The Supreme Court upholds union’s right to force non-union government employees to pay a portion of litigation fees.

The Supreme Court decided on Wednesday that a public employees’ union could force non-union government employees to pay a portion of legal fees paid to national unions. As reported by the Associated Press (AP), the court upheld a ruling in favor of The Maine State Employees Union who was said to be within their rights to obtain fees from non-union workers due to their also being covered by collective bargaining. Unions, however, are not allowed to charge non-members for certain activities such as lobbying.

The main issue put before the courts was whether national litigation costs were included in the list of charges off limits for non-union employees. The question arose in the lawsuit brought forth by non-union state workers in the case, Locke v. Karass, 07-610.

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