Jeff Malet/NC via ZUMA
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner launched an attack on union dues a couple of years ago, and any day now the Supreme Court is likely to hand him a victory:
The “money is speech” doctrine is back and at the heart of a case to be heard this month that threatens the financial foundation of public employee unions in 22 “blue” states….At issue in the union case is whether public employees can be required to pay a fee to cover the cost of collective bargaining and resolving grievances, even if they have personal objections to the union.
….Rauner’s challenge to union fees is likely to win favor from the court’s five more conservative justices, all of them Republican appointees. Two years ago, the court was set to strike down mandatory union fees in a case brought by a California schoolteacher. But the sudden death of Justice Antonin Scalia left the court split 4 to 4. Once Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, appointed by President Trump, was confirmed to fill Scalia’s seat, the court said it would decide the union fees issue in the case from Illinois.
Union members have been griping forever that Democrats don’t do enough for them. That’s probably true, since even when Dems are in power there’s no chance of passing any union-friendly legislation. Unions are second only to tax increases in the pantheon of Republican loathing.
That said, at least Democrats don’t try to tear unions down. When union members decide to “teach Democrats a lesson” in places like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania—and either stay home in disgust or else vote for Donald Trump to “send a message”—this is what happens.
