Here’s what you need to know about the political fallout
canada goose outlet miami As many buy canada goose jacket expected, the Supreme Court today ruled 5 4 against the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) in the much anticipated Janus v. AFSCME case. Writing for a conservative majority, Justice Samuel Alito canada goose outlet struck down state laws that allow public sector unions to charge nonunion members for the costs of bargaining and job protections. labor movement, but also for the electoral future of the Democratic Party. canada goose outlet miami
canada goose outlet factory What canada goose coats on sale Janus was about The plaintiff, Mark Janus, works for the state of Illinois, where government workers are unionized. No state can compel workers to join a Canada Goose sale union. But Illinois is Canada Goose Outlet one of 22 states that allow unions to charge nonmembers, like Janus, for the costs of collective bargaining and grievance procedures. Those are called “fair share fees” or “agency fees.” In the other 28 states, canada goose coats called “right to work” states, state law prohibits unions from charging nonmembers these sorts of fees. canada goose outlet factory
canada goose outlet authentic Janus argued that Illinois violated his First Amendment rights by requiring canada goose him to pay the fees compelling him to speak through the union. Canada Goose Jackets Unions defend these fees by uk canada goose outlet arguing that nonunion members such as Janus still benefit from higher wages, generous benefits canada goose clearance sale and job protections negotiated by the union on their behalf. In siding with Janus, the court effectively imposed a “right to uk canada goose work” rule on public sector unions in the 22 states that haven’t yet had one. canada goose outlet authentic
canada goose outlet in chicago Here are three takeaways from today’s decision. canada goose outlet in chicago
canada goose outlet toronto The court did an about face on union fees In siding with Janus, the court reversed the 1977 decision Abood v. Detroit Board of Education that had upheld the constitutionality of agency fees. The court then, led by Chief Justice Warren Canada Goose Parka Burger, reasoned that dissenting employees could find other ways to show dissatisfaction with their unions while paying fair share fees. Further, the Burger court found workers’ free speech rights were outweighed by the Canada Goose online government’s compelling interest in helping unions to prevent employees from “free riding” taking advantage of the benefits secured by unions without helping canada goose uk black friday to pay for their work. labor movement. The intellectual foundation for the case http://www.mycanadagoosejacket.org and funding for the costly litigation came from donors seeking to limit unions’ ability to raise funds and add new members. canada goose outlet toronto
canada goose outlet winnipeg One conservative organization’s internal fundraising documents, obtained by the news outlet the Guardian, spelled canadian goose jacket out the logic by noting that right to work laws would deprive the political left of the staffing and resources that unions typically bring to Democrats’ campaigns, at both the national and state levels. Elsewhere, one of us has dubbed this strategy as a “political weapon”: changing laws to durably disadvantage one’s political opponents. canada goose outlet winnipeg
canada goose outlet vancouver The ruling could hit Democrats hard One way to think about the Janus ruling’s potential impact is to see what has happened after states adopted right to work laws that ban agency fees, in both the private and public sectors. When we looked at these cases from 1980 to 2016, we found that when states change the law, unions shift their efforts away from political mobilization and toward membership recruitment and retention. Public sector unions in particular take a big hit in membership and dues. canada goose factory sale For instance, after right to work laws passed in Michigan (2012) and Wisconsin (2015), outlawing agency fees, teacher union dues in these two states dropped between one third and one half. canada goose outlet vancouver
canada goose outlet belgium With that drop in income, unions come under financial pressure. They make fewer campaign contributions and are less likely to canada goose clearance conduct campaigns to get Democratic voters to the polls. Democratic vote share and turnout falls canada goose store in presidential, gubernatorial and congressional elections. Republicans win a larger share of state legislative seats. canada goose outlet belgium
canada goose stockists uk None of that is surprising. cheap canada goose uk Unions have long been critical backers of both liberal policy change and Democratic candidates. canada goose stockists uk
canada goose outlet ontario Will canada goose uk shop the Janus decision affect national politics the way right to work laws have affected state politics? That depends on canada goose black friday sale how unions respond. Unions could build on the momentum that teachers’ unions have in red states like Oklahoma and West Virginia both right to work states where members have used rallies, protests and wildcat strikes to pressure lawmakers into expanding education funding. Or unions could prod Democratic state legislatures to pass laws (like the one in Hawaii) that make up for unions’ lost funding from agency fee cuts or free them from having to Canada Goose Coats On Sale represent workers who don’t pay dues thus leaving those workers out of union benefits. And with the state as both the employer and Canada Goose Online the policymaker, such tactics could not be undercut by changes in hiring practices. canada goose outlet ontario
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canada goose outlet orlando Or unions could campaign to convince nonmembers to join, actively working to persuade nontraditional members that they’re worth it and winning back their vibrancy and connections to rank canada goose uk outlet and file members canada goose outlet orlando.
