Alaska Republicans Look To Follow In Wisconsin's Footsteps
March 24, 2011 by Personal Liberty News Desk
Lawmakers in Alaska have proposed a bill that resembles the Wisconsin legislation that restricts collective bargaining rights of State employees.
According to CNN, State Representative Carl Gatto (R-Palmer) recently introduced the proposal, which would strip many public workers of their rights to collectively bargain for hours, benefits and working conditions. However, State employees could still bargain for wages under the new proposal.
Gatto has stated that the objective of the bill is to reduce State costs. Although Republicans have a majority in the House of Representatives, the bill's future looks dim in the evenly-divided Senate.
Meanwhile, Wisconsin's law that strips State workers of their collective bargaining rights appears destined for the State Supreme Court. On March 18, Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi issued a temporary restraining order blocking officials from publishing the law until she can rule on the merits of its approval, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The county's district attorney claimed that the Legislature violated the State's open meeting laws by failing to provide adequate public notice before voting on the measure.
On March 22, Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen asked the State appeals court to lift Sumi's hold on the law, arguing that it was an overreach against another branch of government.
"In the interests of the administration of justice, it is necessary — nay, it is imperative — that this court step forward and undo this inappropriate action," Van Hollen's request states, quoted by the media outlet.





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