Thread: The Supreme Court Deals Blow To Public-Sector Unions

The Supreme Court Deals Blow To Public-Sector Unions

• Brett LoGiurato

• Jun. 30, 2014, 10:18 AM
  

REUTERS/John Gress

The Supreme Court on Monday limited the power of public-sector unions to compel employees to pay contributions, dealing a setback to public-sector unions. But the 5-4 decision, written by conservative Justice Samuel Alito, wasn't as sweeping as some union advocates had feared.
"This is a substantial obstacle to expanding public employee unions, but it does not gut them," SCOTUSblog's Tom Goldstein wrote.
Unions had been concerned that the court would strike down laws in 26 states requiring teachers, police officers, firefighters, and other public-sector employees to pay dues to the unions that negotiate contracts on their behalf, even if the workers don't want to become union members.
The court hedged somewhat, but the decision is still a setback for public-sector unions. In a 5-4 decision written by conservative Justice Samuel Alito, the court "recognized a category of 'partial public employees' who could not be required to contribute to union fees," according to SCOTUSblog. Unions worried the court would rule all public employees could not be forced to pay, which would dry up their ranks and their coffers.
"It remains possible that in a later case the Court will overturn its prior precedent and forbid requiring public employees to contribute to union bargaining. But today it has refused to go that far. The unions have lost a tool to expand their reach. But they have dodged a major challenge to their very existence," Goldstein wrote.
The case, Harris v. Quinn, stemmed from a challenge in Illinois involving in-home care providers. Illinois uses Medicaid funds to pay in-home care workers, but turnover was high at the low-paying jobs. In response, more than 20,000 in-home car workers organized and joined the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), after executive orders from Govs. Rod Blagojevich and Pat Quinn, both Democrats, classified them as "public employees."
The National Right to Work Foundation brought a challenge to Quinn in 2010, arguing workers who didn't want to participate in the union shouldn't have to pay the dues.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/supre...#ixzz36DnkIS71

Oh Yea unions for better schools gee that has worked well for our children hasn't it!!!
Anytime we have public anything the taxpayer gets hosed...The same goes for those "public/private parternerships". The taxpayer gets the bills and the private gets the profit..Wake Up America....