The Supreme Court handed out a major victory for non-union employees in a 5-4 decision. The ruling was applauded by Heritage Foundation legal expert, Elizabeth Slattery:

“In the Janus v. AFSCME case, the Supreme Court was right to rule in favor of free speech rights for public employees who were being forced to pay fees to a union they were not members of and which advocate for political causes employees disagree with. These employees who opt-out of union membership are not ‘free riders,’ as some have claimed. Unions are required by law to represent non-members and members in the collective bargaining process.

“Public sector unions will now have to prioritize how they spend their funds without the revenue stream of nonmembers’ compelled agency fees.

“This is also a big win for non-union teachers. The public sector unions in the education system can no longer use compelled fees to lobby against education choice and other political causes that non-union teachers support.

“As Justice Samuel Alito states in the Court’s opinion, ‘Forcing free and independent individuals to endorse ideas they find objectionable is always demeaning.’”