The Supreme Court ruled today that “partial public employees” cannot be required to contribute to union collective bargaining fees. State-supported caretakers are represented by unions and all are required to pay a fee, whether they want to be members of the union or not, in an attempt to avoid freeloading.
The suit came from Pamela Harris, who argued that her association with SEIU Healthcare Illinois-Indiana is forced, and therefore violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments.
The Supreme Court also ruled that for-profit employers, like Hobby Lobby, cannot be required to include birth control in the health insurance they must offer workers under the Affordable Care Act, if the employer has religious objections.
NPR’s Ron Elving discusses the implications of the outcomes of Harris v. Quinn and Burwell v. Hobby Lobby with Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson.
More Coverage
- Hobby Lobby Lawyer, Women’s Group React To Birth Control Ruling
- What Today’s Birth Control Ruling Means For The Health Law
- Supreme Court Rules On Birth Control, Union Dues
Guest
- Ron Elving, senior Washington correspondent for NPR. He tweets @relving.
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