Posts tagged Wisconsin
Unions ask Supreme Court to affirm judge who found Act 10 unconstitutional
August 19, 2026 // The plaintiffs filed their state Supreme Court appeal Monday. They include unions affiliated with the Wisconsin Education Association Council, the American Federation of Teachers, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the Service Employees International Union and the Teamsters. Act 10, one of the signature laws passed early in former Gov. Scott Walker’s two terms, ended collective bargaining rights for most state and local employees, making an exception for certain public safety employees. The law survived a series of court challenges in the years immediately after its passage.
SSM Health appealing certification of union vote at St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison
August 6, 2026 // National Labor Relations Board staff certified the union election late last month after nurses voted 511-63 to unionize with the Service Employees International Union of Wisconsin. SSM Health filed objections to the election with the NLRB, but the labor board overruled the objections in their “entirety” because SSM provided “insufficient” proof.
Court of Appeals Sides with WILL in Act 10 Case
August 2, 2026 // The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) secured a significant victory at the Wisconsin Court of Appeals after they upheld Act 10 in Abbotsford Education Association v. WERC. WILL represented a teacher who supported and benefited from the law signed by Governor Scott Walker in 2011. The Quote: Lucas Vebber, WILL Deputy Counsel, stated, “WILL has fought to protect Act 10 since its enactment because of the substantial benefits provided to taxpayers and local governments. For 15 years, various legal challenges have been unsuccessful, because ultimately this is a law signed by the Governor and passed by a duly elected legislature which meets all constitutional requirements. As this case likely heads to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, we stand ready to make the case once again.”
Appeals court overturns ruling declaring Act 10 unconstitutional
July 30, 2026 // The Wisconsin Supreme Court is weeks away from the investiture of Appeals Court Judge Chris Taylor as its newest member. Taylor joining the Court gives liberals a 5-2 majority on the panel. However, Justice Brian Hagedorn has already recused himself from previous procedural decisions involving this case because he served as Walker’s legal counsel and played a major role in writing Act 10. If the Supreme Court were to take up the case, it’s likely a final decision wouldn’t be reached until after November’s elections and the inauguration of a new governor and start of a new legislative session in January. With Democrats hopeful they’ll be able to win trifecta control of state government, the actions of the other two branches of government could render the lawsuit moot.
SSM Health challenging recent union election at St. Mary’s hospital in Madison
July 13, 2026 // SSM argues charge nurses improperly voted in the union election
Special Feature: How Public Employee Unions Built California’s Most Powerful Political Machine
July 13, 2026 // In California, public employee unions are often among the most influential organizations helping determine who becomes governor, mayor, county supervisor or school board trustee. They endorse candidates. They contribute millions of dollars to campaigns and independent expenditures. They provide campaign volunteers, voter outreach, mail programs, and political infrastructure that many candidates could not easily replace. By the time contract negotiations begin, the relationship between labor and management has often existed for months or years. That does not mean elected officials simply surrender to union demands. Many negotiate in good faith and work hard to protect taxpayers while fairly compensating public employees. But in government, the officials responsible for approving compensation packages are frequently supported by the same organizations representing the employees who will benefit from those agreements.
Wisconsin Painter Files Federal Charges Against Painters and Trades Union for Unlawful Forced Membership, Dues Deductions
June 30, 2026 // Caryn Johnson, an employee of Olympic Companies, has filed charges at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) District Council 7. The charges state that IUPAT union officials unlawfully coerced her into formal union membership and dues payment by claiming, contrary to federal law, that both were mandatory conditions of her employment at Olympic.
Opinion: Sizable sick leave payouts cost Minnesota county $2 million each year
June 29, 2026 // The high payouts are a vestige of past labor agreements with the handful of unions that represent the county's 1,850 employees. "If you're maintaining an antiquated policy that's really kind of a leaky sieve in terms of generosity—and you're paying out some really excessive payouts in this kind of regard—that's by choice," said Leonard Gilroy, vice president of government reform for the Reason Foundation, a national Libertarian policy group.
Wisconsin Painter Files Federal Charges Against Painters and Trades Union for Unlawful Forced Membership, Dues Deductions
June 24, 2026 // IUPAT union bosses lied to worker, claiming union membership and dues payment authorization were mandatory for employment
Report: The diminishing power of teacher unions
May 29, 2026 // The result is A Crowded Table: Teacher Union Strength in 2026. Building on our original study, the authors set out to gauge teacher union strength in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia (D.C.). Collectively, the 59 measures—which include 29 new measures that were not in the original report—seek to quantify union strength in five key areas: Resources and Membership; Involvement in Politics; Labor and Bargaining Policies; Policy Wins and Losses; and Perceived Influence, which draws from an original survey examining how stakeholders in each of the 50 states and D.C. perceive teacher union strength today. The states with the strongest teacher unions are Vermont, California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Hawaii. The states with the weakest teacher unions are Arkansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Mississippi. (See our interactive table on the report website for the overall rankings alongside the rankings for each of the five areas.)