Andy Kroll on the blow the Supreme Court delivered today to public sector unions: The US Supreme Court on Monday issued a stinging decision—but not a fatal one—to the nations public-employee labor unions, which represent more than 7 million workers around the country. In the case Harris v. Quinn, the courts five conservative justices ruled that home-care workers in Illinois—such as the lead plaintiff, Pam Harris—cannot be forced to pay dues to a union if theyre not union members because they are not full-fledged public employees like cops, firefighters, and teachers. But theres good news for organized labor: The court did not deliver the killer blow to public-employee unions as some warned it might. The court declined to overturn the 1977 decision in Abood v. Detroit Board of Education, the opinion that upheld the model of public-employee unionism. Had the court tossed out Abood, it wouldve essentially made right-to-work—one of the conservative movements favorite anti-union policies—the law of the land and dramatically damaged the ability of unions such as SEIU, AFSCME, and others that represent public workers to collect dues and engage in political and issue advocacy. SEIU President Mary Kay Henry slammed the courts decision in Harris. No court case is going to stand in the way of home care workers coming together to have a strong voice for good jobs and quality home care, she said in a statement. At a time when wages remain stagnant and income inequality is out of control, joining together in a union is the only proven way home care workers have of improving their lives and the lives of the people they care for. -Erika
Posted on: Mon, 30 Jun 2014 22:00:01 +0000
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