http://www.dailybreeze.com/opinions/ci_20908585/ruling-is-another-blow-unions-political-power
Union power is in decline across the country, and even the "wise Latina" Sonia Sotomayor is helping to hammer the nails into the coffin of the public union lobby. I wonder what President Obama must be thinking now, since Ms. Sotomayor seems to be moving to the right lately on more cases before the Supreme Court.
Non-union members must be offered the option to opt out of contributing higher fees or dues before they are collected.
The SEIU — Service Employees International Union — has been trying to scrape together more for their political coffers in an attempt to turn back the growing tide of initiatives, votes, and political leaders. The move has been cut short by the latest ruling, which requires notice before collecting anything.
These are welcome trends, indeed. Even liberal elements in California and throughout the country are turning against coerced collectives which collect dues against the free will of individual members, who then push leaders in statehouses to give more to the public sector workers, all bypassing the input or protest of the individual taxpayer.
Ms. Sotomayor is a welcome voice on the left, if she is willing to speak up for the individual and the rule of law for the citizen. Her remarks chiding the U.S. Solicitor General's argument against Arizona's SB 1070 were also comforting.