Reaction to Judge Juan Colas' Ruling on Walker's Reforms

Judge Juan Colas' ruling, which strikes down key provisions of the Wisconsin budget reforms curbing collective bargaining rights, is an unconscionable and unconstitutional calculation.


Under Governor Walker’s budget reforms, Wisconsin School districts saved money. Public sector employees opted out of union representation, signaling their dissatisfaction. Even Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, the abortive recall challenger, used Walker’s reforms to balance his city’s overburdened budget.

The school district unions, along with the sanitation workers, have not endured an infringement of their freedom of speech. Just because their unions must ask permission before they can deduct a portion of the employee's paycheck does not equal “censorship”.

As a public school teacher, I resented that the United Teachers of Los Angeles took a portion of my paycheck long before I “united” with the union. This “collective bargaining unit” did absolutely nothing to protect my rights, as first year teachers do not receive tenure or even meaningful representation. I could be summarily and unceremoniously terminated for the “cut of my hair”, per the union rep, yet the union got and spent my money as they pleased.

Walker's law protects workers and their pay, and bolsters the freedom of speech which belongs to every individual employee. Until recently, the public sector employee’s freedoms were trampled upon daily by union interests which took the money -- whether the worker wanted the union's representation or not -- then and the spent the same "voluntary" dues on candidates and causes which the employee may or may not have supported.