the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel the law is constitutional and will be upheld as it has been before, regardless of the outcome of a case that came before the U.S. Supreme Court Monday over whether unions representing government employees can collect fees from workers who choose not to join.

The two locals represent more than 10,000 workers in Wisconsin.