Right-to-work court case could have national impact on unions

A landmark right-to-work lawsuit playing out in Illinois has captured widespread attention amid expectations the case could land before the Supreme Court – and potentially have national implications for an estimated 20 million government workers.

Pat Hughes, who’s representing the three plaintiffs in the Illinois case, predicted a ruling in their favor could even establish right-to-work policies coast-to-coast.

"This decision would ostensibly make all of the country right-to-work because you couldn't force people to affiliate with a union,” Hughes said.

Right-to-work laws make it illegal for unions to force workers into paying dues. Because Illinois is not a right-to-work state, it remains legal there for unions to automatically take out a ‘fair-share’ fee from a worker’s paycheck, which typically happens when a union represents the majority of employees. Unions argue they negotiate a better wage, health care and working environment for all employees so the fair-share fee is a small price to ask.

“Some fee to cover those representational costs is imminently reasonable and rational,” said labor expert Dr. Robert Bruno of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/02/10/right-to-work-court-case-could-have-national-impact-on-unions.html