MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Several dozen school employee unions have notified the state they plan to hold votes to see if they can continue to formally represent their members at the bargaining table.

Republican Gov. Scott Walker's contentious collective bargaining law stripped almost all public unions of their right to negotiate everything except wages, and unions without existing contracts must win member authorization in annual recertification elections to do even that. And the law makes a successful vote difficult — 51 percent of an association's eligible voters must approve and unions must pay fees to the state ranging from $200 to $2,000 to hold elections.

The state's largest public employee unions have already decided not to pursue recertification. The deadline for school associations to signal their intentions is Friday. As of Wednesday, 114 unions representing about 14,000 teachers, aides and support staff had notified the Wisconsin Employment Relations Committee they want to hold elections.