The Supreme Court Will Probably Strike a Huge Blow to Public-Sector Unions
The Supreme Court has just announced that it will be taking up Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees. This case deals with child support specialist Mark Janus’ assertion that Illinois state law violates his First Amendment rights to free speech in forcing him to pay dues to AFSCME. AFSCME, among other unions, holds that because every employee reaps the benefits of the union’s collective bargaining with employers, they should contribute to funding the union’s efforts without paying full union-member dues. The Supreme Court’s decision in this case could have serious ramifications for U.S. labor law and could result in a radical restructuring of how unions handle their finances. Given the recent appointment of Neil Gorsuch, it appears that the Court will most likely side with the plaintiff in this case. If this popular prediction comes to fruition, unions will feel a heavy blow to their membership and pockets meaning that they will have to find new ways to prove their importance to workers.
See "The Supreme Court Will Probably Strike a Huge Blow to Public-Sector Unions", Robert Verbruggen, National Review, September 29, 2017