Public employee unions and the Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court will be ruling soon whether a public employee's individual rights are violated by being forced to join a union or at least pay a fair share so that the union has the funds to negotiate contracts with the employer. This is the same court which ruled that corporations are people and have the same rights as individuals.

If the decision is "right to work," it thereby follows that any individual who decides not to join the union or pay their fair share must negotiate their terms of employment on their own with management and should not be entitled to wages and benefits agreed to in a negotiated union contract. That individual must settle any grievance directly with management without union protection or help. Without union protection, promotions for such an individual may be based on any subjective criteria designed by management as are firings for any reason.

For nearly 100 years, unions have fought for workers rights, wages and benefits. Few can argue that the strong middle class after World War II was a result of unions. Wages and benefits in right-to-work states are lower than states with strong unions. The U.S. has lost manufacturing jobs, not only to Third World countries but to many of the southern states which are right-to-work states without strong unions. These states are favored by corporations because they can pay lower wages, determine terms and conditions of employment unilaterally.

The demise of unions is the demise of the middle class. Do we really want a Third World economy where those that have the gold make the rules?

Robert Frankel

Schaumburg