The News: The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) has filed a motion to intervene in defense of Act 10—a monumental collective bargaining reform that impacts the freedom and compelled political participation of our client, a public-school employee.
The Quotes: Lucas Vebber, WILL Deputy Counsel, stated, “Not only has Act 10 survived more than a decade of state and federal court challenges, but it set a national precedent for protecting the freedom of taxpayers and state employees everywhere. WILL is proud to once again be on the side of Act 10. Wisconsin cannot afford to go backwards on this important issue.”
WILL Client, Kristi Koschkee, stated, “Act 10 is pro-taxpayer and pro-freedom. This legislation provides public employees like me the freedom to not participate in unionization, or be compelled to finance or support political speech I do not agree with. It’s critical that we stand up for this law and not undo the years of positive results produced for Wisconsin.”
Our Client: WILL Client and Defendant, Kristi Koschkee, faces significant harm if Act 10 were to be somehow repealed or scaled back. Ms. Koschkee is a public-school district employee who values the benefits the Legislature provided her via Act 10.
Koschkee does not want her local union interfering with her relationship with her employer by bargaining on subjects beyond those permitted by Act 10 or entering agreements that last longer than a year. She supports requiring unions to rectify annually, does not want to have her decision to abstain from a union certification vote work in the union’s favor, and does not want to be pressured into participating in recertification elections. Ms. Koschkee also opposes allowing unions to access employee wages directly through payroll deductions.
About WILL’s Work on Act 10: WILL was founded in 2011, partially in response to the same legal challenges against lawful acts of Governor Walker and the Wisconsin Legislature. Over the years, we have participated in many legal efforts and published policy work highlighting this legislation’s benefits. Our research has found that union membership has plummeted since Act 10 as more and more government employees exercise their right to vote themselves out. We also found that this reduction in the number of public sector unions did not lead to significant declines in student proficiency. Indeed, areas that more thoroughly took advantage of the pay structure creativity afforded by the law saw achievement gains.
Read More:
- Motion, January 2024
- Memorandum, January 2024
Kristi Koschkee
WILL Client and Public-school District Employee