Supreme Court on Challenge to Survival of Public Sector Unions - 27'
U.S. Supreme Court Heard Challenge to Bread and Butter Survival of Public
Sector Unions
with
Caroline Fredrickson,
President American Constitution Society for Law and Policy
and
Joe Burns, Labor Lawyer and Author,
Strike Back: Using the Militant Tactics of Labor's Past to Reignite Public
Sector Unionism Today
On Jan.11th, the
U.S. Supreme Court considered a conservative legal challenge targeting
public sector unions when the justices took up a case brought by non-union
teachers who object to having to pay for collective bargaining rights. The
dispute pits 10 public school teachers and the Christian Educators
Association International against the California Teachers Association, a
union with 325,000 members and a history of backing liberal political
causes. Unions that are certified to represent a group of employees are
legally compelled to represent all employees in that unit, which means
bargaining on behalf of all the workers for health care and other benefits,
higher wages and representing them in grievances to adjudicate their rights
against their employers. The “dues” pay for unions to be able to advocate
for services to its members and to administratively function as an
organization. This court challenge seeks a decision that would economically
starve the public workers organizations affecting their ability to advocate
for their members individual economic benefits and their political rights as
workers.
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