Wisconsin’s largest city wants to join a lawsuit claiming a state law that made changes to collective bargaining and public employee benefit plans is unconstitutional.
Milwaukee City Attorney Grant Langley has asked a state appeals court in Madison to let the city to become a plaintiff in the lawsuit filed by the Madison teachers’ union and a Milwaukee city employee union. Langley says the union law violates the state Constitution’s home rule powers by not letting the city pay anything toward its employees’ pension contributions.
Also, Langley says the law violates constitutional bans on creating impairments to employee contracts.
Dane County Circuit Judge Juan Colas earlier this year struck down the state’s union law as it applies to local government and public school employees. Milwaukee officials argue the law can still be brought back though, because the state is appealing the judge’s decision.
