The “Right to Work” bill was introduced by the Committee on Senate Organization as expected on Monday, February 24, 2015. The bill is known as 2015 Senate Bill 44. 

The bill was read and immediately referred to the Senate Committee on Labor and Government Reform. A public hearing on the bill was held on Tuesday, February 24, 2015. After the public hearing, the Committee on Labor and Government Reform took action to approve the bill. It was then sent to the Senate for action.

The Senate took up the bill on Wednesday, February 25, 2015. After seven attempts to amend the bill were unsuccessful, it passed the Senate on a party line vote of 17-15 and was sent to the Assembly. The Assembly is expected to take up the bill early next week. The Assembly has its own “Right to Work” bill. 

The two bills working their way through the legislature are substantively the same. We expect any differences to be quickly resolved, the legislation to pass and to arrive on Governor Walker’s desk next week. Governor Walker has said he will sign the legislation. The new law will be effective on the day after it is published, but will likely not apply to or affect existing collective bargaining agreements until those agreements are modified, extended or renewed after the effective date of the law.