Supreme Court Decision On Mandatory Agency Fees Could Take Politically Powerful Unions Out At The Knees
The Supreme Court has barred public-employee contracts requiring workers to pay union dues, which can be used to support collective bargaining activities and other efforts including legislative advocacy, grievances and worker safety programs. The decision will ripple across the health industry in part because many workers in the field are part of unions. But another reason is that the organizations are often vocal supporters of health programs like Medicare and Medicaid.
Modern Healthcare:
Supreme Court Ruling On Union Fees Could Shift Healthcare Politics
American political dynamics around healthcare and other issues could be changed by a U.S. Supreme Court decision Wednesday that significantly weakens public-sector labor unions. In a ruling with major ramifications for healthcare organizations, a bitterly split high court ruled that public-sector unions cannot collect mandatory service fees from members for representing them in contract negotiations. (Meyer, 6/27)
The New York Times:
Labor Unions Will Be Smaller After Supreme Court Decision, But Maybe Not Weaker
With the Supreme Court striking down laws that require government workers to pay union fees, one thing is clear: Most public-sector unions in more than 20 states with such laws are going to get smaller and poorer in the coming years. Though it is difficult to predict with precision, experts and union officials say they could lose 10 percent to one-third of their members, or more, in the states affected, as conservative groups seek to persuade workers to drop out. (Scheiber, 6/27)
The Wall Street Journal:
Supreme Court Deals Blow To Public-Sector Unions
The 5-4 vote, along conservative-liberal lines, on Wednesday overruled a 1977 precedent that had fueled the growth of public-sector unionization even as representation has withered in private industry. More than one-third of public employees are unionized, compared with just 6.5% of those in the private sector, according to a January report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The impact of the ruling is likely to stretch far beyond the workplace, sapping resources from unions such as the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the National Education Association that have provided funds, resources and activists largely in support of Democratic candidates. (Bravin, 6/27)
Los Angeles Times:
California's Politically Powerful Labor Unions Have Been Preparing For This Supreme Court Ruling For A Long Time
California’s public employee unions, for decades some of the state’s towering political giants, knew this day was coming. Now, after a majority of justices on the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the legality of the fees charged to nonmember workers — sometimes totaling hundreds of dollars a year — union leaders are relying on plans they’ve been carefully crafting for more than five years. “No one is trying to pretend that it’s not a hit,” said Alma Hernandez, the executive director of the Service Employees International Union’s California state council. “But I think that the work that our locals have done across the state will help us maintain a majority of our members in the union.” (Myers, 6/27)
And in other news —
The Associated Press:
Abortion-Rights Bloc To Fight After Pregnancy Center Ruling
In effectively knocking down a California law aimed at regulating anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a blow to abortion-rights supporters who saw the law as a crucial step toward beating back the national movement against the procedure. Democratic-led California became the first state in 2016 to require the centers to provide information about access to birth control and abortion, and it came as Republican-led states ramped up their efforts to thwart abortion rights. (Ronayne, 6/27)