Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Press Release of WEAC Regarding the Filing of Lawsuit on Anti-Union Bill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Marlena Deutsch, 608‐298‐2445

A broad coalition of Wisconsin labor groups, including WEAC, filed a federal lawsuit today challenging the constitutionality of the state’s Budget Repair Bill. The bill would gut collective bargaining rights for all but a select group of public workers who belong to unions that supported Governor Walker in the last election.

The lawsuit argues that the Budget Repair Bill discriminates among classes of public employees when doing so does not advance legitimate policy objectives. WEAC is joined in the suit by the Wisconsin State Employees Union; AFSCME District Councils 24, 40 and 48; AFT‐Wisconsin; SEIU Healthcare Wisconsin; and the Wisconsin State AFL‐CIO.

The following statement can be attributed to WEAC President Mary Bell, a Wisconsin Rapids teacher: "Governor Walker’s bill divides public‐sector workers in a way that we have never seen under decades of stable collecting bargaining, creating a system in which some workers have rights to free speech and to organize and others do not. It’s clear that Walker is using this law to punish some state employees while rewarding others. This legislation makes winners and losers out of employees previously equal in the eyes of the law, and the motives behind Walker’s attempts to separate public workers merits further review by our courts."

To read more about the lawsuit, click here. (No active link in press release)

Click "here" to download, view and print the press release.

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