WI - Unions file suit to halt collective bargaining legislation (in Federal Court)

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal ^ | 6/15/11 | Don Walker

[Jean S]

Madison - One day after the Wisconsin Supreme Court ordered the reinstatement of collective-bargaining legislation that potentially affects thousands of public-sector employees, a coalition of unions filed suit in federal court seeking to block it.

The Wisconsin State AFL-CIO on Wednesday joined a number of other unions seeking to halt Gov. Scott Walker's controversial collective bargaining legislation.

The groups include the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 24, AFSCME Council 40, AFSCME Council 48, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC), the Wisconsin State Employees Union, The Wisconsin State AFL-CIO and the Service Emplloyees International Union – Health Care Wisconsin (SEIU).

In a statement, the groups said they filed the suit because the collective-bargaining legislation "denies hundreds of thousands of public employees their right to collectively bargain for a better life. The groups challenge the constitutionality of the state’s Budget Repair Bill which would destroy collective bargaining rights for all but a select group of public sector workers."

The suit, filed in the Western District of Wisconsin, says the legislation violates the 1st and 14th amendments "by stripping away basic rights to bargain, organize and associate for the purpose of engaging in union activity, which have been in place for the last half century."

The case was assigned to Federal Judge William M. Conley

[Free Vulcan]

And I hope the courts slap them down hard all the way to the SCOTUS and clear a freeway for every GOP led state to do this. We’ll cut their ATM machine off at the knees.

[Principled]

the best they can hope for is some ultra liberal Obama appointee issues a stay that delays the law a couple weeks before a higher court smacks it down.

On October 29, 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Conley to serve on the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin

[Dengar01]

Wasn’t it the great socialist FDR who banned Federal Employees from collectively bargaining???

[fieldmarshaldj]

Do as I say, not as I do.

[PapaBear3625]

And they damn well know it; so a new question begs; what are the unions currently up to that they need this stalling tactic?

The legislation does not cancel existing contracts. It only applies when a contract comes up for renewal. They want to get as many contracts signed as they can, then hope to regain power in a later election and repeal the law.

[Oceander]

Parasites will always fight viciously to avoid being deprived of their ill-gotten gain. Forget domestic vermin like ticks and fleas, think Alien (the old movie, that is).

[animal172]

I hope you are right, but do you really believe the Feds won’t interfere given the chance?

[LibertyRocks]

I’m so tired of these thugs claiming that extortion is a “right”.

The only “right” these people have is the freedom to QUIT YOUR JOB AND FIND A NEW ONE if the deal between employer and employee is lopsided.

[noinfringers3]

Since the days of the early 1930s unions have lost their right to being taken as social benefactors. Today , unions are hardle more than legalized thugaries ruled by thugs.

[dools0007world]

They have to peg it someting in the Constitution. The only they could try is the commerce clause. I suppose you could try make a case on:

1. Public schools receive fed money(which has little to do with commerce).
2. Some teachers and state civil servants go out of state for vacations. Thus, they may use the Fed hwy stem and spend money outside their own state.
3. Public schools may use materials bought outside the state. These include paper, A-V equipment, pool chemicals or whatever.

I’m no expert on the commerce clause. Anybody want to way in?

[dools0007world]

Somone has already said it. What we have here is a continuation of the union’s tantrum.

What the Marxist crowd refuses to accept is that there is no money to pay for this nonsense. And the longer the unions have these sweetheart contracts a union state’s ability to pay for it will diminish.

[rawhide]

Rules and laws didn’t stop that two-bit Democrat county judge from issuing her edict in Wisconsin. So some two-bit federal judge will probably do the same, until it gets up to the USSC, and they lose again.

[rawhide]

Wisconsin might as well refuse to defend it and prepare for the appeal. It is a sure bet on how he will rule.

[Palmetto Patriot]

I’ll be interested in seeing how the leftists argue that the Feds should force the state to give the unions something the feds won’t give them.

I think what they are interested in is a stay, delaying implimentation of the law until the recall elections.

Does that make sense?

[Johnny B.]

Yup, that makes perfect sense.

[Indy Pendance]

Another nail in the zombie coffin. Keep it up libs, we're winning everything, you're the LOSERS! There is this little matter, the 10th amendment. So sorry, so sad. The feds have no jurisdiction. I'm so tired of living in liberal hell. The freaks are running the show. The protest yesterday drew maybe a thousand people. Even the libs are aghast of the zombie culture.

This protest is dying a slow death. And we're watching them implode.

[Indy Pendance]

The won hates Walker. He has a hard on for his hatred. All fed forces are on Wisconsin. We’re fielding all fed forces. We freedom fighters are dug in. It’s a daily slog, but we’re going to win. A billion dollar campaign is going to lose versus the freedom voters.

[Indy Pendance]

"you can smell the fear... "

It's all they have left. I feel their fear, they are losing every issue. We're (conservatives) shouldering the burden, but it's a path this country needs to take. Wisconsin, I'm proud of our stance, has always been conservative, but we've been outmaneuvered by the libs forever. Finally, we've broke through that barrier. And the libs are pissed off. It's a really sweet revenge.

[SkyPilot]

Worth watching . It will be interesting to see if they can find a District judge to agree the power of public employees to collectively bargain every aspect of their employment is a fundamental right. It should be big news to the Federal employees who do not have that power.

You got that right.

Here is the rub: in the last 7 months, Obama himself has been screwing Federal workers (who do not have collective bargaining rights as you pointed out). He froze their pay for an effective three years. He froze out locality (high cost area) pay raises for 2010, and just announced the same for 2011. His administration is telegraphing a punch that they want a 5% pay cut from Fed workers as another bargaining chip against the Republicans so Obama can argue for a tax increase - with that 5% paycut supposedly going to the solvent pension fund that Tim Geithner is now raiding because Obama and the Treasury have overspent the Trillions Pelosi and Reid gave him.

This is really incredible stuff.

If we didn't have a news media that were absolute whores for Obama and the Democrats, this would blatant hypocrisy would be an example for the ages.

[Indy Pendance]

If we didn't have a news media that were absolute whores for Obama and the Democrats, this would blatant hypocrisy would be an example for the ages.

They are losing the battle. The main stream media has lost it's power. Look at this web site. We know what's going on. My 83 year old dad knows what's going in. Everyone is appalled. The 'Kennedy' dems are gone. It's all the freaks running the DNC. And the freaks turned off the public.