The top two Republicans in the Wisconsin legislature say they’ll make an end run around the judicial branch in early June if the courts haven’t ruled on the legality of the anti-union law that put the state in the headlines earlier this year.
From the La Crosse Tribune:
Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald both told The Associated Press that it would make the most sense for the committee to add the language into the budget before it comes up for debate before the full Legislature.
However, both Fitzgeralds are hoping the courts rule that the bill passed in March is legal and can take effect so further legislative action isn’t necessary. The state Supreme Court has been asked to take the case, but it has not said if it will. Two lawsuits are pending in circuit court.
Union officials in the state had been expecting Republicans to include the legislation — which eliminates collective bargaining rights for public-sector workers — in the state’s upcoming budget, and jam it through the legislature this week. This development grants them a month-long reprieve.
Republicans first floated the budget plan as an option last week, and appear to have settled upon it. The law is currently being blocked on technical grounds. Republicans, both in Wisconsin and other states where Republicans made huge gains last fall, have faced an enormous backlash for their aggressive attacks on public sector unions.
