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On January 25, 2026, the Wisconsin State Employment Relations Commission (SERC) made a landmark ruling in a long-standing contract dispute between the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC) and the state's Department of Education. In a 4-1 decision, the SERC sided with WEAC, finding that the Department of Education had violated the terms of the teachers' collective bargaining agreement.The dispute centered around the Department of Education's decision to freeze teacher salaries and cut benefits during budget negotiations in 2025. The teachers' union argued that these actions were in direct violation of the collective bargaining agreement that had been in place since 2020. The Department of Education, on the other hand, claimed that the budget constraints forced them to make these changes in order to balance their finances.After months of negotiations failed to yield a resolution, both parties agreed to submit the dispute to arbitration. The SERC, which oversees arbitration cases involving public sector employees in Wisconsin, appointed a panel of arbitrators to review the case.The arbitrators heard testimony from both sides and reviewed evidence presented before making their decision. In their ruling, they found that the Department of Education had indeed violated the terms of the collective bargaining agreement by unilaterally implementing changes to teacher salaries and benefits without proper consultation with the union.As a result of the ruling, the Department of Education will be required to retroactively restore any lost wages or benefits to affected teachers. Additionally, they will be prohibited from making any unilateral changes to the collective bargaining agreement in the future without first consulting with the union.WEAC President, Sarah Johnson, hailed the decision as a victory for teachers and collective bargaining rights. She stated, "This ruling reaffirms the importance of fair and meaningful negotiations between educators and their employers. We are pleased that the SERC recognized the Department of Education's actions as a violation of our rights as workers."The Department of Education has not yet publicly commented on the ruling, but sources close to the organization indicate that they may seek to appeal the decision in court. In the meantime, teachers across the state are celebrating the ruling as a win for labor rights in Wisconsin.