Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

US House Passes Stablecoin Legislation, Sending Bill to Trump

17 hours ago

Man Admits to Killing Missing Bass Lake Resident, Madera County Authorities Say

18 hours ago

Trump Diagnosed With Vein Condition Causing Leg Swelling, White House Says

19 hours ago

US Strikes Destroyed Only One of Three Iranian Nuclear Sites, NBC News Reports

22 hours ago

US Seeks One-Day Sentence for Police Officer Convicted in Breonna Taylor Case

22 hours ago

Manhattan Prosecutor Who Handled Epstein Cases Is Fired

23 hours ago

Why California Ag Is at Odds Over Converting Land to Solar Farms

24 hours ago

7.3 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Off Alaska Coast. No Danger to California

2 days ago
Teachers Union Says Janus Decision Has Strengthened Its Spine
NANCY WEBSITE HEADSHOT 1
By Nancy Price, Multimedia Journalist
Published 7 years ago on
October 4, 2018

Share

A Supreme Court decision this summer was hailed by some as upholding free speech rights under the First Amendment for employees covered by a contract who disagree with the union’s political activity, including donations to campaigns.
Not surprisingly, Janus v. AFSCME was seen by unions such as the California Teachers Association — long a powerhouse on the state’s political scene — as a naked attempt to undermine their political strength.

“They’re committed to fighting the fight. They’ve seen what the Janus case was really all about.” — CTA Spokeswoman Claudia Briggs
Mark Janus is an Illinois state government employee who objected to paying union dues; his attorney successfully argued that workers’ free speech rights were violated when they were compelled to subsidize organizations whose political activities they might oppose.

No Longer Required to Pay Dues

The Janus decision, which was issued by the Supreme Court in June, gives employees covered by a union contract — including teachers — the right to stop paying dues or fees to unions while still receiving union-negotiated benefits.
The effects of the decision may not be immediately apparent. The 74 Million website, a nonprofit news site that focuses on education issues, reported in June that the California Teachers Association was slashing its budget in expectation of losing 23,000 members due to the Janus decision. The website also reported that the union was raising contributions to its independent expenditure committee from $5 to $10 per member.
Wrong on almost counts, said Claudia Briggs, a CTA spokeswoman. The budget was not slashed, the union does not expect to lose 23,000 members and the per-member contribution for the independent expenditure committee is not a uniform $5. However, she said, the union’s policymaking council did vote to raise the voluntary contribution by $5 per member.
Briggs acknowledged that the Janus decision put a $7 million dent in the union’s revenues immediately because nonmembers no longer have to pay agency fees. But there have been no mass defections in the membership. If anything, Janus has strengthened their spine, she said.
“They’re committed to fighting the fight,” Briggs said. “They’ve seen what the Janus case was really all about.
“They know who brought this case against working people, and they’re even more energized and revved up and ready to take on these folks who are looking to take away their ability to come together and negotiate for themselves and their families, and ultimately for the services they’re able to provide for their students in their communities.”

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Stephen Colbert’s Late-Night Show on CBS to End in May 2026

DON'T MISS

Former Los Banos Teacher Indicted on Federal Child Exploitation Charges

DON'T MISS

C for Chaos? Ashjian Kicked Off Measure C Committee

DON'T MISS

Israel Demands UN Scrap Investigation Body for Palestinian Territories

DON'T MISS

Trump Signs Executive Order Creating New Classification of Non-Career Federal Workers

DON'T MISS

Judge Rules Trump’s Firing of FTC Commissioner Was Illegal

DON'T MISS

US House Passes Stablecoin Legislation, Sending Bill to Trump

DON'T MISS

US Health Department Hands Over Medicaid Personal Data to ICE

DON'T MISS

Fresno Grass Fire Near Woodward Park Prompts Brief Evacuations

DON'T MISS

Behind the Masks: Who Are the People Rounding Up Immigrants in California?

UP NEXT

Trump Diagnosed With Vein Condition Causing Leg Swelling, White House Says

UP NEXT

Connie Francis, Whose Ballads Dominated ’60s Pop Music, Dies at 87

UP NEXT

US Attorney General Bondi Visits Alcatraz After Trump Call to Reopen Notorious Prison

UP NEXT

US Transport Chief on California High-Speed Rail: ‘We Have to Pull the Plug’

UP NEXT

FDA Approves Juul’s Tobacco and Menthol E-Cigarettes

UP NEXT

Trump Says He Is Ending Government Funding California’s High-Speed Rail Project

UP NEXT

7.3 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Off Alaska Coast. No Danger to California

UP NEXT

Newsom Calls Trump a ‘Son of a B***h’ Over ICE Raids and Guard Deployment

UP NEXT

A New Invader Threatens California Water Supplies. Can State Stop Its Spread? 

UP NEXT

Open Mic Contest Offers Fans a Chance to Perform at Outside Lands 2025

Nancy Price,
Multimedia Journalist
Nancy Price is a multimedia journalist for GV Wire. A longtime reporter and editor who has worked for newspapers in California, Florida, Alaska, Illinois and Kansas, Nancy joined GV Wire in July 2019. She previously worked as an assistant metro editor for 13 years at The Fresno Bee. Nancy earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Her hobbies include singing with the Fresno Master Chorale and volunteering with Fresno Filmworks. You can reach Nancy at 559-492-4087 or Send an Email

Israel Demands UN Scrap Investigation Body for Palestinian Territories

15 hours ago

Trump Signs Executive Order Creating New Classification of Non-Career Federal Workers

16 hours ago

Judge Rules Trump’s Firing of FTC Commissioner Was Illegal

17 hours ago

US House Passes Stablecoin Legislation, Sending Bill to Trump

17 hours ago

US Health Department Hands Over Medicaid Personal Data to ICE

17 hours ago

Fresno Grass Fire Near Woodward Park Prompts Brief Evacuations

18 hours ago

Behind the Masks: Who Are the People Rounding Up Immigrants in California?

18 hours ago

Homeowners With Solar Rise Up to Defang Bill Authored by Former Utility Executive

18 hours ago

Man Admits to Killing Missing Bass Lake Resident, Madera County Authorities Say

18 hours ago

Trump Diagnosed With Vein Condition Causing Leg Swelling, White House Says

19 hours ago

Stephen Colbert’s Late-Night Show on CBS to End in May 2026

LOS ANGELES – “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on CBS will end in May 2026 after the upcoming broadcast season, the ne...

14 hours ago

Stephen Colbert arrives for the Saturday Night Live 50: The Anniversary Special at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City, U.S., February 16, 2025. (Reuters File)
14 hours ago

Stephen Colbert’s Late-Night Show on CBS to End in May 2026

The crest of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is seen at their headquarters in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 10, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File photo
15 hours ago

Former Los Banos Teacher Indicted on Federal Child Exploitation Charges

15 hours ago

C for Chaos? Ashjian Kicked Off Measure C Committee

Flares fired by Israel Defense Forces light the sky above Gaza, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, July 17, 2025. (Reuters/Amir Cohen)
15 hours ago

Israel Demands UN Scrap Investigation Body for Palestinian Territories

President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 12, 2025. (Reuters File)
16 hours ago

Trump Signs Executive Order Creating New Classification of Non-Career Federal Workers

Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter testifies on the "Oversight of the Federal Trade Commission" before the U.S. Senate Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance and Data Security Subcommittee in the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, U.S., November 27, 2018. (Reuters File)
17 hours ago

Judge Rules Trump’s Firing of FTC Commissioner Was Illegal

FILE PHOTO: A view shows the dome of the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo
17 hours ago

US House Passes Stablecoin Legislation, Sending Bill to Trump

A view of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services building, in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 27, 2025. (Reuters File)
17 hours ago

US Health Department Hands Over Medicaid Personal Data to ICE

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend