By Steve Gunn
EAGnews.org

MADISON, Wis. – An obscure Wisconsin Circuit Court judge has denied a request by the state attorney general to issue a temporary stay on his ruling that invalidated parts of Act 10, Gov. Scott Walker’s labor reform law that limits collective bargaining for public employee unions.

The judge’s refusal could open the door for a collective bargaining free-for-all across the state, which could shatter carefully balanced public school budgets and affect educational services for students.

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Madison Circuit Court Judge Juan Colas ruled last month that sections of Act 10 are unconstitutional and therefore null and void.

State Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen asked Colas to hold up on enforcement of his decision until the state has a chance to appeal it, but Colas denied that motion yesterday, according to a news report from Bloomberg.com.  He ruled that “defendants have failed to show that they will suffer irreparable harm if the stay is not granted.”

We suppose that depends on the judge’s definition of “irreparable harm.”

Under Act 10, school boards have been allowed to make many financial decisions on behalf of their districts without union consent. And while the law allows collective bargaining for salary increases, they can’t be for more than the rate of inflation unless voters choose to override that provision.

Act 10 has lowered labor costs for many districts and allowed them to function effectively at current revenue levels.

But with Act 10 temporarily sidelined, some local teachers unions have already requested renewed collective bargaining, and others will certainly follow suit.

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Those unions will almost certainly pressure school boards to spend a great deal more money than they are currently spending on wages and benefits, which could send some districts back into serious deficit situations. That could force schools to lay off more teachers, enlarge class sizes and cancel school programs to balance their budgets.

Some might describe that as “irreparable harm” to schools that are struggling through a prolonged financial crisis brought on by the national recession. And any harm to schools equals harm to their students.

“A stay would ensure that municipalities and school districts can determine employee compensation, design workplace policies and plan their budgets without having the rug pulled out from under them if the court’s decision is reversed,” Van Hollen argued.

A spokeswoman for Van Hollen said the state will probably appeal Colas’ denial in the Court of Appeals. On behalf of the students of Wisconsin, we wish the Attorney General the best of luck.