In a ruling cheered by Republicans and jeered by Democrats, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals District III has ruled Wisconsin’s controversial right-to-work law constitutional.
The decision, which reversed a previous ruling by now retired Dane County circuit judge William Faust, notes that unions have no constitutional entitlement to the fees of non-member employees.
The law prohibits unions and employers from requiring that all their workers pay fees to join a union, but it does not prevent unions from forming.
It was challenged at the county level by three unions that argued that state and federal laws require unions to provide collective bargaining services to all employees in a represented workplace, whether or not they pay union dues. The challenging unions included the AFL-CIO.
The National Right to Work Foundation, which filed an amicus brief in support of the law, hailed the Court of Appeals ruling, stating the constitutionality of right-to-work laws is a long-settled question.
