Milwaukee public teachers respond to Act 10 ruling

MILWAUKEE -- Some Milwaukee teachers were preparing to leave for Chicago to support the city's striking teachers when they learned of a ruling by a Dane County judge on Act 10.  Their union president lead the ruling aloud in Garden Park and the group cheered. 

The ruling states that the Wisconsin law that curbed collective bargaining for most public workers is unconsitutional.

Kathy Xiong was among the tens-of-thousands of people who protested Act 10's passage last year in Madison.

"I think that in order for an economy to survive, and that's what we're all been talking about, we have to be able to negotiate.  Without that, the power is shifted to just one group of people," said Xiong.

Meanwhile, Republicans are condemning the ruling.  Among them is Rick Baas, a Milwaukee delegate to the Republican National Convention.  Baas says Act 10 has worked for Wisconsin.

"It's not surprising that the ruling comes out of Dane County.  These kinds of rulings are the type of thing that causes people to lose faith in the judicial system," said Baas.

The head of the Milwaukee Teachers Education Association says the ruling is welcome news, but it's too soon to celebrate.

"It's a step foward for democracy in the workplace in this state.  I am fearful that it will be overturned ultimately, who knows how the court system works?  But it's a reminder to people that Scott Walker overstepped his reach," said Bob Peterson, MTEA president.