As the effort to recall the governor begins to take shape, two Democratic state legislators are attempting to reverse the recently imposed limits on collective bargaining powers.

Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, and Sen. Fred Risser, D-Madison, introduced legislation Tuesday that would reinstate the collective bargaining rights of public employees removed as a part of the budget repair bill signed into law by Gov. Scott Walker last spring, according to a statement from the legislators.

The legislation would repeal the “anti-union” provisions of the budget repair law, which essentially abolished public employee unions in the state and their powers to collectively bargain.

The legislators’ bill includes several ways to certify unions, re-establishes the enforcement of a collection of union dues and allows public workers to bargain for working conditions.

The bill currently has 45 co-sponsors, according to the statement. 

Pocan said in the statement the legislation reinstitutes the dedication Wisconsin previously had to giving workers in the state rights over the potential mistreatment of their employers.

“Unions exist because employers can mistreat their employees. Through this legislation, we are sending a signal to public employees that we value their service to Wisconsin and, unlike Scott Walker, we think they should have the right to collectively bargain, just as they have for half a century in Wisconsin,” Pocan said in the statement. “Our goal is to restore 50 years of labor peace in Wisconsin by rolling back Republican attacks on workers.”

In a previously released statement, Walker said the collective bargaining reforms included in the budget repair bill have allowed local units of government and school districts to save millions by cutting unnecessary worker programs and look for more affordable health care plans.

This flexibility, he said, has created a more business friendly environment and has improved the overall economy in the state.

Walker also said in another previously released statement school districts in the state will now be able to ensure that the best possible teachers are working at their schools, as they will be able to afford better teachers’ salaries with the money saved without the bargaining rights of unions.

The legislators, the statement said, do not believe this proposal will move forward under the current Republican leadership in the state Legislature and in the governor’s office. However, they believe the recall atmosphere created by the current recall efforts of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin will give the bill public support.

Risser said in a statement the removal of most of the collective bargaining rights of public employee unions has been contradictory to Wisconsin’s progressive history

“I helped implement collective bargaining in the 1959 legislative session, and it worked, resulting in over 50 years of labor peace in Wisconsin,” Risser said. “What Republicans did was unprecedented, spiteful and contrary to our Wisconsin values.”

According to the statement, the bill will likely receive a bill number in the coming weeks and will be given to committees in both houses of the state Legislature.

Walker’s spokesperson did not return calls as of press time.