Changes to the union certification process went into effect Thursday to be in accordance with the collective bargaining rights limits passed last March.
The new rules, drafted by the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission, require unions to vote annually to recertify and have a 51 percent vote in favor of keeping certification.
Prior to the law, workers voted to certify unions only at their conception.
Unions also have to pay $200 to $2,000 at elections, depending on their size.
Unions with expiring contracts will be affected by the collective bargaining law first. The majority of local government unions must file for certification by the end of January.
Even though the Teaching Assistants' Association chose not to recertify last month, TAA Co-President Alex Hanna remained emphatic it would not hurt their goals.
""We still are a union whether the state recognizes it or not,"" Hanna said. ""A union is simply a coalition of workers standing and fighting together.""
