Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has concluded its latest session with historic rulings related to same-sex marriage and the Affordable Care Act, there’s talk of an issue coming up when court justices return that could affect the work of our Chicago consumer rights lawyers.
The question is whether or not public employees can be forced to pay union dues even when those individuals choose not to be involved in the union or support union activities.
Union organizers argue that such provisions are vital to the ongoing vitality of collective bargaining in the United States. Those who oppose such measures, on the other hand, argue that being forced to pay fees to organizations they may disagree with is a violation of their First Amendment Right to Free Speech.
There is some precedent around this issue. In the 1977 case Abood v. Detroit Board of Education, the Supreme Court ruled that states do have the right to collect union fees from non-members, as long as those fees pay for collective bargaining as opposed to political activities.
The issue was debated in the court again last year, The Washington Post reports, this time in a case involving Illinois public health employees. Justices arrived at a 2014 decision that countered the 1977 ruling, due to unique and specific circumstances in the Illinois case.
Our lawyers recognize that in workplaces both with and without union representation, employee and consumer rights can be compromised through such practices such as overtime violations or wage theft.
If you feel that your consumer rights have been compromised regardless of the circumstances, please contact the Chicago-based lawyers at Markoff Leinberger online or by telephone to discuss your case: 1 (888) 517-9115.
