When the Supreme Court decided Janus v. AFSCME last year, the five-justice majority invalidated key provisions of collective bargaining agreements governing millions of workers across twenty-two states. Specifically, the Cour... More »
A rally outside the Supreme Court during Janus v. AFSCME. Credit: Mike Ferguson/AAUP. More »
On March 19, a federal judge held that the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) does not violate public employees’ First Amendment rights to free speech and freedom of association by investing their mandatory contributions in companies that indirectly subsidize the anti-union political activities of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). […] More »
In the grim aftermath of Janus v. AFSCME, discussion has focused on what the decision portends for agency fee agreements in the private sector. Given the cloud of doom that has descended on many of us, it’s not surprising that pessimism abounds. There is thus speculation that Janus will soon be exported to […] More »
It shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone that when faced with a choice between originalism and right-wing ideology, the Supreme Court’s two avowed originalists, Justices Gorsuch and Thomas, decided that they weren’t going to let doctrinal purity get in the way of their desired result. It’s worth taking […] More »
“The day that organized labor has been dreading for several years is finally here,” Sarah Jaffe writes at the Times’ opinion page. Jaffe is one of many arguing that workers and their unions must get back to basics — to old fashioned organizing, to strikes modeled on the recent teacher […] More »
Janus is a major blow, but Sharon and I lay out some ideas for moving forward in this Vox piece. More »
In February, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Janus v. AFSCME. Today, a slight majority of the Court issued a decision that regrettably impacts far more than just “fair share” fees and the more than 40-year-old prec... More »
Here’s a very quick summary based on an even quicker read of the Court’s Janus opinion which overrules Abood and holds that agency fees violate the First Amendment. The majority opinion by Justice Alito starts by reasoning that Abood was inconsistent “with standard First Amendment principles.” Here, the Court builds […] More »
Recognizing the potential folly in engaging with a Trump tweet, I thought it was worth two quick comments on what the President had to say about Janus. Here’s the tweet: Supreme Court rules in favor of non-union workers who are now, as an example, able to support a candidate of his or […] More »
June 28th, 2018