Statement on Restoring Union Rights to Public Workers in Wisconsin

Wisconsin AFL-CIO President Stephanie Bloomingdale released the following statement as Judge Jacob Frost rules Scott Walker’s 2011 Act 10 unconstitutional:

Nearly 14 years after Scott Walker in his own words “dropped the bomb” on Wisconsin public employees, Wisconsin workers can celebrate as the judicial branch restores collective bargaining rights to public employees in Wisconsin. Declaring Scott Walker’s union-busting Act 10 unconstitutional and void, over 60 sections of the 2011 anti-union law have now been struck down.

Act 10 has done great harm to working people in our state and has done great damage to the public services our families depend on every day. It has lowered wages and led to staff shortages and long-term vacancies in key public service positions. Working families in Wisconsin will greatly benefit from the restoration of collective bargaining rights. Restoring union freedoms to Wisconsin workers will strengthen Wisconsin’s middle class, lift up the voices of workers, and lead to better public services for our communities.

Working people in Wisconsin will head into 2025 with a renewed sense of solidarity and a reinvigorated commitment to union organizing so that every worker who wants to be in a union can freely do so. It’s time to turn the page on the dark days of Scott Walker’s union-busting and move forward together with full worker freedoms and union rights for all in Wisconsin.