The U.S. Supreme Court recently heard arguments in a California case that could have implications for all public sector unions. The case, Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association (Case No. 14-915), is a challenge to a California law permitting public sector unions to collect a portion of union dues (the agency fee) to cover the cost of contract administration and collective bargaining. The opponents of the agency fee law claim that the First Amendment rights of employees forced to pay the fee are infringed by the fact that the governmental employer is requiring them to support the union financially. They argue that even though the fee relates only to collective bargaining, all matters including those that are bargained are within the public sphere with a public employer. They seek to overturn a 40-year old precedent. Other states including Massachusetts have similar laws permitting an agency fee.
