Catherwood LibraryILR School

The conservative majority on the Supreme Court last year was expected to rule against public sector unions when Justice Antonin Scalia died, putting the court in deadlock. Now, a new case raising the same issue has been placed on the Supreme Court docket: can public workers be forced to join unions if they have already declined to do so? The court will most likely agree to hear the case, as it has already been established that the issue at hand is within the scope of the Supreme Court’s jurisdiction. Newly-appointed Justice Neil M. Gorsuch is expected to lean conservative, which would allow public sector employees to opt out of paying union fees if they are nonmembers. Teachers have argued that forcing them into paying for collective bargaining is a violation of the First Amendment. Unions contend that they will lose leverage in collective bargaining if workers are given the option to opt out.