Posts tagged Supreme Court
US Supreme Court will not review Trump’s firing of labor board member
October 20, 2026 // The justices turned away former NLRB member Gwynne Wilcox's appeal of a lower court's ruling that said the Republican president's January 2025 firing of her was a valid exercise of executive authority.
Yale Political Union votes to ban public-sector unions after debate with Freedom Foundation CEO Aaron Withe
October 15, 2026 // Members of the Yale Political Union voted 35-25, to pass the resolution “Ban Public-Sector Unions” after Freedom Foundation CEO Aaron Withe argued the affirmative on Sept. 29. Founded in 1934, the Yale Political Union is one of the country’s best-known student debate societies. After Withe’s opening speech, students questioned him and debated the resolution before the house voted. Withe opened by quoting President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who wrote in 1937 that collective bargaining “cannot be transplanted into the public service.” The quote, Withe noted, came not from Ronald Reagan, Ron DeSantis or Scott Walker, but from FDR.
Keeping Workers in the Dark: The Push for Employer Neutrality in Union Campaigns
September 30, 2026 // Whether or not one supports unionization in a particular workplace, elected officials should not pressure one party in a labor dispute to relinquish rights recognized to balance competing interests. The law recognizes rights and responsibilities for employees, unions, and employers alike. Yet calls for neutrality almost always run in one direction: in favor of organized labor. There is rarely a corresponding demand that unions remain neutral. Instead, neutrality initiatives frequently seek to silence only one side of the debate. The answer to competing claims should be more information, not less. Collective bargaining can involve difficult or protracted negotiations and may affect workplace flexibility, labor costs, wages, benefits, and business operations.
Liberty Justice Center Sues Brooklyn Library Union Over Compulsory Dues
September 28, 2026 // The Liberty Justice Center filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Brooklyn Public Library employee Jeffrey A. Schwartz, challenging the requirement that he pay union dues as a condition of his employment. In Schwartz v. Brooklyn Library Guild, Local 1482, AFL-CIO et al., the Liberty Justice Center represents Schwartz, a Government Documents Librarian at the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL). The lawsuit challenges the continued deduction of union dues from his wages by BPL and Local 1482. It alleges that the arrangement is unconstitutional because the City of New York is so deeply entwined with BPL’s governance—especially with respect to employee pay and benefits—that BPL’s actions are fairly attributable to the government. As a result, the lawsuit argues, BPL employees are entitled to the same First Amendment protections as other public employees.
Commentary: Are Unions Rising from the Political Grave?
September 21, 2026 // Here again, however, there may be less than meets the eye. Despite its surprising bipartisan support, the FLCA would raise significant constitutional questions if enacted. By relying on a government-mandated arbitration panel to resolve labor disputes, the law effectively empowers the state to impose contractual terms on private parties—a form of what constitutional lawyers call “state action.” As attorneys Alex MacDonald and Vinnie Vernuccio observe: “[S]tate action opens the door to a slew of constitutional requirements and restrictions, notably to protect rights of free speech and association.”
A teacher’s disagreement with WEA shows why public workers need to know their rights
September 21, 2026 // Travis Reep, a fifth-grade teacher in Thurston County, agrees with that statement from Washington state Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal. But in a recent Yes on Initiative 001 video, Reep says Reykdal’s actions — and those of the Washington Education Association, his union — do not match those words. Reep is a father of four, an elected local union representative and a WEA member. He disagrees with WEA’s opposition to I-001, an initiative that, among other provisions, would restore parents’ access to school-held medical and mental-health counseling records, require prior notification when medical services are offered, except in emergencies, and require notification when schools arrange treatment involving follow-up care beyond normal school hours.
New York’s union bosses just invented a new way to silence their critics
September 17, 2026 // But read past the press release and you find the real target: the state attorney general now has subpoena power and can seek $1,000 per violation against any person or group, in state or out, whose mailers about a worker's right to leave a union get labeled "impersonation." Unions get their own private right to sue on top of that. I've spent three decades in regulated finance, and I know what an uncapped $1,000-per-item liability schedule does to an organization's willingness to speak. It doesn't punish fraud. It punishes volume.
Victory for Louisiana workers and First Amendment rights
September 1, 2026 // In 2018, the Supreme Court settled a fundamental question of constitutional law in Janus v. AFSCME. The Court held, with clarity and conviction, that public employees cannot be compelled to pay union dues as a condition of their employment. This ruling was a massive victory for the First Amendment, affirming that no public servant should be forced to subsidize a private organization’s political agenda against their own will.
Chicago Teachers Union sues Illinois Policy Institute, citing ‘toxic’ branding, ‘defamatory’ audit claims
August 19, 2026 // Debates about the transparency of the CTU’s finances date back to 2024 and stem from one member’s complaint that the union is withholding financial information from members. CTU officials in January provided WBEZ/Sun-Times with a sign-in sheet that showed one of that suit’s plaintiffs had viewed the union’s audit reports, which don’t include information about the CTU’s foundation. The CTU has insisted that its constitution does not require the release of the full audits that also include the foundation’s finances. The new lawsuit claims the finalization of the audit reports were delayed for “innocuous reasons,” including that the finalization for fiscal year 2020 through 2023 were delayed due to complications from the pandemic and staffing turnover, as well as the impact of a lawsuit to protect pension benefits. The suit says the reports have been available to CTU members for review.
Court of Appeals Sides with WILL in Act 10 Case
August 2, 2026 // The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) secured a significant victory at the Wisconsin Court of Appeals after they upheld Act 10 in Abbotsford Education Association v. WERC. WILL represented a teacher who supported and benefited from the law signed by Governor Scott Walker in 2011. The Quote: Lucas Vebber, WILL Deputy Counsel, stated, “WILL has fought to protect Act 10 since its enactment because of the substantial benefits provided to taxpayers and local governments. For 15 years, various legal challenges have been unsuccessful, because ultimately this is a law signed by the Governor and passed by a duly elected legislature which meets all constitutional requirements. As this case likely heads to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, we stand ready to make the case once again.”