By: James B. Sherman, Esq.

On March 11, 2011, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker signed a law restricting certain unions representing public employees ability to collectively bargain on their members' behalf.

There has been a lot of hype and banter, but really what does the law do?

• Makes paying union dues optional;

• Requires an annual vote by members on whether or not to they continue to be represented by the union;

• Increases employees' contribution rates for their pensions and health insurance;

• Changes the grievance procedure for terminations, discipline and workplace safety matters;

• Caps wage increases to stay in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) without legislative intervention.

Thus, the law does not destroy public sector employees' right to collectively bargain, but it does create limits on what they can achieve through the collective bargaining process. Although signed in to law, opponents quickly filed a temporary restraining order (TRO), which was granted by a judge on March 18. The order effectively stops the government from implementing the law itself; thus, for the time being the future of the law appears in the hands of lawyers and judges.