In Support of Workers' Free Speech Rights
The Supreme Court's decision in Knox v. Service Employees International Union raised an important question about public employees, union dues, and political speech. When money is automatically deducted from a public employee's paycheck and may be used for political activity, should the worker have to opt out, or should the union first have to obtain affirmative consent?
The underlying principle is that those dollars begin as the employee's, not the union's. An opt-in rule would better protect public employees whose First Amendment rights are implicated when compulsory deductions support political activity they may not choose to fund.
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