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 U.S. conservatives have long sought to curb the influence of
public sector unions representing employees like police,
firefighters and teachers that often support the Democratic Party
and liberal causes. The case coming before the nine justices was
spearheaded by a conservative group called the Center for Individual
Rights.
The dispute pits the 10 teachers and the Christian Educators
Association International against the California Teachers
Association, an influential union with 325,000 members.
The case could erode organized labor's influence by allowing public
sector workers who are not union members but are forced under state
law to pay "agency fees" equivalent to union dues to stop providing
this money. This would reduce the income and political clout of
public sector unions.
 Such a ruling would apply in the 25 U.S. states that do not already
have what is known as "right-to-work" laws that prohibit workers
from being forced to pay fees to a union.
A ruling in favor of the non-union teachers would be a blow to
organized labor because unionized teachers and other civil servants
in states without right-to-work laws comprise its main power base.
The 10 teachers assert that California law violates non-union
workers' free-speech rights under the U.S. Constitution's First
Amendment by requiring them to pay the "agency fees" toward
collective bargaining activities.
Those teachers are asking the justices to overturn a 1977 Supreme
Court ruling in the case Abood v. Detroit Board of Education that
allowed public sector unions to collect fees from workers who do not
want representation as long as the money is not spent on political
activities.
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The teachers union noted that state law requires the union to
represent all workers during collective bargaining, the process in
which unions negotiate contracts with employers on behalf of
employees, regardless of whether they are members.
Among public sector workers, 35.7 percent belong to unions, compared
to 6.6 percent in the private sector, according to the U.S. Bureau
of Labor Statistics. Roughly three-quarters of the estimated 7.2
million public sector union members are in states without
"right-to-work" laws.
A ruling in the case is due by the end of June.
(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Will Dunham)
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