February 24, 2009

Idaho may restrict government employers in the state from allowing automatic payroll deductions that finance union political activities, the Supreme Court ruled today. In Ysursa v. Pocatello Education Association, a group of unions sued the state, arguing that the limitation on deductions stifled their First Amendment rights. Reversing the Ninth Circuit, the Court held that the prohibition merely allows the state to avoid subsidizing political activities and does not restrict them in any way. So no strict scrutiny, and so no problem.

Unions have a long history abusing systems like automatic payroll deductions to force workers into subsidizing their political activities, and laws like Idaho's ensure that workers do not have to subsidize political speech with which they disagree. So count today's decision as a big win for workers' rights.