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Wis. teachers' unions go for certification

MILWAUKEE, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- Leaders in many Wisconsin teachers' unions say they plan to seek recertification under the state's new stringent public employee labor law.

Unions representing state, county and municipal workers and not operating under existing contracts had a deadline of 4:30 p.m. Friday to file for recertification, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. About two-thirds of teachers unions do not have to deal with recertification until their contracts expire.

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The law severely limits what unions can bargain for, and many locals representing state employees have decided against recertification. To remain certified, they must win the votes of more than half of their members every year.

Mary Bell, head of the Wisconsin Education Association, sees having formal recognition as important for identity, the newspaper said. Doug Perry, president of the union local in Greenfield, a Milwaukee suburb, said certified unions will be able to represent their members in grievance cases.

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