Mandatory dues for leftist politics in crosshairs

Harvey Finkle Students and others attended a rally for fair funding at the beginning of last school year in September 2016

Christy Curtis | 29 September, 2017, 00:54

The justices agreed to hear a case brought by a non-union government employee in IL that targets fees that his state and many others compel such workers to pay to unions in lieu of dues to fund collective bargaining and other organized labor activities.

The appeal was brought by the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation and the Liberty Justice Center on behalf of Mark Janus, an employee of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, who has $44.58 deducted from his paycheck every month to cover the collective-bargaining fees of AFSCME. The child-support specialist says that forcing him to pay union fees violates his First Amendment rights.

If the justices side with Janus, union leaders fear the potential loss of millions worth of fees, which could diminish their power to bargain for higher wages and better benefits for government employees, including teachers, first responders and other public employees.

Supreme Court accepts new challenge to mandatory... In 2016, a suit brought by California teachers was nearly universally expected to produce a full-on reversal of the 1977 holding, but the death of Justice Antonin Scalia left the Court deadlocked 4-4 on the case, leaving a circuit court decision in favor of the union in place.

Rauner says his 2015 executive order prohibiting state-agency "fair share" collection set the Janus case in motion.

The high court heard a similar challenge out of California in January 2016 and had appeared headed toward ruling the fees unconstitutional.

Neil Gorsuch, President Trump's pick to replace Scalia, is widely expected to vote with conservative justices to overturn mandatory agency fees.

The states compare the requirement of public employees to subsidize union activities to "forced subsidization of a political party". But if these dues constitute compelled political speech, how can the state require anti-union workers to pay them?

The Illinois case offers the justices a chance to overturn a significant labor law precedent from 1977. In Abood vs Detroit Board of Education, the Court ruled the fees were constitutional as long they weren't used for political or ideological activities. "About half of the states have laws covering so-called "fair share" fees that cover bargaining costs for non-members". The arrangement was supposed to prevent non-members from "free riding", since the union has a legal duty to represent all workers. But there is no obvious reason why its logic should not apply to private-sector unions as well. Non-members can then seek a refund of the portion the union spent on lobbying and activities unrelated to collective bargaining or contract administration.

That case, Friedrichs v. California Teacher's Association, was over the approximately $650 each teacher in California has to pay the union, despite the fact the union's political statements and bargaining activities may be in direct violation of any individual teacher's speech rights.

Hugh Hefner remembered by stars, pals, and Playboy Bunnies as a 'legend'

Hamilton 'sad' to lose challenge of Malaysian GP from F1 calendar

28 September 2017

Top US general voices support for transgender troops
She asked Dunford if he had had the chance to meet with any transgender troops since the ban was announced . The guidance left it up to the Defense Department to decide the fate of now serving transgender troops.

28 September 2017

Alstom shares surge on Siemens rail tie-up
Jochen Eickholt, CEO of Siemens Mobility, will assume an important responsibility in the merged entity, the company said. The combined company will be called Siemens Alstom , and will merge only the rail operations of the two companies.

27 September 2017

United Nations human rights office: Russian Federation violating int'l law in Crimea
Some detainees were ill-treated, and at least three died after they did not receive the medical care they needed, the report says.
28 September 2017

Hillary Clinton Spent 600 Hours On Her Beauty Routine Last Year
She reflected on the 2016 election as an example of staying true to her "authentic self". She also added that she found her comments on women who voted for Trump "insightful".

28 September 2017

Roy Moore: Trump Will Back Me Once He Knows Me
Former chief Trump strategist Steve Bannon introduced Moore at his victory party, saying a vote for Moore was a vote for Mr. In his victory speech, Moore said he supported President Donald Trump , even though the president had backed unusual .

27 September 2017

McConnell: Debate over nation's health care will continue
Susan Collins , who announced her opposition Monday, joining three fellow GOP senators, essentially assured the proposal's defeat. Trump called into the "Rick & Bubba Show", a talk show based in Alabama, to discuss the state's Senate primary on Tuesday.
28 September 2017

Rowdy session at plenary as MPs throw chairs
On Tuesday, anti-government protests also occurred in other parts of the country, including in the northern town of Lira. Protestors have been tear gassed during demonstrations and a number of local journalists have been arrested.

28 September 2017

Vice president 'disappointed' Sen. Collins against Graham-Cassidy Bill
Senators Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy , authors of the bill , had offered to boost federal healthcare funds by 43% in Maine. Emerging from a closed-door meeting, senators were quick to confirm that no vote would take place on the Graham-Cassidy bill.

27 September 2017

Trump directs $200 mn annually to sci-tech education
Explore administrative actions that will add or increase focus on Computer Science in existing K-12 and post-secondary programs. "It's easy to classify computer science as tech to enable getting a job in Silicon Valley or New York", Ms.
28 September 2017

Catalonia Referendum: Spanish Police Deployed to 'Neutralize' Polling Stations
Whether that strategy will be seen as a critical step on the path toward independence, or a step back, only time will tell. Polls indicate that a vote for independence is by no means certain - the region is split equally in favor and against.

27 September 2017

Anthony Weiner sentenced to 21 months in prison
The disgraced politician pleaded guilty back in May to sending inappropriate messages to a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina . As well as his prison term, Weiner was also fined $10,000 (€8,400) and must enrol in a sex-offender treatment programme.

26 September 2017

Hackers hit accountancy firm Deloitte, stealing plans, emails and passwords
The breached data may have included names, addresses, social insurance numbers and - in some cases - credit card numbers. The Equifax breach was discovered in July, but those potentially affected were notified only in mid-September 2017.

Hamilton 'sad' to lose challenge of Malaysian GP from F1 calendar Malaysia was the scene of his last retirement when his Mercedes engine blew up while he was leading the race - a moment which proved decisive in Nico Rosberg being crowned world champion.

Prince George didn't want to go to school today: William However, as Vanity Fair pointed out , William actually predicted George's lack of enthusiasm for school. The Prince William told the Telegraph that George told him that he's had enough training.

Hugh Hefner remembered by stars, pals, and Playboy Bunnies as a 'legend' Tweed posted a photo on Instagram of a younger Hefner smoking a pipe, where she simply wrote that he changed the world. His magazine expanded to an enterprise that included clothing, a successful televesion series and more.

Supply of iPhone X estimated at just over 12 million units Another boost to Face ID security is a separate neural network specifically created to thwart spoofing attacks. Apps don't get access to facial scans or any of the data in the Secure Enclave.

Hillary Clinton doubts Trump knows Puerto Ricans are Americans Waivers must be based on whether or not the there are enough US ships to keep up with shipping needs, which DHS is saying there are.

Joey Barton favours Manchester United in title race due to "cold weather" Manchester United are now joint top of the Premier League table after having won five of their opening six games. His bright start is in contrast to last season when he struggled to adapt to the demands of English football.

NZ dollar under pressure as greenback pushes higher Trump has praised Yellen since taking office, saying he approves of the Fed's current low interest rates and respects the chair. Stocks opened higher and traded in positive territory for much of the day before running out of steam in the final hour.

Saudi Arabia to allow women to drive In fact, the majority of the members of the Council of Senior Scholars in the Kingdom agree that Islam does not ban women from driving.

Gas Prices in Hartford Area Slip Following Jump After Hurricane Harvey In the Warren-Youngstown area, the average cost of a gallon of regular gasoline was $2.38, according to national auto club AAA. However, compared to this time previous year , Florida drivers are paying 52 cents more for a gallon of gasoline.

Watch the Blade Runner anime from Cowboy Bebop director Shinichiro Watanabe Check out what Denis Villeneuve had to say in the player above and below is exactly what we talked about. Nexus Dawn", was released August 30, and the second, " 2048: "Nowhere to Run ", dropped September 15.

'Sunday Night Football' Ratings Down Again On Day Of Player Protests Other networks had to deal with National Football League games running longer than the time they were allotted on television. With all of the national anthem protests around the league, there was talk about how it could impact NFL TV ratings.

Jared Kushner Used Private Email Account To Conduct Government Business Sanders would not say whether the White House would release Kushner's private emails that dealt with government business. The private account in question was reportedly set up in December, during the transition.

Bali volcano eruption could be 'hours' away as 75000 evacuate Many Indonesians live close to volcanoes because the lava flows can make the surrounding land and soil fertile for farming. Ms Goh said she had a clear view of Mount Agung yesterday morning when she climbed Mount Batur, which is about 40km away.

Equifax CEO retires in the wake of massive cyber attack Up to last week, only about 15 million people had actually done the steps required to find out if they're one of those". An Equifax spokeswoman said in an email she was working on a response to whether Smith would still testify .

Eman Ahmed Abd El Aty, former 'world's heaviest woman', dies Eman's family said Eman had weighed 11 pounds (5 kg) at birth and suffered from thyroid problems since she was a child. At the Dubai hospital, she was to reduce her weight by over 220 pounds in order to fit onto the operating table.

Mandatory dues for leftist politics in crosshairs

Recommended