Court allows Wisconsin's union law to take effect

Court allows Wisconsin's union law to take effect
The ruling on the law, which strips most public employees of collective bargaining rights, is a major victory for Republican Gov. Scott Walker.

ASSOCIATED PRESS MADISON, Wis.—
The Wisconsin Supreme Court handed Republican Gov. Scott Walker a major victory on Tuesday, ruling that a polarizing anti-union law stripping most public employees of collective bargaining rights could take effect.

In a 4-3 decision, the court ruled that Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi overstepped her authority when she said Republican lawmakers had violated the open meetings statutes and declared the law void.

The law, which also requires public employees to pay more for their healthcare and pensions, sparked weeks of protests when Walker introduced it in February. Tens of thousands of demonstrators occupied the state Capitol for weeks, and Democratic senators fled the state in an effort to prevent a vote, thrusting Wisconsin to the forefront of a national debate over labor rights.

In a one-sentence reaction, the governor said: "The Supreme Court's ruling provides our state the opportunity to move forward together and focus on getting Wisconsin working again."

Walker has said the law is needed to help address the state's $3.6-billion budget shortfall and give local governments enough flexibility on labor costs to deal with deep cuts in state aid. Democrats saw it as an attack on public employee unions, which usually back their party's candidates.

The decision came hours before the Wisconsin Assembly was expected to begin debating the state budget. Had the ruling not come down, Republicans planned to put the collective bargaining provisions into the budget so the changes could take effect during the court fight.