ABBOTSFORD EDUCATION ASSOCIATION V. WERC

Case Name: Abbotsford Education Association v. WERC

Type of Case: Limited Government Project

Court: District II Court of Appeals

Case Number: 2024AP002429

Filed On: January 16, 2025

Current Status: WILL secured a major victory in defense of Act 10 at the Wisconsin Court of Appeals.

WILL is a party in this case, representing its client on a First Amendment issue arising out of a challenge to 2011 Wisconsin Act 10.

Meet the Client

Kristi Koschkee, a public-school district employee and WILL client, values the protections Act 10 provides. She prefers that unions limit bargaining to subjects permitted by the law and maintain annual recertification requirements. She opposes allowing unions to access her wages through payroll deductions and wants protection from pressure to participate in recertification votes.

Background

WILL was established in 2011 partly in response to legal challenges against the Walker administration. WILL has documented that union membership declined after Act 10 as employees exercised their right to opt out, yet this reduction did not significantly harm student proficiency. Regions that embraced the law’s pay flexibility provisions demonstrated achievement improvements.

Lawyers

Lucas Vebber, Deputy Counsel; Luke Berg, Deputy Counsel; Nathalie Burmeister, Associate Counsel

CASE DOCUMENTS

• Judge’s Order Granting WILL’s Motion to Intervene, January 2025
• Opposition to the Petition for Bypass, January 2025
• SCOWIS Order Denying Bypass, February 2025
• Court of Appeals Decision, July 2026