Supreme Court to rule on power of public employee unions

WASHINGTON — A case the U.S. Supreme Court takes up Monday is likely to deal a crippling blow to unions representing millions of the nation's public employees.

The justices will decide whether state government workers who choose not to join a union must still pay a share of union dues to cover the cost of negotiating labor contracts.

The court deadlocked 4-4 on the same issue two years ago in a case brought by a group of California teachers opposed to paying the dues. Since then, conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch has joined the court, and he seems all but certain to provide the fifth vote opponents need to strike the fees down.

"Public sector unions have to be deeply troubled — in fact, scared," says Tom Goldstein, publisher of SCOTUSBlog. "The court's conservatives have signaled strongly that this critical funding tool is going to be struck down."


Source : nbcnews