Public Sector Unions at Risk

In class we have discussed how labor unions are an important part of the civil Rights movement and the fight to desegregate the work force. African Americans were limited in their ability to form unions due to the fear that white leaders had of maintaining their economic power as well as their oppressive racial structure. 

Equal Opportunity Employers have caused the choice to refuse to hire employees on the basis of their skin color illegal. This practice has given workers and particularly African American workers more power. Another thing that has allowed workers more power is the ability of public sector workers to be a part of a union and bargain the state on their behalf. However, that ability might be at risk. 

The Supreme Court is hearing a case from Mark Janus a child support specialist from Illinois. He is arguing that he should not be forced to pay partial union dues when he does not participate in the union. Public sector employees have been mandated to pay these dues because they benefit from the collective bargaining of these public-sector unions. The argument against these partial dues is being made on the basis that unions are political entities and that a worker should not have to pay for a union whose politics they do not agree with. The political nature of unions allegedly comes from wage negotiations which affect the state budget and therefore political. 

The case is supposed to be decided in June, a similar case that was heard in 2016 following the death of Antonin Scalia the vote was split 4 to 4. In 1977, in Abod v. Detroit Board of Education the Supreme Court declared that when public employees vote to affiliate with a union state and local governments can require employees to pay partial union dues to cover wage negotiating and the benefits received from the unions. At stake is nullifying thousands of contracts between workers, unions, and governments. 

The outcome of this case will not only affect all public-sector workers but has many implications for all workers and in particular minority workers. Taking away these partial union dues could cause unions to die out and would definitely lessen their economic power. The lessening of this economic power comes with an equal lessening of overall power. Weak unions mean that corporations have greater power to make decisions that exploit workers without hearing consequences. Historically, workers that have been the most exploited have been those in minority groups. If public sectors unions are eliminated minority workers could be exploited or treated in an unequal manner without the power to negotiate with their corporations. It is important that minority workers continue to have these unions so that the equality that is deserved can be achieved. 

Source: https://www.npr.org/2018/02/01/582539884/supreme-court-could-bleed-unions-dry