And THIS is why I voted for Trump.
The Supreme Court has upended a decades-old precedent that allowed unions to collect fees from government employees, including those who were not actually part of the union.
The justices rules 5-4 that public sector unions may not collect mandatory fees from non-members.
Mark Janus, employed at the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, set the ball in motion when he sued because he didn’t want a certain fee deducted from his paycheck to go toward a union just because he worked for the state. His lawyers argued the payment could violate First Amendment rights if someone is forced to pay a fee to an organization with different views than he or she holds.
Janus has said he pays about $550 per year to the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).
The court had to decide to override its 1977 decision in Abood v. Detroit Board of Education. In that case, it held that school teachers should pay unions as long as the money goes toward collective bargaining and other such issues -- not ideological causes.
AFSCME President Lee Saunders had argued that strong labor unions are needed because they give “the strength in numbers [workers] need to fight for the freedoms they deserve,” including retirement plans and health care.
The high court heard a similar case in 2016, but the death of Justice Antonin Scalia meant the case ended in a 4-4 decision, Reuters reported.
The Supreme Court has upended a decades-old precedent that allowed unions to collect fees from government employees, including those who were not actually part of the union.
The justices rules 5-4 that public sector unions may not collect mandatory fees from non-members.
Mark Janus, employed at the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, set the ball in motion when he sued because he didn’t want a certain fee deducted from his paycheck to go toward a union just because he worked for the state. His lawyers argued the payment could violate First Amendment rights if someone is forced to pay a fee to an organization with different views than he or she holds.
Janus has said he pays about $550 per year to the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).
The court had to decide to override its 1977 decision in Abood v. Detroit Board of Education. In that case, it held that school teachers should pay unions as long as the money goes toward collective bargaining and other such issues -- not ideological causes.
AFSCME President Lee Saunders had argued that strong labor unions are needed because they give “the strength in numbers [workers] need to fight for the freedoms they deserve,” including retirement plans and health care.
The high court heard a similar case in 2016, but the death of Justice Antonin Scalia meant the case ended in a 4-4 decision, Reuters reported.
