Labor Relations in the Public Service
![handle is hein.journals/wlr1961 and id is 613 raw text is: Labor Relations in the Public Service
ARVID ANDERSON
I. INTRODUCTION
The enactment of chapter 509 of the Wisconsin laws of 1959 af-
fecting public employers, employees and labor unions has drawn
attention to a number of legal questions. This chapter relates to
the right of employees of local units of government to form and
join labor organizations and to be represented by such labor or-
ganizations in conferences and negotiations with their governmental
employers on questions of wages, hours and conditions of em-
ployment.
Chapter 509 defines a municipal employer as any city, county,
village, town, metropolitan sewerage district, school district or
other political subdivision of the state.' Municipal employees in-
clude any employee of a municipal employer except city and village
policemen, sheriff's deputies and county traffic officers.2 The statute
does not cover employees of the state government nor any super-
visory employees. This statute exemplifies the growth of legisla-
tion relating to labor relations in the public service.
A very sharp increase in the membership of public employee
unions has occurred since World War II. Today more than 1 mil-
lion of the 82 million persons employed by federal, state and local
governments in the United States belong to a labor organization.'
The considerable increase in union membership among public em-
ployees has been accompanied by an increase in the number of
public employee disputes including strikes. In 1960, Milwaukee
experienced a three-day strike by its garbage removal employees.
The village of Shorewood (Milwaukee county) was the site of a
ten-day strike of garbage and rubbish collectors, water meter read-
ers and street and water line maintenance employees in 1960. Ma-
jor public employee strikes have also occurred in New York City,
which recently experienced a teachers' strike, and in Los Angeles,
* B.A. 1946, L.L.B. 1948, Univ. of Wis.; member, Wisconsin Bar; Commis-
sioner, 1961-, Executive Secretary, 1948-1961, Wisconsin Employment Relations
Bd.; member, Panel of Arbitratiors, American Arbitration Ass'n, Federal Media-
tion Serv.; member, National Academy of Arbitrators; President, 1960-61, Wis-
consin Chapter, Industrial Relations Research Ass'n.
'Wis. Laws 1959, ch. 509, § l[1ll.70 (1) (a)].
2Wis. Laws 1959, ch. 509, § 1[111.70 (1) (b)].
83 MONTHLY LAB. REV. (1960); 40 SURVEY OF CURRENT BUSINESS (1960).](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.journals/wlr1961&div=41&collection=journals&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)
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