The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
January 12, 2016

Supreme Court Expected to Deal Major Blow to Public Sector Unions
-----------------------------------------------------------------

The Supreme Court appears set to deal a major blow to public employee
unions. The justices heard arguments Monday in a case brought by the
right-wing Center for Individual Rights and backed by other anti-union
groups. The case involves 10 California teachers who object to a state
law requiring them to pay a "fair share service fee" for collective
bargaining activities, even if they choose not to join a union. In 1977,
the Supreme Court ruled against forcing non-union members to pay for a
union's political activities, but upheld required payments for
collective bargaining. The court now appears likely to overturn that
precedent, potentially weakening public sector unions nationwide by
allowing workers to opt out of paying for union activities that benefit
them.


.