Fair -share law

During my time with Pillsbury, I worked in 8 different plants some of them union. In one union plant an employee decided not to join the union and I recall he was treated as an outcast. People would not sit at a table with him in the lunch room and he was a mechanic and worked mostly alone. I once asked him why he didn’t join but he didn’t answer. There is a controversy now raging in states where you must join the union. This is the result of a 1977 case in Michigan. The fair-share labor law was formed as a result of a 1977 court case called Abood v. The Detroit Board of Education. In that case, public school teachers in Detroit sought to overturn a requirement that they pay dues to the teachers' union on the grounds they didn’t support the union activities or collective bargaining. The court sided with the unions and determined that non-members can be charged fees, though the money from fees could not be used for political purposes. The fair-share law is now being challenged in two big labor states, Illinois and California as it becomes apparent that much of the union money is being used for political purposes. The challenge, however is not based on that but rather on freedom of choice. “This is a fundamental issue protecting employees’ rights, their freedom of speech, and their rights as employees,” This is now being considered by a Chicago court but will likely end up in the Supreme Court.