Supreme Court sides with Janus in major blow to organized labor

Demonstrators hold signs in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Demonstrators hold signs in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on June 25, 2018 in Washington, D.C.
Zach Gibson | Getty Images

The Supreme Court split 5-4 siding with the plaintiff in the Janus v. American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees Council 31 case.

In their decision, written by Justice Samuel Alito, the court overturned an earlier ruling from 1977 that stated unions could charge fees to anyone covered by a contract. These are known as "fair share" or "agency" fees. The court ruled that such fees violate the First Amendment because unions are often politically active.

MPR News host Kerri Miller spoke to Will Brucher, a labor expert at Rutgers University. Then she turned to Daniel DiSalvo, of the Manhattan Institute, Monica Bielski Boris, a labor educator from the University of Minnesota with a Ph.D. in industrial relations, and Margaret M. Russell, a law professor at the Santa Clara University.

Use the audio players above to listen to the segments.

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