Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Thomas Cooper, who listened to arguments for nearly three hours, said he expects to issue a written decision within 30 days. "This is an important issue for everybody, and I'll give it my best shot," he said. "But this is the first stage, and I believe the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court will probably weigh in."

This is a big day in the fight over whether Milwaukee businesses should be forced to provide paid sick leave to their workers. Both sides are expected to pack a courtroom as attorneys will argue their case for and against the city's controverial ordinance.

Alderman Emanuele Vitale was one of 14 common council members to approve a draft ordinance during Tuesday’s meeting that would prohibit mandating payment of employee wages or benefits, such as sick leave, for workers in Waukesha.

In their guts, people know that nobody deserves to be punished for being sick. But talk about timing. Most everybody is sick - about the economy.

Our 'Be Heard' telephone line (414-475-8889) is set up to collect opinions on a timely and relevant issue in the Milwaukee community.

The city of Brookfield is taking a look at prohibiting the Common Council from requiring private businesses to provide certain wages or benefits to employees.

“I applaud the philosophy behind (the sick leave ordinance), but communities can’t really act in isolation in these types of manners because of the laws of unintended consequences,” said David Becker, president of PhilippeBecker, a branding and design firm in San Francisco with 22 employees.

The Villages of Germantown, Menomonee Falls, and Kewaskum all passed ordinances Monday night prohibiting the communities from forcing businesses to provide certain benefits to workers.

A judge's decision on Friday to grant an injunction of the City of Milwaukee's sick leave mandate was just the first step in what figures to be a long, drawn-out legal battle in which the ultimate winners may be attorneys.

Cooper set a hearing on a permanent injunction for May 11. He said he has not made up his mind how he will rule. "But there's a dead certainty that the case will go to the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court," he said of the likely appeals.