This should give a boost to Governor Scott Walker's efforts to win his recall election. While the federal judge struck down a couple of significant parts of Walker's signature collective bargaining law for state employees, some vital portions of the law were upheld. JSOnline: Seven major public employee unions had challenged the fact that Act 10 dramatically narrowed what could be bargained by general public employee unions, and required those unions to recertify every year by an absolute majority of membership while denying the same unions voluntary payroll deductions for dues. The court sided with state officials in upholding limitations on what can be bargained, but found the two other provisions violated the union members' equal protection and First Amendment rights, considering that the same rules did not apply to unions for public safety workers such as police and firefighters. "So long as the State of Wisconsin continues to afford ordinary certification and dues...(Read Full Post)