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MichiganVotes Monday: Bill ignores U.S. Supreme Court ruling that extends right-to-work protections to public sector employees, such as teachers
One week after the election, the Associated Press on Tuesday reported that the workers’ rights amendment was approved by more than 50% of all votes cast last week — securing its passage.
Supporters say the amendment will enshrine collective bargaining rights as fundamental Illinois law and help workers bargain for measures that affect public safety. Detractors call it a power grab by organized labor that will raise the cost of government and, therefore, property taxes.
On the last day of its 2017-18 term, the Supreme Court’s decision in Janus v. AFSCME on Wednesday strengthened the First Amendment right to free speech and showed how the court should analyze whether to overrule one of its previous decisions. In the labor context, a “bargaining unit” is a group of employees with clear and identifiable common interests. If a majority of unit employees vote to be represented by a union, the union exclusively represents all employees, even those who do not join the union.
Public employees have a constitutional right to do their jobs without being forced to pay a union. But PA’s obsolete “fair share” law remains.