On Wednesday, the Supreme Court ruled that employers can force government employees to contribute to labor unions. This will deal a serious blow to organized labor finances and could weaken unions in general.
Overturning the Previous Decision
The Justices were split 5-4, but they effectively changed a Court decision from 41 years ago. The previous ruling allowed states to force public employees to pay into the unions as their contribution for representation. Since then, many employees have resented the forced payment as a requirement of their employment. Others see little benefit in unions.
The Court said on Wednesday that forced payments violate the 1st Amendment. Unions cannot force employees to pay them because they might not agree with Union politics.
Political Reactions
Business-supporting Republicans have long discredited unions, saying that they put an unnecessary burden on business owners. Democrats, however, generally support unions in favor of gaining fair working conditions and wages for the worker.
