DES MOINES, Iowa–Protests didn’t do it. Neither did a marathon debate. Union workers hope a lawsuit will now be the solution to prevent Republicans from stripping most of the issues nearly 184,000 have a right to bargain in contract negotiations.

AFSCME Local 61 President Danny Homan announced that his legal team filed the lawsuit in Polk County District Court around 8 a.m. Monday.

Read the lawsuit here.

Homan says the suit claims the Republican-led changes are unconstitutional because they treat different types of public workers differently. Police officers and firefighters are largely exempt from changes in the law Governor Terry Branstad signed in a private event Friday. “This is not the end,” Homan said of the lawsuit, “The governor signing it. This is the beginning.”

AFSCME Local 61 Prez Danny Homan says suing becuz collective bargaining changes treat workers differently pic.twitter.com/E803iRcpGg — Dave Price (@idaveprice) February 20, 2017

Homan said it is “inherently unfair” to impose certain bargaining rights for some workers and exclude others. The lawsuit asked for a court injunction to stop the law from taking effect July 1st. He acknowledges this could lead to a long court fight that makes it to the Iowa Supreme Court.

“I want to compliment the legislature,” Branstad said of the quicker-than-usual process the collective bargaining bill became law. Republicans introduced it on Tuesday, February 7th. It became law Friday, February 17th.

The governor has previously said the law, approved in 1974, was outdated and the new law will require public workers to have to pay more toward health insurance, as well as give schools and local governments more leeway in negotiating individual benefits packages with employees.