CHICAGO (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday upheld Wisconsin's so-called right-to-work law, which bars mandatory union membership and prohibits unions and employers from requiring non-members to pay dues. <\/p>\n
The plaintiffs did not provide \"any compelling reason\" for the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago to revisit an earlier ruling upholding a right-to-work law in a similar case in Indiana, Judge Joel Flaum wrote. <\/p>\n
Flaum was joined by Judge Michael Kanne and Judge Frank Easterbrook in the unanimous decision. <\/p>\n
Two local affiliates of the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) had argued that Wisconsin's law violates U.S. labor laws and a portion of the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution by preventing unions from collecting payment for services they are legally required to provide to non-members. <\/p>\n
In September, U.S. District Judge J.P. Stadtmueller, citing a 2014 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that upheld Indiana's similar right-to-work law, dismissed the lawsuit. The plaintiffs appealed to the 7th Circuit Court. <\/p>\n
Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel welcomed Wednesday's ruling, saying in a statement, \"The decision from the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirms what we have argued since this law was enacted in 2015, that right-to-work is constitutional. <\/p>\n
\"The Constitution does not protect a union's right to take money from non-union members and I'm proud to have defended the rule of law in Wisconsin.\" <\/p>\n
The IUOE expected the ruling, said union attorney Scott Kronland, but maintains the decision was incorrect. <\/p>\n
\"It is fundamentally unfair for the unions to be required to provide services for free and the unions expect that their position will eventually be vindicated,\" he said in a statement. <\/p>\n
The union is still considering its next step, Kronland said. <\/p>\n
Wednesday's decision comes as an increasing number of U.S. states, particularly those with Republican-controlled legislatures, are enacting right-to-work laws. <\/p>\n
In February, Missouri became the 28th state to pass right-to-work legislation, according to the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation. <\/p>\n
Wisconsin Republican Governor Scott Walker, who emerged as a leading union antagonist during a 2011 fight over legislation to roll back public employee collective bargaining rights, had championed the state's right-to-work law. <\/p>\n
When it was enacted in 2015 it drew thousands of protesters to Madison, the state capitol. <\/p>\n
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\nUS appeals court upholds Wisconsin 'right-to-work' law - Reuters<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"