A Wisconsin judge has rendered a state law that effectively ended collective bargaining rights for most public workers, championed by Gov. Scott Walker, null and void. Dane County Circuit Judge Juan Colas ruled that the law violates both the state and U.S. Constitution and is therefore not valid. The ruling comes in response to a lawsuit brought by the Madison Teachers Union and a union for Milwaukee employees. The law barred state and local governments from haggling with employees over issues other than cost of living adjustments to salaries. Under the provision, health benefits, pensions and workplace safety were non-negotiable. Friday's ruling means that these items will be back on the table. Gov. Walker introduced the proposal shortly after taking office last year, in a move that sparked protests at the Capital that lasted for weeks. All 14 Democratic state senators left the state for Illinois for three weeks in an unsuccessful attempt to stop the law's passage by the Republican-controlled legislature.
