Labor & Employment Law

Walker?s Bill Killing Bargaining Rights ?Unconstitutional?

By Tula Connell

Milwaukee City Attorney Grant Langley says Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s bill, which includes taking away public employees’ bargaining rights, is unconstitutional because it would interfer with local autonomy.

This from the Milwaukee BizTimes:

In a letter to Milwaukee Alderman Joseph Dudzik, Langley stated, ?? in our judgment, the courts would find the statue unconstitutional on three grounds: first, that it unconstitutionally interferes with and intrudes upon the city?s home-rule authority over its pension plan; second, that given certain vested rights or benefits that have accrued to employees currently in the plan, the statute would constitute an unconstitutional impairment of contract rights under the state and federal constitutions; and third, given these same vested rights or benefits, the proposed statute would violate the due process clauses of the state and federal constitutions because it would abrogate the terms and conditions of the Global Pension Settlement.

Full post as published by AFL-CIO NOW BLOG on March 01, 2011 (boomark / email).