The status of collective bargaining in public education has been in an almost constant state of flux recently. More than 30 states have adopted laws that allow teachers and other public school employees to form unions to bargain collectively with their boards over the terms and conditions of their employment.
Amid debates over their status in public education, the Supreme Court has consistently upheld the right of unions to charge fair-share fees even as it limited their scope. Fair-share or agency fees are based on the premise that insofar as nonmembers benefit from union activities, they should have to pay a fair share or percentage of costs associated with bargaining in their districts. However, in light of a case currently before the Court, Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association (2015), the future of fair-share fees may be in doubt.
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