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Supreme Court deadlocks over public employee union case; Calif. teachers must pay dues
The Washington Post | 03/29/2016

Behind the Headline
Teachers Unions at Risk of Losing “Agency Fees”
Education Next | Winter 2016

The Supreme Court announced Tuesday that it is split over Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association.

The case was brought by a group of teachers who argue that it is a violation of their free speech rights when they are forced to pay dues to the state’s teachers union.

Since the Supreme Court is evenly split over the case, the decision of the appeals court that earlier considered the case is upheld. The court had rejected the argument made by the teachers and upheld the collection of agency fees.

In February, Education Next legal columnist Josh Dunn wrote about “The Future of Friedrichs“ after Justice Antonin Scalia, who was expected to provide the fifth vote to strike down agency fees, passed away.

Mike Antonucci considred the Friedrichs case and its possible impact on public sector unions at greater length in “Teachers Unions at Risk of Losing ‘Agency Fees,‘” in the Winter 2016 issue of Education Next.

—Education Next