Janus, the Supreme Court, and Teachers' Unions
The U.S. Supreme Court has delivered a major blow to teachers鈥 unions, ruling in Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Council 31 that teachers in about half of states do not have to pay 鈥渁gency鈥 or 鈥渟hop鈥 fees if they鈥檙e not union members.
The case centers around Mark Janus, an Illinois health-care worker arguing that he should not be forced to pay monthly union fees to keep his job. The Supreme Court ruling means that teachers鈥 unions will lose out on a major source of revenue, and will likely see a big dip in membership as well.
The case has pitted teachers from two points of view against each other: those who think unions benefit all workers and those who resent having to pay fees to an entity they feel does not represent them.
Get caught up on the case by reading some of our coverage below.