The Union Effect in California #1: Wages, Benefits, and Use of Public Safety Net Programs is the first report in a three-part series that explores how unions improve the lives of all working people in California, both union and non-union members.
These findings are publishing as the U.S. Supreme Court just handed down a ruling in Janus v. AFSCME that threatens to weaken public sector unions. Continue reading
Today’s disappointing Supreme Court decision in Janus v. AFSCME ruled in favor of a corporate interest power-grab over working Americans and their unions.
Wealthy special interest groups spent millions of dollars on this case with the express intent to diminish working people’s numbers in union representation. Breaking a precedent set over 40 years ago, public-sector workers who are not union members but are protected by a union contract are now told they do not have to pay their fair share. The goal was clear: to undercut unions’ abilities to effectively advocate and negotiate on behalf of their members, weaken their position at the bargaining table, and undermine all of organized labor — all at the expense of working people. Continue reading