Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a tied decision in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association. The case involved a group of non-union public school teachers from California who objected to paying fair-share fees to the California Teachers Association. The 4-4 decision leaves intact the right of public sector unions to require fair-share fees from non-members.
This outcome is a victory for the moment. However, once a new Supreme Court Justice is confirmed, the issue is likely to come back to the court.
This case and others like it are a full-fledged attack on public sector unions with the end goal of eroding the strength of hard-working families and overturning 40 years of Supreme Court precedent in the process. The UFCW has over 14,000 public sector members that are affected by this decision. In the face of these attacks, we are more committed than ever to ensuring everyone has the right to stick together in their workplace and negotiate a better life for themselves and their families.