U.S. Supreme Court Case Could Hurt Labor’s Ability To Make Political Contributions

http://www.laborradio.org/node/4997

U.S. Supreme Court Case Could Hurt Labor’s Ability To Make Political Contributions

By Doug Cunningham

Can public employee unions continue to spend dues money on politics or do they first have to get the permission of each member? That’s the question that the U.S. Supreme Court will decide in a case that begins Wednesday.
The case comes from Washington state, where the state supreme court overturned a law forcing unions to get permission from each member before spending dues money on politics. The anti-union National Right To Work Legal Defense Foundation is attacking labor's political clout by trying to force a burden on unions that would hobble their political spending. In so-called Right To Work states, when a union represents a group of workers, not all of them have to join the union even though they get the benefits of union negotiated contracts. Both the AFL-CIO and the Change To Win federation have filed a joint brief with the U.S. Supreme Court urging that thwe Washington State Supreme Court’s decision be upheld. Organized labor says that the law the state court overturned unfairly restricted labor’s right to make political contributions as it sees fit.

Single SHAREHOLDER

new members it breaks down where the dues go...$x for office expenses, $x for organizing, etc. And $X for POLITICAL ACTION.

Our local states that the portion of dues forwarded to International is to be used for national and international legislation on worker’s rights. By signing the union card, you are agreeing to that stipulation (and don't knitpick, because you can't influence legislation without lobbying and pushing for the election of people who will be willing to work toward those ends). If that isn't consent to use the money in that way, I don't know what you'd call it.