Labor & Economy
Supreme Court Rules Against Unions
In a closely watched decision, the U.S. Supreme Court this morning ruled that home-care workers cannot be compelled to pay fees to the unions that represent them. The ruling in the Harris v. Quinn case was narrow in its scope — there had been speculation that a majority of the justices could throw out the high court’s 1977 Abood decision that had authorized all public-sector unions to collect dues from workers for whom the unions negotiated contracts.
According to the Los Angeles Times:
In a 5-4 ruling written [by] Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., the court said these employees, some of whom care for their disabled children at home, have a constitutional right not to support a union they oppose. The decision is a victory for the National Right to Work Foundation, which took up the cause of several mothers who objected to paying union fees.
Acknowleging the restricted focus of this morning’s court decision, the New York Times noted that “during oral arguments in January, Justice Elena Kagan said the position taken by the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation ‘would radically restructure the way workplaces across this country are run.'”
The crux of Alito’s argument, according to the Chicago Tribune, was that the Illinois caregivers “are not similar enough to government employees to be compelled to pay union dues.”
Capital & Main will have further coverage later.
-
The SlickFebruary 28, 2024
Proposed Drilling Near Suburban Denver Superfund Site Raising Flags
-
Class WarMarch 12, 2024
Power of the Pulpit: How Conservative Congregations Scale the Church-State Wall to Political Victory
-
State of InequalityFebruary 29, 2024
Labor Scores a Victory at Cal State Campuses
-
Latest NewsMarch 13, 2024
A Disease Took Her Mobility. Now, at 70, She Could Lose Her Home.
-
Latest NewsFebruary 19, 2024
Turning 70, a Los Angeles Renter Prepares to Fight for His Home in Court
-
Culture & MediaMarch 1, 2024
Gary Tyler’s Journey From Death Row to the Art World
-
Latest NewsMarch 13, 2024
New Roles for Top Journalists at Capital & Main
-
Latest NewsFebruary 20, 2024
The Landlord Behind Massive Los Angeles Eviction Has Spent More Than $1 Million on City Elections