SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Supporters of labor unions rallied across the country on Saturday ahead of a Supreme Court case that could effect how unions collect agency fees.
One was held in downtown San Diego outside the California Democratic Convention, where hundreds of union supporters gathered for the “Working People’s Day of Action” event.
Demonstrators were supporting the union AFSCME, which is engaged in a court battle that has made its way to the Supreme Court.
In Janus v. AFSCME, the Supreme Court will decide whether it is legal for unions, which often donate to political causes, to compel members to agency fees.
Those fees are collected by unions from employees who have opted not to join the union but still benefit from collective bargaining.
The plaintiff, Mark Janus, has argued it violates his first amendment rights to pay fees to an organization that he disagrees with politically.
A ruling in his favor could have wide-reaching effects on public sector labor unions around the country, argues famed labor organizer, Dolores Huerta.
“That is going to be very devastating to our unions here in California,” said Huerta, if the court sides with Janus.
