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Reprinted with permission from the 2012 edition of Annual Survey of Wisconsin <strong>Law</strong>, (c) State Bar of Wisconsin 2012. To order the complete<br />

Annual Survey or for information on other PINNACLE books, contact the State Bar of Wisconsin at marketplace.wisbar.org/BooksKnowledgeProducts.<br />

<strong>Labor</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Employment</strong> <strong>Law</strong><br />

by Courtney R. Heeren<br />

Courtney R. Heeren is an associate with <strong>Quarles</strong> & <strong>Brady</strong> <strong>LLP</strong>, Milwaukee. She practices in the<br />

firm’s <strong>Labor</strong> & <strong>Employment</strong> Group, representing management with an emphasis on the defense of<br />

discrimination <strong>and</strong> other employment-related claims in front of administrative, state, <strong>and</strong> federal<br />

agencies <strong>and</strong> courts. She also focuses on day-to-day client counseling on a variety of compliance<br />

<strong>and</strong> human-resource issues. She is a member of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of<br />

Wisconsin, <strong>and</strong> the Milwaukee Young <strong>Law</strong>yers Association, <strong>and</strong> she is a co-chair of the Association<br />

of Women <strong>Law</strong>yers’ Pro Bono Committee. Ms. Heeren received her B.A. in English <strong>and</strong> French<br />

from the University of Wisconsin <strong>and</strong> her J.D. from Northeastern University School of <strong>Law</strong>.<br />

This chapter reviews significant Wisconsin judicial <strong>and</strong> statutory developments of 2011 in the area of labor <strong>and</strong><br />

employment law. Wisconsin’s legislative changes to its labor <strong>and</strong> employment laws put the state in the national<br />

spotlight with 2011 Wisconsin Act 10 (known as the Scott Walker Budget Repair Bill) <strong>and</strong> its amendments regarding<br />

public employees’ collective bargaining rights. Although Act 10 dominated the labor <strong>and</strong> employment discussion<br />

for much of 2011, other significant legislative <strong>and</strong> judicial developments occurred during the year as well.<br />

Milwaukee’s paid sick leave ordinance was put into effect by the court of appeals but later preempted by state<br />

legislation. The court of appeals clarified overtime calculations under Wisconsin law <strong>and</strong> examined the statutes of<br />

limitation for filing a discrimination charge. A new concealed-carry law went into effect in November 2011, making<br />

Wisconsin the 49th state to allow individuals to carry concealed weapons. In addition, prevailing wage laws were<br />

returned to 2009 st<strong>and</strong>ards, <strong>and</strong> child labor laws governing hours worked were amended to parallel requirements<br />

under federal law. 1<br />

CASE LAW<br />

Court of Appeals Upholds Milwaukee Paid Sick Leave Ordinance<br />

On November 4, 2008, voters passed a referendum m<strong>and</strong>ating paid sick leave for all private-sector employees<br />

working in the city of Milwaukee. The terms of the ordinance required that covered employers give employees 1<br />

hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to 72 hours (or nine days) of leave per calendar year. The<br />

ordinance required smaller employers (those with fewer than 10 employees) to provide 40 hours (or five days) of<br />

paid sick leave per calendar year.<br />

In Metropolitan Milwaukee Ass’n of Commerce v. City of Milwaukee, 2011 WI App 45, 332 Wis. 2d 459, 798<br />

N.W.2d 287, the court of appeals upheld the Milwaukee paid sick leave ordinance, sending the case back to the<br />

circuit court with an order to lift the permanent injunction that the circuit court had placed on implementation of the<br />

ordinance in 2010.<br />

The circuit court’s injunction was the result of a legal challenge brought by the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association<br />

of Commerce (MMAC). The MMAC had challenged the referendum on a number of grounds: (1) The ballot on<br />

which the referendum was listed did not comply with the statutory requirement that it be a “concise statement of [the<br />

ordinance’s] nature,” see Wis. Stat. § 9.20(6); (2) the ordinance violated substantive due process because there was<br />

not a rational relationship to the city’s police powers; (3) the ordinance was preempted by state statutes; (4) the<br />

ordinance was preempted by the National <strong>Labor</strong> Relations Act (NLRA) <strong>and</strong> the <strong>Labor</strong> Management Relations Act<br />

1 Textual references to the Wisconsin Statutes are indicated as “chapter xxx” or “section xxx.xx,” without the designation “of the<br />

Wisconsin Statutes.” Unless otherwise indicated, in the Statutory Developments section of this chapter, all references to the<br />

Wisconsin Statutes are to the 2009–10 Wisconsin Statutes, as affected by acts through 2011 Wisconsin Act 113.<br />

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(LMRA); (5) the ordinance violated the state <strong>and</strong> federal constitutional prohibitions against impairment of contracts;<br />

(6) the ordinance regulated activity outside the city limits; <strong>and</strong> (7) the statutory two-year period during which the<br />

ordinance may not be repealed or amended except by a vote of the electors, see Wis. Stat. § 9.20(8), began to run<br />

when the ordinance initially passed <strong>and</strong> continued to run even while the ordinance was enjoined.<br />

The court of appeals disagreed on every point raised by the MMAC, focusing on the following issues. First, the<br />

court found that the ballot, despite the fact that it did not list each reason for which an employee could take leave<br />

under the ordinance, qualified as a concise statement of the ordinance’s nature within the meaning of section<br />

9.20(6). MMAC, 2011 WI App 45, ¶ 44, 332 Wis. 2d 459. The court found that there had been other means for<br />

voters to have learned about the details of the proposed ordinance’s content, including a posting at each polling<br />

place, <strong>and</strong> it was not necessary for the ballot to spell out every detail. Id. ¶ 33.<br />

Second, the court disagreed with the MMAC that the ordinance was not a valid exercise of the city’s police powers.<br />

Applying the legal st<strong>and</strong>ard that the legislative means chosen must have a rational relationship to the purpose or<br />

object of the enactment <strong>and</strong> that the object must be a proper one, the court concluded that there was a reasonable<br />

relationship between the ordinance <strong>and</strong> a legitimate municipal objective—namely, the health, safety, <strong>and</strong> welfare of<br />

the city’s residents. Id. ¶¶ 49, 51, 57. The court also held that the minimum annual-sick-leave time established by<br />

the ordinance—72 hours (or 40 hours for small businesses)—was not unreasonable. Id. ¶ 79.<br />

Next, the court addressed the MMAC’s arguments that the ordinance was preempted by either state or federal law.<br />

The MMAC had asserted that the ordinance was preempted by three state statutes: the minimum wage law, chapter<br />

104; the Family or Medical Leave Act (FMLA), section 103.10; <strong>and</strong> the Worker’s Compensation Act, chapter 102.<br />

Id. ¶ 80. Because the minimum wage law does not consider benefits except tips, meals, <strong>and</strong> lodging, <strong>and</strong> because<br />

the ordinance did not increase the hourly wage rate as defined by the Department of Workforce Development<br />

(DWD), the court concluded that the ordinance—which only addressed additional sick leave benefits—was not<br />

preempted by chapter 104. Id. ¶ 83. The court also disagreed that the Wisconsin FMLA preempted the ordinance,<br />

finding that the ordinance <strong>and</strong> the statute did not logically conflict because the text of the Wisconsin FMLA statute<br />

allows for its coexistence with other forms of leave. Id. ¶ 84. Lastly, the court disagreed that the Worker’s<br />

Compensation Act preempted the ordinance, finding that that statute specifically allowed for overlapping benefits<br />

similar to those provided for in the ordinance. Id. ¶ 86.<br />

The court also rejected the MMAC’s argument that federal law—specifically, the NLRA <strong>and</strong> the LMRA—<br />

preempted the ordinance. Regarding NLRA preemption, the court found that the ordinance created minimum labor<br />

st<strong>and</strong>ards as have been carved out in NLRA case law as specifically not leading to preemption. Id. ¶ 92. Regarding<br />

LMRA preemption, the court found that application of the ordinance did not require interpretation of collective<br />

bargaining agreements since it established rights <strong>and</strong> obligations independent of labor contracts <strong>and</strong>, therefore, also<br />

did not lead to preemption. Id. ¶ 95.<br />

The court of appeals reversed the circuit court’s decision, rem<strong>and</strong>ing the matter with orders to grant summary<br />

judgment in favor of the Milwaukee chapter of the 9to5 National Association of Working Women (an intervenor<br />

supporting implementation of the ordinance) <strong>and</strong> to lift the permanent injunction. Id. ¶ 114. 9to5’s victory,<br />

however, was short-lived: Before the ordinance could go into effect, the state legislature passed a law, discussed<br />

below in the Statutory Developments section, completely preempting it.<br />

Clarifying Overtime Calculations<br />

The court of appeals reviewed the issue of calculating overtime under Wisconsin law in Kuhnert v. Advanced Laser<br />

Machining, Inc., 2011 WI App 23, 331 Wis. 2d 625, 794 N.W.2d 805 (review denied). Kuhnert had worked as an<br />

entry/scheduling clerk <strong>and</strong> purchasing agent for Advanced Laser <strong>and</strong> was paid on a salary basis. Id. ¶ 2. After<br />

Kuhnert was discharged, she filed a wage complaint with the DWD alleging that she was improperly classified as an<br />

overtime-exempt employee <strong>and</strong> she was entitled to recover unpaid overtime wages. Id. ¶ 3.<br />

Although the DWD’s <strong>Labor</strong> St<strong>and</strong>ards Bureau director found in Kuhnert’s favor, finding that her position was not<br />

overtime exempt <strong>and</strong> that she therefore should have received overtime pay, he did not award her the amount of<br />

backpay to which she believed she was entitled, <strong>and</strong> Kuhnert appealed the matter to the circuit court.<br />

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To reach his overtime calculation, the <strong>Labor</strong> St<strong>and</strong>ards Bureau director used the following method: (1) determine<br />

the average hourly rate of pay per pay period by dividing total regular wages received in a pay period (salary) by the<br />

total hours worked; (2) determine the “overtime premium rate” by dividing the “average hourly rate” by two; <strong>and</strong><br />

(3) multiply the overtime premium rate for each pay period by the overtime hours worked to determine the overtime<br />

premium pay due. Id. ¶ 4. The <strong>Labor</strong> St<strong>and</strong>ards Bureau director’s decision specifically pointed out that people<br />

often think of overtime pay as one <strong>and</strong> one-half times the regularly hourly rate, but he stated that is an error. Id. He<br />

observed that it is actually the “regular rate” plus the overtime premium rate. Id.<br />

Kuhnert used a different method for calculating overtime, which she claimed resulted in her being owed<br />

approximately $12,000, in contrast with the $2,699.25 in overtime pay that she would be owed according to the<br />

DWD’s calculation. Id. ¶ 1. She argued that the DWD should have calculated her overtime pay by (1) dividing her<br />

normal weekly salary by the number of hours she was expected to work per week to determine her regular rate of<br />

pay; (2) multiplying the regular rate of pay by 1.5 to determine her overtime rate; <strong>and</strong> (3) multiplying the overtime<br />

rate by the number of overtime hours worked each week. Id. ¶ 5.<br />

The court of appeals gave great-weight deference to the DWD’s calculation <strong>and</strong> affirmed its decision. The court of<br />

appeals acknowledged that the relevant statutory <strong>and</strong> administrative text—section 103.025(1)(c) <strong>and</strong> Wisconsin<br />

Administrative Code section DWD 274.03—required that a nonexempt employee be compensated for overtime<br />

hours at a rate of one <strong>and</strong> one-half times the regular rate of pay. But the court also observed that the statutes <strong>and</strong><br />

administrative code left the regular rate of pay <strong>and</strong> the method for calculating it undefined. The DWD had<br />

developed a method to determine overtime pay for a nonexempt salaried employee, id. ¶ 14 (citing DWD<br />

publication ERD-13109-P), <strong>and</strong> the court determined that this method was consistent with the requirements of the<br />

Wisconsin Statutes <strong>and</strong> the Wisconsin Administrative Code, with the supreme court’s approach for calculating<br />

overtime wages, <strong>and</strong> with the DWD’s long-st<strong>and</strong>ing practice. Id. ¶¶ 14–18. Based on this analysis, the court<br />

concluded that the DWD’s interpretation was a reasonable one.<br />

Clarifying the 300-Day Statutes of Limitation for Filing a Discrimination Charge<br />

In Aldrich v. LIRC, 2011 WI App 94, 334 Wis. 2d 495, 801 N.W.2d 457 (review granted), the court of appeals<br />

examined the 300-day statutes of limitation applicable to filing discrimination charges with the U.S. Equal<br />

<strong>Employment</strong> Opportunity Commission (EEOC) <strong>and</strong> the Wisconsin Equal Rights Division (ERD) <strong>and</strong> addressed<br />

whether a plaintiff could relitigate the timeliness of a charge under the Wisconsin Fair <strong>Employment</strong> Act (WFEA)<br />

when the timeliness under federal law had already been litigated. The relevant statutes of limitation can be found at<br />

42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) <strong>and</strong> section 111.39(1).<br />

Joyce Aldrich had signed a Charge Questionnaire with the EEOC on August 27, 2003. She had been demoted from<br />

her position at Best Buy in March 2003. Id. ¶ 4. According to Aldrich, she understood her charge to have been filed<br />

when she signed the questionnaire. Id. The EEOC investigator notified Aldrich two days after she had signed the<br />

questionnaire that it was necessary to speak with her to obtain all the information the investigator needed to draft the<br />

charge, requesting that Aldrich contact the investigator within five days after receiving the investigator’s letter. Id.<br />

Aldrich later did have contacts with EEOC investigators <strong>and</strong> signed a charge of age <strong>and</strong> sex discrimination, which<br />

the EEOC received on February 10, 2004, more than 300 days after the demotion at issue. Id. ¶ 5. Pursuant to a<br />

work-sharing agreement between the EEOC <strong>and</strong> the ERD, the ERD received the charge on February 18, 2004. Id.<br />

Following an investigation, the EEOC dismissed Aldrich’s claims, <strong>and</strong> Aldrich filed a federal action, alleging sex<br />

<strong>and</strong> age discrimination, as well as constructive discharge. Id. ¶ 6. Best Buy successfully won a motion to dismiss<br />

on the basis that Aldrich’s charge had not been timely filed <strong>and</strong> that her charge, although it included allegations<br />

regarding her demotion, did not include any allegations regarding her subsequent discharge. Id. Aldrich did not<br />

appeal the dismissal. Id.<br />

Instead, Aldrich requested that the ERD independently investigate the charge. Id. ¶ 7. Following its investigation,<br />

the ERD found that there was probable cause to believe that Aldrich had been discriminated against. Id. However,<br />

during the subsequent hearing, the administrative law judge (ALJ) granted Best Buy’s motion to dismiss on the<br />

ground of claim preclusion—namely, that Aldrich had already litigated this claim in federal court. Id. Although the<br />

<strong>Labor</strong> <strong>and</strong> Industry Review Commission (LIRC) affirmed the ALJ’s dismissal, the circuit court reversed. The court<br />

of appeals affirmed the circuit court, finding that the doctrine of claim preclusion did not apply to Aldrich’s claims<br />

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because Aldrich had not been able to bring her claims under Wisconsin’s specific antidiscrimination statute—the<br />

WFEA—in the prior federal action. Id. On rem<strong>and</strong> to the ERD, Best Buy again moved to dismiss, this time on<br />

grounds that Aldrich’s demotion claims were time-barred because the federal court had found her EEOC charge<br />

untimely <strong>and</strong>, therefore, her complaint filed with the ERD was also untimely. Id. ¶ 8. Best Buy maintained that<br />

issue preclusion barred reconsideration of the issue of timeliness because it had already been litigated in the federal<br />

action. Id. The ALJ granted the motion, <strong>and</strong> LIRC affirmed, but the circuit court again vacated LIRC’s decision.<br />

Id.<br />

Following Best Buy’s appeal, the court of appeals affirmed LIRC’s finding that issue preclusion prevented such<br />

relitigation. Id. ¶ 1. The court of appeals found that Aldrich was not entitled to an independent review by a state<br />

court of whether the questionnaire she signed with the EEOC constituted a complaint within the meaning of<br />

Wisconsin Administrative Code section DWD 218.03(3). The court reasoned that the EEOC questionnaire was<br />

never physically received by the ERD <strong>and</strong> was therefore never “filed” with the ERD, much less filed within the<br />

requisite 300 days under section 111.39(1). Id. ¶ 13. The court further found that there was no provision for an<br />

independent state law analysis of whether such earlier-filed documents with the EEOC might satisfy the complaint<br />

requirement. Id. ¶ 15.<br />

The court of appeals also declined to allow for independent review of the timeliness of the charge itself. The court<br />

concluded that, by providing a mechanism to determine a single date for filing of cross-filed complaints, as well as a<br />

single analysis for compliance with the complaint requirement, the DWD precluded the possibility that a<br />

complainant could twice litigate a statute-of-limitation claim. Id. ¶ 16. The court found that the language of<br />

Wisconsin Administrative Code section DWD 218.03(5) “makes the date of filing with the EEOC dispositive for<br />

purposes of a cross-filed claim with the WFEA.” Id. ¶ 19. Because the correct EEOC filing date had already been<br />

litigated <strong>and</strong> fundamental fairness did not require otherwise, the court of appeals concluded that the application of<br />

issue preclusion was appropriate. Id. ¶ 22.<br />

STATUTORY DEVELOPMENTS<br />

Public Employees’ Collective Bargaining Rights Significantly Narrowed<br />

On March 11, 2011, Governor Scott Walker signed into law what is known as the Scott Walker Budget Repair Bill<br />

or Act 10. See 2011 Wis. Act 10. Among other amendments governing the compensation <strong>and</strong> fringe benefits of<br />

public employees, the act significantly limited the collective bargaining rights of certain public employees.<br />

Introduced on February 15, 2011, in the Wisconsin Assembly’s Committee on Assembly Organization as January<br />

2011 Special Session Assembly Bill 11 at the request of Governor Walker, the bill initially required additional<br />

public employee contributions for health care <strong>and</strong> pensions, curtailed collective bargaining rights for most state <strong>and</strong><br />

local public employees, <strong>and</strong> made appropriations. Because the bill contained appropriations, three-fifths of all<br />

members of each legislative house were required to be present for any vote on the passage to constitute a quorum.<br />

Wis. Const. art. VIII, § 8. Following its introduction, the bill was referred to the Joint Finance Committee, where it<br />

was amended <strong>and</strong> calendared for debate in the assembly on February 17, 2011. According to the bill’s paper<br />

history, it was debated for approximately 61 consecutive hours. Following amendment <strong>and</strong> approval in the<br />

assembly, the bill was passed to the Wisconsin State Senate on February 25, 2011. However, the senate, after<br />

reading the bill three times, could not proceed because it lacked a quorum. All 14 Democratic senators had absented<br />

themselves from the senate chambers before the senate’s consideration of the bill began—those senators left the<br />

state <strong>and</strong> did not appear publicly again in Madison until March 12, 2011.<br />

On March 9, 2011, a Joint Committee of Conference was created, <strong>and</strong> it amended the bill to remove the bill’s fiscal<br />

aspects so that three-fifths of each legislative house (i.e., 20 members in the senate) no longer needed to be present<br />

to pass the bill. The senate then approved the bill by a vote of 18–1 with no debate. On March 10, 2011, the<br />

assembly passed the bill by a vote of 53–42.<br />

A summary of the main aspects of Act 10 pertaining to the area of labor <strong>and</strong> employment is as follows. The<br />

provision of Act 10 that drew the most attention deals with the overall collective bargaining rights of public<br />

employees. Before passage of Act 10, municipal <strong>and</strong> state employees had the right to collectively bargain over<br />

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wages, hours, <strong>and</strong> conditions of employment under the Municipal <strong>Employment</strong> Relations Act (MERA, see Wis.<br />

Stat. §§ 111.70–.77) <strong>and</strong> the State <strong>Employment</strong> <strong>Labor</strong> Relations Act (SELRA, see Wis. Stat. §§ 111.81–.94). Act 10<br />

amended MERA <strong>and</strong> SELRA with respect to all employees except certain public safety employees. Other than<br />

those excepted employees, public employees are limited to collectively bargain over base wages <strong>and</strong>, unless a<br />

referendum authorizes a larger increase, that percentage increase can be no greater than the percentage change in the<br />

consumer price index.<br />

Act 10 also prohibits salary deductions for labor organization dues except for public safety employees <strong>and</strong><br />

eliminates the ability of employees of the University of Wisconsin (UW) System, UW Hospitals <strong>and</strong> Clinics<br />

Authority, <strong>and</strong> certain home-care <strong>and</strong> child-care providers to collectively bargain over wages, hours, <strong>and</strong> conditions<br />

of employment.<br />

Act 10 also limits the terms of collective bargaining agreements <strong>and</strong> their ability to be extended. Specifically,<br />

before the Act 10 amendments, the term of collective bargaining agreements—other than initial collective<br />

bargaining agreements—was generally two years for state <strong>and</strong> municipal employees. Also, before Act 10, collective<br />

bargaining agreements could be extended. After Act 10, the term of collective bargaining agreements is limited to<br />

one year <strong>and</strong> extensions are prohibited.<br />

Although Act 10 was enjoined by the Dane County Circuit Court (State ex rel. Ozanne v. Fitzgerald, No. 11CV1244<br />

(Wis. Cir. Ct. Dane Cnty. Mar. 18, 2011)), the Wisconsin Supreme Court vacated the order to enjoin implementation<br />

of Act 10 in State ex rel. Ozanne v. v. Fitzgerald, 2011 WI 43, 334 Wis. 2d 70, 798 N.W.2d 436, <strong>and</strong> the act was<br />

republished on June 28, 2011, <strong>and</strong> took effect on June 29, 2011.<br />

Paid Sick Leave Preempted by State <strong>Law</strong><br />

As discussed above, the court of appeals revived Milwaukee’s paid sick leave ordinance on March 24, 2011, when it<br />

reversed the circuit court <strong>and</strong> rem<strong>and</strong>ed the matter with an order to grant summary judgment in favor of the<br />

intervenor supporting implementation of the ordinance <strong>and</strong> to lift the permanent injunction on the ordinance.<br />

Metropolitan Milwaukee Ass’n of Commerce v. City of Milwaukee, 2011 WI App 45, 332 Wis. 2d 459, 798 N.W.2d<br />

287. However, the impending implementation of the ordinance was short-lived. While the appeal was pending,<br />

both the Wisconsin Senate <strong>and</strong> the Wisconsin Assembly introduced companion bills to nullify the ordinance. Both<br />

houses ultimately passed the legislation, <strong>and</strong> Governor Walker signed it into law as 2011 Wisconsin Act 16,<br />

effective May 20, 2011. Act 16 provided that because family <strong>and</strong> medical leave is a statewide concern regarding<br />

which there should be consistency throughout the state, local governments could not enact local ordinances (such as<br />

the Milwaukee paid sick leave ordinance) requiring employers to provide paid or nonpaid leave for the reasons<br />

outlined in the act. See Wis. Stat. § 103.10(1m), as created by 2011 Wis. Act 16. Act 16 also specifically<br />

preempted any such ordinance (such as the Milwaukee paid sick leave ordinance) in place on the statute’s effective<br />

date. See Wis. Stat. § 103.10(1m)(e).<br />

Concealed-Carry <strong>Law</strong> Goes into Effect<br />

Effective November 1, 2011, Wisconsin became the 49th state to allow individuals to carry concealed weapons.<br />

The new law (2011 Wis. Act 35), which applies to all employers regardless of size, affects whether <strong>and</strong> how<br />

employers can prohibit weapons at work <strong>and</strong> on their property. Under the new legislation, residents 21 years <strong>and</strong><br />

older are allowed to carry a concealed weapon anywhere in the state, with only a few limited exceptions. Concealed<br />

weapons are still banned in schools, police stations, sheriff’s offices, prisons, jails, courthouses, <strong>and</strong> airports (but<br />

only beyond security checkpoints). Wis. Stat. § 175.60(16), as created by 2011 Wis. Act 35; see also Wis. Stat.<br />

§ 948.605(2) (gun-free school zones), as affected by 2011 Wis. Act 35.<br />

Under the new law, employers are still allowed to prohibit employees from carrying weapons (concealed or<br />

otherwise) while at work, both at the employer’s place of business <strong>and</strong> if the employee works off-site. However,<br />

employers can no longer prohibit employees from carrying or storing a weapon in the employee’s own motor<br />

vehicle. If an employer does choose to allow its employees to carry concealed weapons at work, the new law gives<br />

the employer immunity from lawsuits for any liability arising from that policy decision. Wis. Stat. § 175.60(21), as<br />

created by 2011 Wis. Act 35.<br />

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Revised 2010 Prevailing Wage <strong>Law</strong> Repealed<br />

Effective January 1, 2010, the 2009 state budget act, see 2009 Wis. Act 28, had exp<strong>and</strong>ed the reach of Wisconsin’s<br />

prevailing wage laws (amending sections 66.0903, 103.49, <strong>and</strong> 103.50) so that public construction projects were<br />

subject to prevailing wage requirements if total completion costs (labor, equipment, <strong>and</strong> materials) exceeded<br />

$25,000 for both single-trade <strong>and</strong> multi-trade projects. A single-trade project of public works means a project in<br />

which a single trade accounts for at least 85% of the total labor costs of the threshold. Wis. Stat. § 103.49(1)(em),<br />

as created by 2011 Wis. Act 32, § 2390d; see also Wis. Stat. § 103.49(1)(e) (2007–08), repealed by 2009 Wis. Act<br />

28, § 2188. A multiple-trade project of public works means a project in which no single trade accounts for at least<br />

85% of the total labor cost of the project. Wis. Stat. § 103.49(1)(br), as created by 2011 Wis. Act 32, § 2390c; see<br />

also Wis. Stat. § 103.49(1)(bm) (2007–08), repealed by 2009 Wis. Act 28, § 2187. The 2009 budget act had<br />

lowered the cost-of-completion thresholds from $234,000 for multiple-trade projects <strong>and</strong> $48,000 for single-trade<br />

projects. See Wis. Stat. §§ 66.0903(5), 103.49(3g) (2007–08); Wis. Admin. Code § DWD 290.155(1) (June 2009).<br />

The 2011–13 Budget Bill, 2011 Wisconsin Act 32, repealed the prevailing-wage-law-related provisions of the 2009<br />

budget act, amending the prevailing wage law to the thresholds of $100,000 for a multiple-trade project of public<br />

works, $234,000 for a multiple-trade project of public works for a city or village with a population of less than 2,500<br />

or a town, <strong>and</strong> $48,000 for a single-trade project of public works. Wis. Stat. §§ 66.0903(5)(a), 103.49(3g)(a), as<br />

amended by 2011 Wis. Act 32, §§ 1727n, 2390m. As a result, the now repealed thresholds established by 2009<br />

Wisconsin Act 28 apply only to projects that awarded the prime contract during the effective period of the 2009<br />

Wisconsin Act 28 amendments—namely, January 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011. The revised thresholds, provided<br />

under 2011 Wisconsin Act 32, went into effect on July 1, 2011. Other significant changes included the repeal of the<br />

requirement that every contractor on a prevailing wage project submit a monthly certified record to the DWD on its<br />

website. Wis. Stat. §§ 66.0903(10)(am), 66.0904(8)(am), 103.49(5)(am) (2009–10), repealed by 2011 Wis. Act 32,<br />

§§ 1727t, 1727y, 2390s.<br />

Child <strong>Labor</strong> <strong>Law</strong>s<br />

The legislature amended Wisconsin’s child-labor hours’ limitations to align them with federal law. Under the<br />

revised law,<br />

1. Minors 16 years of age <strong>and</strong> over may not work during hours of required school attendance. Other than this<br />

requirement, the law no longer limits either the daily or weekly work hours of minors who are 16 years or older<br />

or the time of day that they may work.<br />

2. Minors under the age of 16 are limited to working (year-round) no more than three hours per day on school days<br />

<strong>and</strong> no more than eight hours per day on nonschool days.<br />

3. Minors under the age of 16 may work no longer than 18 hours in a school week, <strong>and</strong> their workday from the day<br />

after <strong>Labor</strong> Day through May 31 must be between the hours of 7:00 a.m. <strong>and</strong> 7:00 p.m.<br />

4. Minors under the age of 16 may work no longer than 40 hours in a nonschool week, <strong>and</strong> their workday from<br />

June 1 through <strong>Labor</strong> Day must be between the hours of 7:00 a.m. <strong>and</strong> 9:00 p.m.<br />

Wis. Stat. § 103.68, as affected by 2011 Wis. Act 32, §§ 2390zm, 2390zn, 2390zp.<br />

162 © April 2012, State Bar of Wisconsin PINNACLE<br />

G:\CLE\Books\Books\TYPE\Year_Type\filename.doc 02/01/06

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