The US Supreme Court announced its opinion on the Janus vs. ASCME case this morning, ruling that government workers who choose not to join unions will not be required to pay union fees to fund collective bargaining work. Oregon's unions and politicians remain confident that this blow to the national labor movement will not destroy the local organized labor movement.
“The Supreme Court’s disappointing ruling in the Janus case tips the scale yet again in favor of wealthy special interests, making it even harder for working families to get ahead," said Governor Kate Brown in a statement. "Despite that decision, however, Oregon’s unions will remain strong as long as union members stick together and continue acting collectively for the common good of all workers."
That sentiment was echoed by union leaders. In a media call, many union representatives cited high levels of union membership, saying they expect members to stand by their unions, not abandon ship.
“Folks have recommitted very strongly to us, they understand the value of being in a union," said Stacy Chamberlain, executive director of Oregon AFSCME. She adds that union membership is currently at 88 percent, up from 83 percent a year ago.
"We converted 1,600 [workers] in the past year from fees to full paying members, says John Larson, president of the Oregon Education Association (OEA), a major teacher's union. Larson said OEA has a 95 percent membership rate.
“The Supreme Court decision is both expected and disappointing,” Larson said.
Oregon has a precedent for remaining strong on labor even after anti-labor supreme court decisions. After the Harris v. Quinn decision in 2014, which similarly prevented unions from collecting fees from non-members, Oregon's SEIU 503 union actually saw an increase in membership, from 52,327 in 2014 to 58,384 in 2017.
“We have more home care workers now than we did then," says Melissa Unger, executive director of SEIU 503. “People really do understand, they want and need a union to fight with to be able to get better pay and representation.”
Oregon's politicians have shown a lot of support for unions following the Supreme Court decision. “Unions are a powerful voice for workers and a crucial element of a fair economy," says Mayor Ted Wheeler. "The City of Portland will continue to work with and value our unions, which help give power to working people in our community.”
Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici voiced similar support, saying the decision will hurt working families.
"But unions have persevered in the face of adversity before and will again,” she wrote in a statement.
