Should people who take a unionized job be forced to pay fees to the union even if they don’t want to? That’s the question being considered by the U.S. Supreme Court reports the Washington Post. Last Tuesday, the Court heard debate on this question in a case, Harris v. Quinn, that could have a far reaching impact on public employee unions.
“The case from Illinois concerns home-care workers and whether those who do not join the public-employees union must pay compulsory fees to cover the cost of collective bargaining,” reports the Post. “The Supreme Court since 1977 has said states have the power to require such payments — about half of them use it — so long as the fees are not used for political purposes.”
Connecticut is one of the states that has such a law, so the Court’s decision could affect public employee unions here.
