By: Ken Mash, APSCUF President
As our attention has been focused on the goings on surrounding the budget battles in Harrisburg, including against a cut to PASSHE’s appropriation, fighting off paycheck deception, and working to preserve pensions, an even bigger storm brews in Washington, D.C.
On Monday the U.S. Supreme Court justices will likely announce their opinion in Harris v. Quinn, a case in which a conservative majority could potentially, in a worst-case scenario, find non-member, fair-share fees to be unconstitutional. Such a ruling would deprive unions of revenue because non-members would then be able to free ride on the backs of members and benefit from the hard work that we and our fellow unions, e.g., PSEA, AFSCME, PFT, and SEIU, put in on behalf of all members of our bargaining units.
Should that storm come we will redouble our efforts so that we persevere. The truth is that we can do little to control what happens at the Court. However, you can still have an impact on what happens in Harrisburg by reaching out to your representatives. In the meanwhile, keep your eyes on our capitals, both Harrisburg and Washington.
For more information on Harris v. Quinn see:
http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2014/06/samuel-alito-harris-quinn-supreme-court-union
http://www.vox.com/2014/6/3/5775516/the-supreme-court-could-cut-union-membership-in-half