Posted on
Two petitions ask the Supreme Court to apply Janus v. AFSCME ruling to mandatory bar dues Attorneys from Oklahoma and Texas are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider mandatory bar association dues in light of its 2018 ruling in Janus v. AFSCME. In 1990, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld mandatory bar dues, ruling in…
Posted on
Tax deduction for union dues included in budget plan A federal tax deduction for union dues is part of Democrats’ budget plan for fiscal year 2022. About the union dues tax deduction On Sept. 15, the House Ways and Means Committee approved its portion of Democrats’ budget reconciliation package, the Build Back Better Act. Section…
Posted on
Exploring public-sector union responses to COVID-19 vaccine mandates Public-sector unions have issued a range of responses to federal and state mandates requiring government workers to get a COVID-19 vaccine. However, most unions state that they should have input on how such policies are implemented. Public-sector union responses to federal vaccine mandate On Sept. 9, President…
Posted on
Biden, AFSCME include Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act in Labor Day statements Over Labor Day weekend, President Joe Biden (D) and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) each reiterated their endorsements of the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act (PSFNA), congressional legislation originally introduced in response to the U.S. Supreme…
Posted on
Lawyers file class action complaint against State Bar of Texas On Aug. 30, three members of the State Bar of Texas filed a class action complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas alleging that the bar is violating their First Amendment rights. About the complaint The plaintiffs are attorneys Robert…
Posted on
Biden appoints 10 members to Federal Service Impasses Panel On Aug. 23, President Joe Biden (D) announced the names of 10 individuals he planned to appoint to the Federal Service Impasses Panel (FSIP), which has been vacant since shortly after Biden took office. The FSIP is an entity of the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA). …
Posted on
Ninth Circuit grants plaintiffs’ request to uphold district court dismissal of union dues lawsuit On Aug. 16, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit granted two Alaska state employees’ request to uphold a district court’s dismissal of their lawsuit so they can appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme…
Posted on
Proposed California initiative would ban public-sector unions On Aug. 9, 2021, venture capitalist Timothy Draper filed a proposal with the California attorney general’s office for an initiated constitutional amendment that would prohibit public-sector workers from forming unions. If supporters gather enough valid signatures, it will appear on the Nov. 8, 2022, ballot. While some states…
Posted on
Ninth Circuit cites Belgau v. Inslee in affirming eight district court decisions On July 29, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit—Senior Judge Mary Schroeder, Senior Judge Barry Silverman, and Judge Mary Murguia—upheld eight district court decisions favorable to public-sector unions, citing the Ninth Circuit’s 2020 ruling in Belgau…
Posted on
Minnesota District Court dismisses Republican legislators’ challenge of state collective bargaining agreement On July 19, Minnesota’s Second Judicial District Court dismissed a lawsuit that two Minnesota Republicans brought against the state’s office of management and budget. The legislators alleged that the state’s collective bargaining agreement violated state law because it was implemented without being ratified…