State law permits counties to impose a 0.5% sales tax, but requires that tax to be used only for “directly reducing the property tax levy.” Brown County imposed a sales tax, but is instead using the proceeds to fund new spending. We sued to have the tax struck down.
Unions brought this suit in federal court seeking to overturn Act 10, arguing that it violated public employees’ First Amendment rights. WILL filed amicus briefs countering those arguments. The 7th Circuit concluded the law was constitutional.
2011 Wisconsin Act 10 reformed collective bargaining for public sector employees. Unions sued to stop it, and WILL filed amicus briefs on behalf of employees who wanted the freedom to not pay union dues. Eventually, the Wisconsin Supreme Court declared Act 10 constitutional.
For decades, Milwaukee had an arbitrary limit on the number of taxi cab licenses issued by the city. WILL filed an amicus brief in a lawsuit brought by the Institute for Justice, and a court struck down the cap.
When Judge Colas held the Wisconsin Employment Relation Commission in contempt in the Madison Teachers case for attempting to hold recertification elections, it created confusion around the state. We sued WERC in another county, seeking a declaration that WERC must hold elections. WERC stipulated to a judgment directing them to hold such elections, and then the supreme court vacated Colas’s contempt order.
Milwaukee Area Technical College bargained with its employee unions in violation of Act 10, despite warnings from WILL. On behalf of an MATC instructor, we sued the school. The college and professors’ union eventually conceded that their collective bargaining agreements were void.