Thread: BREAKING:Court: Public union can't make nonmembers pay fees

Jun 30, 10:26 AM EDT


Court: Public union can't make nonmembers pay fees

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...06-30-10-08-45

Supreme Court rules against unions in home healthcare worker case

Published June 30, 2014FoxNews.com


123





WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, ruled Monday that public sector unions cannot collect fees from home health care workers who don't want to be part of a union.
The decision was handed down Monday by the Supreme Court in its final session of its nine-month term.
ADVERTISEMENT


The case, which deals with home care workers in Illinois, could eliminate automatic dues deductions for public sector unions. The court was also set to rule on a challenge by for-profit businesses, including Hobby Lobby, to the requirement in ObamaCare to provide free contraceptive coverage.
In the union case, plaintiff Pamela Harris serves as the primary caretaker for her son, Josh, who has a rare genetic syndrome. She receives Medicaid funds and essentially functions as a state employee.
Service Employee International Union (SEIU) Healthcare Illinois-Indiana, the union that represents publicly employed home care workers, automatically deducts membership dues from employees’ paychecks under the collective bargaining agreement it has with the state.
Harris, as well as a handful of other personal care providers, sued Illinois, demanding it stop labor unions from collecting fees from workers who refuse representation. They argue that forcing them to pay the fees violates their First Amendment rights.
Labor unions argue that if Illinois is allowed to back out of its collective bargaining agreement, it would be only be a matter of time before workers see their wages cut and benefits dropped.
Union leaders also fear that conservative judges across the country will use the ruling in Harris’ case to strike down laws in 26 states that currently require public-sector employees such as teachers and police officers, to fork over dues to the unions that negotiate contracts on their behalf even if the employee doesn’t want to become a union member.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014...e-worker-case/

This is good news.

Originally Posted by Newmexican

This is good news.

Doesn't mean much really. The ruling was very narrowly written and no real way to extend the ruling at all. The home healthcare workers this would cover is a very small bunch of the majority.

We really need one of the more major cases from the Right to Work Foundation to make it and be accepted to the Supreme Court.