Yet no institution in our society has done
more to improve working conditions and to lift poor people into the middle
class than labor unions.
Here
is a straightforward explanation of
the significance of this case by the BATS.
“If
Friedrichs successfully overturns Abood and removes “agency shop” fees many
surmise it will destroy labor unions in the country. Exposure of the real
intent of the Friedrichs case is necessary because the political nature of this
case is alarming; not just because of its ability to destroy labor unions but
because of the nature of the deception.
“The
Center for Individual Rights is the firm that is representing Friedrichs, the 9
other teachers and The Christian Educators Association International.
“The
largest donor to CIR are the Koch Brothers ($40,000) .”
Here
is the latest from politico:
That obligation was upheld by the Supreme
Court in 1977’s Abood v. Detroit Board of Education . If the court overruled
Abood, it would impose a right-to-work regime on the country’s still-robust
public sector unions.
Freeing non-members from having to pay fees would create
a free-rider problem wherein workers could benefit from union contracts without
having to compensate the people who negotiated them on their behalf. If too
many workers chose that route, unions like AFSCME and SEIU would have to scale
back dramatically their bargaining and other activities.
Even if the court
didn’t go that far, it could still impose heavy financial burdens on public
sector unions. The petitioners in the case asked the court, as an alternative
to overruling Abood , to require non-members to opt in to paying fees for union
political activity, replacing the opt-out regime under current law. Associate
Justice Samuel Alito, in particular, appears to be itching to overrule Abood.
More from Pro Labor & Employment’s Brian Mahoney: http://politico.pro/1VywJvx
“-
Jacob Rukeyser, staff counsel for the California Teachers Association, said no
matter what happens with the case, the assault on teachers unions will
continue. The education reform movement wants to “deprofessionalize” the
education profession, he said. “Regardless of how the Supreme Court rules,
there will be continuing attacks on teachers unions, public sector unions and
the labor movement as a whole,” he said. “Our opponents are very well-funded
and unrelenting … we’re prepared for that. We expect this assault on working
men and women will continue … The end result is just one of marginalizing and
silencing the professional voice of our teachers.”
