This Supreme Court case could cripple unions as we know them
The Supreme Court will hear a case Monday that could cripple public-sector labor unions. It could also ultimately harm Democrats, who rely on unions for major cash during elections.
The question in the case boils down to this: Should public employees be required to pay monthly “agency fees” to a union, even if the union has political views they don’t agree with?
“No one in the U.S. should be forced to give money to a private organization he or she disagrees with fundamentally. Teachers deserve a choice.” — Harlan Elrich, plaintiff
The lawsuit was filed by a group of teachers and the Christian Educators Association International (CEAI), which promotes itself as the “Christian alternative” to teacher unions. It seeks “to encourage, equip and empower educators according to Biblical principles.”
Agency fees are used to help enforce union contracts and to pay for the negotiation of work benefits, like health care and retirement. Explained a different way, imagine you gave your roommate your Netflix password and ask them to chip in a buck or two for the benefit of having it –that’s like agency fees.
The money collected through the fees is not used for political purposes. But the teachers suing argue that forcing them to pay for anything union-related violates their free speech.
Other school employees are defending their unions:
“[The outcome of this case could] make it even more difficult for workers to sustain their families, and that’s the goal of these wealthy CEOs who want to continue shifting the balance in their favor.” — Tina Adams, lunch lady
Union members warn a ruling in favor of the teachers and CEAI will make it tough to protect the benefits, salaries and workplace rights they have built over decades.
So why is this a big deal for Democrats? That’s easy — money.
Unions are among the biggest donors to Democrats. In the 2012 election cycle, unions spent $1.7 billion on donations to Democrats and to lobby for mostly liberal causes . Getting rid of agency fees would reduce the size of unions and hurt their ability to organize. With no money to organize, very little can be done to mobilize — and money for Democrats would vanish just like this cotton candy:
A ruling in the case is expected by the end of the June.
