This morning the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of Mark Janus in the lawsuit he filed against his AFSCME union. The court sided with Janus in stating that it is not consistent with the first amendment to force employees to pay agency fees if they choose not to be a member of the union. The opinion of the court is essentially that public-sector unions effectively argue government policy every time we negotiate wages, hours, working conditions, pensions, healthcare and other benefits. Since this is considered "policy" speech which some may not agree with, those who disagree with this speech do not have to join the union and support that speech through agency fees.
This is a major shift in the way public-sector unions operate. Despite this ruling, there are still state laws that guide the collective bargaining process in Connecticut and these laws may need modification. We are not sure how this will actually play out on the ground.
What we do know is that there shouldn't be a panic switch. A&R is still here and as strong as it has always been. While we continue to represent all P-5 employees as we always have and we will continue to prevent the changes that the State and the Legislature continue to pursue. We are also seeking everyone in A&R to "re-commit" to the union by completing the newly created, on-line "membership card". This is not a minor or symbolic action, this is now important. Filling out this form is now important as A&R will be responsible for knowing who is a member and who is not a member (until today, this was largely the State's role to keep these records, now it is A&R's responsibility to maintain these records). So if you haven't signed the new member card it is important for A&R to have you register yourself either on-line or on a paper card (if you have signed on or can't remember, you can do so again, it won't hurt)
Despite what the Supreme Court now says is allowable, to not pay agency fees anymore, but let's be honest with ourselves and recognize.
The real truth,
Fill out the re-commit.