This fall, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, a case that could severely weaken the power of public-sector unions. The justices will decide whether such unions can charge "agency fees" (also known as "fair share fees") to individuals who wish to dissociate with their union's political lobbying but still benefit from workplace collective bargaining.
These reduced annual dues help stave off "free riders"-those who enjoy the advantages of union membership without financially contributing to the union's work. The case's lead plaintiff, Orange County teacher Rebecca Friedrichs, insists her free-speech rights are denied by paying agency fees, and argues that unions won't actually suffer if she wins in court. "It's hard for me to describe," she told The Washington Post. "I just want liberty. I want to stop this silencing of my voice and the silencing of millions of teachers out there."
As the Prospect's Justin Miller put it, "the Friedrichs case has the potential to overturn decades of legal precedent [since 1977] that has become intractably embedded in union strategy-and state law."
In the meantime, The Sacramento Bee reported that teacher unions in California are pushing Governor Jerry Brown to embrace a last-minute measure that would permit unions to address all new teachers during their orientations. Such conversations could help unions recruit new members, and thereby mitigate the negative effects of an unfavorable ruling in Friedrichs. As reporter Christopher Cadelago wrote:
Up against the clock in the Legislature, the labor groups are pushing for a bill that could give unions some time-a half-hour-to meet with employees to voice the benefits of union participation. That, some believe, could prevent workers from fully withdrawing from their ranks if the court rules against fair share fees.
One version of the teacher unions' bill is "nearly identical" to a California bill that grants unions up to 30 minutes to speak to new home health-care workers during their orientation period. That law was passed shortly after the Supreme Court's 2014 Harris v. Quinn ruling, which said that Illinois home health-care workers could not be required to pay agency fees. (Harris v. Quinn avoided the free-speech questions that will be considered in Friedrichs.)
Groups like the Association of California School Administrators, the California Association of School Business Officials, and the California Special Districts Association say that bills like the ones proposed by the teacher unions should be considered only after the Supreme Court makes its final decision in Friedrichs, and only when there is more time available for public comment.
I'd guess that if California legislators were planning on supporting a bill like this, they'd wait until after the Friedrichs decision came down, just as the home health-care worker bill passed after the Harris case was decided. Either way, we won't have to speculate for much longer, because California's legislative session ends this week.
