A state labor ruling that eliminated health insurance requirements for police and fire departments has legislative Republicans moving to pass a law to fix that.
That ruling was against the Racine police department after the city challenged providing health insurance to retirees due to cost issues. Wisconsin Act 10, passed under the Scott Walker Administration, eliminated collective bargaining for public sector unions.
Racine Mayor Cory Mason says he warned lawmakers this would happen when Act 10 was written. “The law says it is a prohibited subject of bargaining. I don’t know how much room for interpretation there is on that.”
Mason says if Republicans really wanted to help public safety, they should spend some tax surplus on the problem.
“Whether it’s teachers or cops and firefighters, you’re gonna make it harder to have the kind of workforce that Wisconsin needs and deserves to educate our kids and keep us safe. And so here we are.”