Overriding a veto, the Massachusetts Legislature recently passed a union-friendly Collective Bargaining Dues Act (“Act”) in response to the 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Janus v. AFSCME. In Janus, the Supreme Court ruled that mandatory union fees on non-members were unconstitutional in the public sector. The Act allows unions to charge non-members reasonable fees [...]
The U.S. Supreme Court recently heard arguments in a California case that could have implications for all public sector unions. The case, Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association (Case No. 14-915), is a challenge to a California law permitting public sector unions to collect a portion of union dues (the agency fee) to cover the cost [...]
Union Waived Right to Bargain Over Changes To Position Hours When the defense is that the Union waived the right to bargain over a matter, it almost always proves futile because an Employer carries the difficult burden of proving that the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) “clearly, unequivocally and specifically authorizes its actions.” City of Springfield, [...]