It's not like Merrick Garland would be likely to vote against unions, but the Senate Republicans took that chance and lost.
I would like to thank Senate Republicans for effectively handing public sector unions a victory at #SCOTUS today.
— Sally Kohn (@sallykohn) March 29, 2016
A tie vote from the Supreme Court on Tuesday handed a win to labor unions in a high-profile dispute over their ability to collect fees.
The justices divided 4-4 in a case that considered whether public employees represented by a union can be required to pay ‘‘fair share’’ fees covering collective bargaining costs even if they are not members.
The split vote leaves in place an appeals court ruling that upheld the practice.
The result is an unlikely victory for organized labor after it seemed almost certain the high court would rule 5-4 to overturn a regime in place nearly 40 years. The court is operating with only eight justices after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, who had been expected to rule against the unions.
We can't get too cocky about this, because a 4-4 court might just as easily uphold Trap Laws concerning abortion. But today was a good day for workers seeking collective bargaining. Because of this ruling, collective bargaining gets funded. And there was nothing the Republican Senate could do, or more importantly to their donor class, would do, to stop it.
