Wisconsin Supreme Court Upholds Anti-Union Law

The controversial Wisconsin law, passed in a 4-3 decision today by the Republican-dominated legislature, eliminates most collective bargaining rights for public workers in the state and requires higher fees for health coverage and pensions.

Signed by Republican Governor Scott Walker, the law was passed amidst the largest public demonstrations in the city of Madison since the Vietnam War.

In May, the measure was voided by a circuit court judge who ruled that Republican lawmakers had violated Wisconsin’s open meetings law.

Today, however, the Supreme Court overruled the circuit court judge, who they said had violated the separation of powers in the Wisconsin constitution.

About the Author

Erin Brodwin

Erin Brodwin is a freelance multimedia journalist specializing in urban and environmental reporting. She currently works for the NYCity News Service, a student-powered initiative of the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. A Southern California transplant to New York City, Erin has worked as a Student Director of the Student Sustainability Center at the University of California, San Diego, where she was instrumental in writing policy which made UCSD one of the first Fair Trade Certified campuses in the nation. Erin’s eye for design, her background in critical race and gender studies, and her passion for all things sustainable has taken her to places like the City of Los Angeles Workforce Investment Board, where she lead their Communications division, and Goodwill Industries International, where she worked as a grant writer and provided vocational services to low-income residents of East Los Angeles. Erin speaks English and Spanish and has lived and studied in Southern California, Morelia, Mexico, Tarragona, Spain, and Salvador, Brazil. She currently resides in New York City. You can view her portfolio (although it's still a work-in-progress!) at erinbrodwin.journalism.cuny.edu

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