Employers Can Use State Funds to Fend Off Unions

From SFGate:

(06-19) 13:05 PDT WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court today overturned a California law that prohibited employers from using money they get from the state to campaign against labor unions.

In a 7-2 ruling, the court said the law, the first of its kind in the nation, conflicts with federal labor laws that allow employers to speak freely against unionization, as long as they do not use threats or coercion.

The federal law that protects workers’ right to join a union also favors “uninhibited, robust, and wide-open debate in labor disputes,” said Justice John Paul Stevens in the majority opinion. He also said employees have a right to receive information opposing unions.

The union-sponsored law, signed in 2000 by then-Gov. Gray Davis, barred state contractors and other companies that receive at least $10,000 from the state in a year from using any of that money to support or oppose union organizing. The law was suspended by a federal judge in 2003 but reinstated in September 2006 by a federal appeals court in San Francisco.

This is another interesting one. I’m sure that the NLRB is going to appeal this as violating employee rights under the NLRA.

The ruling can be found here.

Another one to keep an eye on. It’s been a busy day in the Courts.