Supreme Court to Hear Union Dues Case

CNS New Service reports:

Labor union officials' right to use union dues for political purposes without members' consent will be under scrutiny before the U.S. Supreme Court next week.

The Court will hear oral arguments on Jan. 10 in a case originating from Washington state, where even those teachers who are not members of the Washington Education Association (WEA) are required to pay union dues to cover the costs of collective bargaining. Some of the money is also used for the union's political causes.

The Washington State Supreme Court, in Davenport v. WEA, ruled that a campaign finance law requiring WEA to obtain written permission from non-member dues-payers before using dues for political purposes was unconstitutional. It wrote that the requirement "unduly burdens unions."

Advocates of "right to work" policies are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn that ruling, arguing that the requirement protects non-members' from unknowingly paying for political lobbying and campaigns they don't support.

Where would unions be without coercion?