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Bills · 2023-2024 Regular Session

SB 519

Died at session end Official bill text Atom feed

Relating to: eliminating the right-to-work law. (FE)

Employment Employment relations commission Energy conservation Labor union

  1. Introduced, stopped here
  2. Passes Senate, not reached
  3. Passes Assembly, not reached
  4. Governor signs, not reached
  5. Law, not reached

Unfamiliar terms? Glossary

What this bill does

Plain-language analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau

The current right-to-work law prohibits a person from requiring, as a

condition of obtaining or continuing employment, an individual to refrain or resign

from membership in a labor organization, to become or remain a member of a labor

organization, to pay dues or other charges to a labor organization, or to pay any other

person an amount that is in place of dues or charges required of members of a labor

organization. This bill repeals these prohibitions and the associated misdemeanor

offense for violating the right-to-work law.

The bill explicitly provides that, when an all-union agreement is in effect, it is

not an unfair labor practice to encourage or discourage membership in a labor

organization or to deduct labor organization dues or assessments from an employee's

earnings. The bill sets conditions under which an employer may enter into an

all-union agreement. The bill also sets conditions for the continuation or

termination of all-union agreements, including that, if the Wisconsin Employment

Relations Commission determines there is reasonable ground to believe employees

in an all-union agreement have changed their attitude about the agreement, WERC

is required to conduct a referendum to determine whether the employees wish to

continue the agreement. WERC is required to terminate an all-union agreement if

it finds the union unreasonably refused to admit an employee into the union.

What it would cost

Fiscal estimates filed by state agencies, as official PDFs

Sponsors

Introduced by: Agard (D) , Carpenter (D) , Hesselbein (D) , L. Johnson (D) , Larson (D) , Pfaff (D) , Roys (D) , Spreitzer (D)

22 cosponsors

Billings and Madison , C. Anderson (D) , Cabrera (D) , Conley (D) , Considine (D) , Drake (D) , Emerson (D) , Goyke (D) , Hong (D) , J. Anderson (D) , Jacobson (D) , Joers (D) , Neubauer (D) , Ohnstad (D) , Palmeri (D) , Ratcliff (D) , Shankland (D) , Shelton (D) , Sinicki (D) , Snodgrass (D) , Stubbs (D) , Subeck (D)

Full history

  1. Oct 16, 2023 · Senate

    Introduced by Senators Spreitzer, L. Johnson, Agard, Larson, Hesselbein, Roys, Carpenter and Pfaff; cosponsored by Representatives Sinicki, Ohnstad, Shankland, Neubauer, Subeck, Goyke, Conley, Hong, Joers, Emerson, Cabrera, Stubbs, Snodgrass, Shelton, Ratcliff, J. Anderson, Considine, C. Anderson, Palmeri and Drake

  2. Oct 16, 2023 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Labor, Regulatory Reform, Veterans and Military Affairs

  3. Oct 23, 2023 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  4. Oct 27, 2023 · Senate

    Representative Jacobson added as a cosponsor

  5. Nov 10, 2023 · Senate

    Representatives Billings and Madison added as cosponsors

  6. Apr 15, 2024 · Senate

    Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1