There is a case now before the Supreme Court regarding whether or not public employees who are not union members can be forced to pay union dues anyway. Some 40 years ago, there was a court decision that held that non-member employees could be made to pay a fee for the services they received from the union through representation in labor negotiations. Over the decades, that practice changed into all public employees being made to pay full union dues whether or not they are union members. Last year, the court got a case that raised the issue, but it voted 4-4 and the tie left the lower court case in place. Now another case on the same topic has made it to SCOTUS.
The big news of the moment on this case is that the Department of Justice has filed a brief supporting the position of the non-union employees who are the plaintiffs in the latest case. Last year, the Obama DOJ supported the other side. It seems a fair bet to conclude that Justice Gorsuch will break the 4-4 tie in favor of the employees and against the unions.
The real impact of this decision is on fundraising for the Democrats. Public employee unions are strongly pro-Democrat and they use the "dues" received to make political contributions to the Democrat party. Once employees need no longer pay union dues to keep their jobs, experience has shown that a majority of employees drop membership. This would dry up a major source of campaign funds for the Democrats. Just imagine there no longer being an indirect subsidy of the Democrats by the government. Such a result might also finally let states and other governments get pension costs under control. A legislator who votes for reasonable pensions would no longer have to worry that union money would drive him or her out of office.
The big news of the moment on this case is that the Department of Justice has filed a brief supporting the position of the non-union employees who are the plaintiffs in the latest case. Last year, the Obama DOJ supported the other side. It seems a fair bet to conclude that Justice Gorsuch will break the 4-4 tie in favor of the employees and against the unions.
The real impact of this decision is on fundraising for the Democrats. Public employee unions are strongly pro-Democrat and they use the "dues" received to make political contributions to the Democrat party. Once employees need no longer pay union dues to keep their jobs, experience has shown that a majority of employees drop membership. This would dry up a major source of campaign funds for the Democrats. Just imagine there no longer being an indirect subsidy of the Democrats by the government. Such a result might also finally let states and other governments get pension costs under control. A legislator who votes for reasonable pensions would no longer have to worry that union money would drive him or her out of office.
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