Unions

The State of Employee Rights After Supreme Court Decision on Unions

July 11, 2018 | by Nassiri Law

The Supreme Court’s recent decision in the case of Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees quickly rose to landmark status in employment law. The 5-4 ruling by the high court determined it is unconstitutional to force nonunion workers to pay fees to unions in the public sector. Justices for the majority decisions explained that forcing workers to financially back an organization whose views they did not necessarily agree with was a violation of their First Amendment right to free speech, according to a CNBC report. The decision overturned the 1977 Supreme Court ruling in Abood v. Detroit Board of Education, which stated fees could be collected for collective bargaining, but not for political purposes. Some believe, however, that by nature collective bargaining and union practices are political.

While the ruling does not affect the private sector directly, the spirit of the decision certainly sets a precedent for legal disputes with private employment unions. It also helps bolster laws that already exist in 27 states which forbid agreements between unions and employers to force all employees who are part of a bargaining unit to contribute to union dues. The ruling is viewed by many as a victory for individual liberties. Continue Reading ›

U.S. Supreme Court to Address Mandatory Public Union Dues

January 23, 2016 | by Nassiri Law

According to a recent news article from the Sacramento Bee, the United States Supreme Court held oral arguments on the issue of whether a public union could force employees in a particular sector to pay dues as a mandatory condition of employment.

Specifically, this case at issue is Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association. Currently, the government-run union requires all teachers in the state of California to be a member of the union and to pay around $1,000 per year in membership dues if they want to work as a teacher. Continue Reading ›

LA Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Against Teacher’s Union

October 8, 2015 | by Nassiri Law

Unions have been around for a long time, and they have done a lot of good for workers across the country. There was a time when workers had no rights and no benefits, and factory owners would actually have security guards physically harm any workers protesting or participating in a strike. There were even famous cases where security company employees hired by wealthy employers fired upon striking workers.

However, over the years, there have been some incidents involving corruption in unions, and this has helped those who are against unions make a case to workers that unions are no longer necessary. That being said, in many cases, unions are still a very strong tool disgruntled workers can use to fight for better treatment and fair pay. Continue Reading ›