#SCOTUS Slaps Down Unions In Janus Case [VIDEO]

#SCOTUS Slaps Down Unions In Janus Case [VIDEO]

#SCOTUS Slaps Down Unions In Janus Case [VIDEO]

Right before punching the clock out before going on summer vacation, the Supreme Court ruled on one last major case, Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Council 31. And it did not go well for the unions.

As in, the public sector unions can no longer force workers to pay fees.

In a major legal and political defeat for big labor, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 Wednesday that state government workers cannot be forced to pay so-called “fair share” fees to support collective bargaining and other union activities.

The conservative majority said a union’s contract negotiations over pay and benefits were inextricably linked with its broader political activities, and concluded workers had a limited constitutional right not to underwrite such “speech.” The case specifically examined union fees paid by non-members.

“This procedure violates the First Amendment and cannot continue,” Associate Justice Samuel Alito wrote in the majority opinion. “Neither an agency fee nor any other payment to the union may be deducted from a non-member’s wages, nor may any other attempt be made to collect such a payment, unless the employee affirmatively consents to pay.”

Here is a quick breakdown of the case, made last February before the oral arguments.

The real lawyers immediately began to break down the decision on Twitter.


Settle yourself in with popcorn for the sniping between justices.


Cue the whining on the left:


And with that, the court adjourned without any announcements about retirements.


So, barring something dramatic happening before the start of the next court session in October, this same court will be on the clock again next term.

While I have never been in a union myself, I grew up in a blue-collar union household. I have seen the union tactics play out in front of me, especially when I was a college student, and as a patient in a university medical setting. I am not convinced that unions are still necessary in the 21st century. I also know that the heads of unions wield more power and take more money than they should. Any rebuke on union power that allows actual working people to keep more of their own money is a good thing.

UPDATE 2:10 PM PT
Well, so much for nothing dramatic happening today…


Please read Nina’s excellent post about this new turn of events.

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4 Comments
  • GWB says:

    It’s hard to overstate what a win this is for the right Constitution.
    FIFY

    Today’s assault on workers and unions is brought to you by five people who have a government job for life, health care for life, and pension for life.
    Well, I’m going to agree with this. But I will also note that the progs have difficulty understanding larger concepts, and distinguishing between 2 things that are not really the same.

    I am not convinced that unions are still necessary in the 21st century.
    Deanna, it’s not so much that “times have changed” but that unions were given power (by progressives/socialists) over and above employers, rather than leaving them on an equal footing. Because of that power imbalance, things (particularly the ones that actually made unions necessary) changed very quickly. The things that required unions (like employer abuses) still exist but are kept in check by unions. So, now we have space to recognize the unbalanced power unions were given initially.

    If you remove the compulsory issues, the you-can’t-fire-strikers baloney, and the right-to-strike-when-you’re-no-actually-at-the-concerned-company crap, unions are a good thing. (It’s also much harder to turn them into mafia machines and political thugs when you remove that overwhelming power.)

  • Scott says:

    Agree with GWB, and one more update, Justice Kennedy just announced his retirement! The court will now likely NOT look the same next term, with a more solidly Constitutionalist judge, instead of the swing vote that Kennedy was.

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