Fox News reports – In a major legal and political defeat for big labor, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 Wednesday that state government workers – whether they join the union or not – cannot be forced to pay so-called “fair share” fees to support collective bargaining and other union activities.
Today’s US Supreme Court’s decision will be a devastating blow to the Democrat Party, as the government unions will no longer be able to force state employees to state government workers to decide if they want to contribute to unions that help to support a party or an ideology they are opposed to supporting.
In 2016, public sector unions contributed an astounding amount of money to Democrat Party campaigns and liberal organizations or PACs, while contributing a pittance to Republican Party campaigns and/or conservative organizations or PACs.
AFSCME is going to be hit hard with this decision…In 2016, the government union, AFSCME (American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees) gave an astounding $15,728,067 to political campaigns, the Democrats received $15,679,957, while Republicans received $7,475. So far, in 2018 AFSCME has already contributed $5,213,406 in political donations. $5,194,687 was given to Democrats, while only a mere $6,000 was given to Republicans.
Here are just a few more examples of how the unions are nothing more than slush funds for Democrats:
In 2016, the nation’s oldest and largest teacher’s union, the NEA (National Education Association), gave $29,775,536 in political contributions. Of the nearly 30 million in political contributions, $29,427,730 was given to Democrats, $347,306 was given to Republicans.
To date, in 2018, the American Federation of Government Employees gave $3,074,408 to political campaigns. $2,924,868 was given to the Democrat Party, $136,040 was given to the Republican Party.
In 2016, the AFT (American Federation of Teachers) gave a stunning $33,596,605 in political donations. Of that stunning $33.6 million, the Democrats received $33,580,880, while the Republicans got $10,700. To date, the American Federation of Teachers has already contributed $7,901,097 to political campaigns. $7,869,555 was given to the Democrat Party, $6,500 was given to the Republican Party.
*Donations to Democrats includes liberal organizations and political campaigns. Donations to Republicans includes conservative organizations and political campaigns. All figures and graphs are from Open Secrets.
From Fox News:
The conservative majority said a union’s contract negotiations over pay and benefits were inextricably linked with its broader political activities and concluded workers had a limited constitutional right not to underwrite such “speech.”
“This procedure violates the First Amendment and cannot continue,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote in the majority opinion. “Neither an agency fee nor any other payment to the union may be deducted from a nonmember’s wages, nor may any other attempt be made to collect such a payment, unless the employee affirmatively consents to pay.”
While the current case applies only to public sector employees, the political and financial stakes are potentially huge for the broader American labor union movement, which had been sounding the alarm about the legal fight.
The key plaintiff was Mark Janus, an Illinois state employee, who pays about $550 annually to the powerful public-sector union known as AFSCME. While not a member of the union, he is required under state law to hand over a weekly portion of his paycheck — which he says is a violation of his constitutional rights.
“I work for Health and Family Services, and I’m forced to pay money to a union that then supports political causes that I don’t agree with,” Janus told Fox News.
