20
CORRECTIONS REPORT
NEW JERSEY COPS ■ JULY 2014
Recent Supreme Court decision: Harris v. Quinn
Organized labor was
bracing for major effects
on public unionization
practices when the Harris v. Quinn decision
came down. Fortunately,
the blow was limited. On
Henry J. June 30, the Supreme
Court, by a 5-4 vote, ruled
Ruiz
in Harris v. Quinn that
Illinois’ home health care
workers cannot be forced to financially
support a union they don’t wish to join.
While the decision affected a group
the court called “partial public employees,” which include these home health
care workers, other public employees
directly hired by the government can still
be subject to these agency fees.
Illinois, along with New Jersey, is
among the 26 states that require public
employees such as firefighters, law
enforcement officers and teachers to pay
“agency fees” to the unions that negotiate their contracts and represent them in
grievances, even if the employees fin