General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsUnions Fear This SCOTUS Case Could Bring Their 'Final Destruction'
The Supreme Court is expected to rule on Monday, the last day of its term, in a landmark case that unions fear could deal a fatal blow to their movement.
The case, Harris v. Quinn, is about the constitutionality of "agency fees" charged by public sector unions to all workers in a unionized setting, even non-union members. These fees are essential to their operation.
The particulars of the case concern Medicaid-based home health care workers in Illinois. The battle dates back to a 2003 executive order by Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) which paved the way for the Service Employees International Union to become the exclusive agent representing state home health workers. Then in 2009, Gov. Pat Quinn (D) issued another executive order classifying home care providers as state workers, and therefore eligible for exclusive union representation. In 2010, a group of home health workers, led by Pamela Harris, brought a class action lawsuit alleging that the collective bargaining agreement that required non-members to pay union fees violated their First Amendment rights.
Unions fear the implications extend far beyond the home health worker profession in Illinois. Agency fees in principle are important to public employee unions because they're required by law to bargain for all workers in a unionized setting. If agency fees for non-members are ruled to be a violation of free speech, unions fear they would lose funding, become less effective at bargaining for benefits and, in turn, lose members.
A death spiral.
RKP5637
(67,108 posts)US used to have guts in decades past, now, they are often just passive wimps, subservient to the corporate order.
postulater
(5,075 posts)"Lord I am not worthy. "
RKP5637
(67,108 posts)WTF. They seem to want to be repressed and be diminutive to what they consider superior authorities.
Also reminds me of one of my friends that I got out of an abusive marriage. Her comments were, "he has to beat me because I have failed to be a good wife to him." Yet another WTF. The guy was an abusive asshole, yet she saw it as her problem. People can be so strange in what they think, programmed to think, like little robots running around.
maxrandb
(15,330 posts)but I think is was Napoleon who said; "religion is what keeps the poor from eating the rich"
RKP5637
(67,108 posts)is all about.
CincyDem
(6,358 posts)When SCOTUS does something insane, I often hear people say "well, what can you do...they're appointed and confirmed."
Hello??? Who do you think elects the people who appoint and confirm. Asshat judges are an outcome of asshat senators. I say that to people that they look at me like I'm from Mars. The same people who I hear bitch about some of these decisions turn around and defend (in my neighborhood) Portman because " he's such a nice guy". I agree. Really nice guy. Probably fun to have dinner with or play golf with. But policy...he freaking Darth Vader. And people can't separate that.
I'm sure many of these republican senators are "nice guys". BFD...let them stay home and hang around the neighborhood being nice. Don't put them in charge of policy that directly (via legislation) and indirectly (via judicial appointments) fucks America six ways from Sunday.
You don't like SCOTUS screwing the country...remember that when your voting. Oh, and by the way, sitting home saying my vote doesn't count is the best way to ensure that your vote doesn't count.
I feel like I have this conversation with someone at least once a week. Unbelievable.
RKP5637
(67,108 posts)around 13% or so. Many people elect absolute fools to office and then wonder WTF, why is this sh** happening.
CincyDem
(6,358 posts)Reagan demonized government and since then, we have seen more and more asshats elected on the premise that they hate government. Why do we elect people who openly hate where they're going to work.
Imagine going into a job interview. Interviewer asks "why do you want to work here".
Your response "well I think you're the worst company I've ever head of and I want to work here to sabotage your business from the inside".
Who the flip gets hired with that interview...except legislators. Get a clue.
RKP5637
(67,108 posts)someone, they get a deer in the headlight look. It is so damn exasperating.
Ikonoklast
(23,973 posts)If voters separated the person from the voting record and made their decisions based on just that, few Republicans would ever get elected in this nation.
Bandit
(21,475 posts)If Unions would Unite they could change America but they don't. They let each seperate "Union" get torn apart by the Republicans, especially the Public Sector Unions. IMO they are already dead and the President forgot all about his comfortable walking shoes..Every working person in America is virtually on their own. Unions no longer carry any real clout as is evidenced by recent events in Wisconsin and Michigan etc. When was the last time any "Union" won any real victories?
earthside
(6,960 posts)And a pro-union Congress, too.
Lyndon Johnson was perhaps the last union President we had.
Sorry to say, but Presidents Clinton and Obama have pretty much just given lip-service to the union movement -- although, of course, they have loved union money and union volunteers.
Unions themselves are indeed partly to blame -- neither teachers' union should have endorsed Obama in 2012, considering all that the President and Arne Duncan have done to them. But they did; so why should any politician fear or feel the necessity of caring what the teachers unions think or want?
The Democratic Party and unionism are just another example of how Democratic politicians and officeholders seem embarrassed by their base and try to ignore them (while Repuglican politicians fear their base and will do almost anything to keep them loyal).
We will never see broad-based economic prosperity in this country until unionism is revitalized. But unions are going to have to get more militant; they are going to have to unite; and they are going to have to demand action (not just words and platitudes) from Democrats, if that is ever going to happen.
Lee-Lee
(6,324 posts)I think this is actually the most important ruling coming from the court today, in the long run.
RKP5637
(67,108 posts)really need to wake the F up and quit just floating along down the stream and over the damn to total subservience!