(The Center Square) – A Kenosha-area school teacher is asking to intervene in an Act 10 lawsuit in order to appeal a Dane County Circuit Court’s decision to overturn the law.
Wisconsin Institute of Law and Liberty client Kristi Koschkee filed a motion to intervene, claiming that representation in the matter was not adequate.
Koschkee previously filed a similar motion that was put on hold.
Act 10 limited most public sector union contract negotiations to salaries only and capped those salary increases to the rate of inflation.
“Act 10 is pro-taxpayer and pro-freedom,” Koschkee said. “This legislation provides public employees like me the freedom to not participate in unionization or be compelled to finance or support organizations that I do not agree with. Act 10 allows me to do what I do best: teach children in the classroom.”
Dane County Circuit Court Judge Jacob Frost ruled that Act 10 created two groups, “general” and “public safety,” which violated equal protection guarantees, and that all public service workers should have the same rights to negotiate with employers about subjects beyond wages, such as health care and retirement benefits, as previously reported by The Center Square.
WILL has estimated that Act 10 has saved taxpayers more than $17 billion since it became law.
When asked about the costs of overturning Act 10, two Milwaukee leaders did not give a cost estimate.
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley’s office did not respond to questions from The Center Square about the costs of Act 10 being overturned while a spokesperson for Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said that his office has been asked by many about the potential impact on the city budget.
“Frankly, it’s too complicated to come up with any meaningful number,” Spokesperson Jeff Fleming wrote. “Over the past two years, the city has conducted a thorough review of positions, and salaries have been adjusted to reflect market conditions, so pay may not be as significant a factor as some might think.”
