SEIU loses its fight to forced increases in dues - Supreme Court decision: 7 - 2 against .

Update #2 -  report from the AP:  WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that unions must give nonmembers an immediate chance to object to unexpected fee increases or special assessments that all workers are required to pay in closed-shop situations.

The court ruled for Dianne Knox and other nonmembers of the Service Employees International Union's Local 1000, who wanted to object and opt out of a $12 million special assessment the union required from its California public sector members for political campaigning. Knox and others said the union did not give them a legally required notice that the increase was coming.

The union, and the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, said the annual notice that the union gives was sufficient. The high court disagreed in a 7-2 judgment written by Justice Samuel Alito.

"When a public-sector union imposes a special assessment or dues increase, the union must provide a fresh ... notice and may not exact any funds from nonmembers without their affirmative consent," Alito said.

Editor's notes:  forced collection of dues,  even from those who are not members is as unAmerican as a Marxist/Socialist can get.  But even worse, is the forced collection of dues for political purposes.  That day has ended.  In Wisconsin,  nearly 10,000 folks quite their union in the wake of labor reforms that made the payment of dues a voluntary matter.  --  J David Smithson

Origianl Text:  
By a 7 - 2 margin,  the Supreme Count has just announced its decision to refuse to confirm SEIU's practice of collecting more dues during an election year than it collects in non election years.  For years and years,  the SEIU,  the nation's largest public union,  has forced the collection of higher dues during a national election cycle.   

Public unions should not be allowed to collect dues used in campaign donations. Having said that,  at least,  this bunch of self-serving taxpayer financed workers,  must take their donations out of existing funds.  

Knox v SEIU is the case name.  The complaint originated in California.   

Breyer and Kagen were the two dissenting justices.  Ginsberg and Sotomayor voted against the union along with five of the remaining justices.   

Update #1:  this decision has a special effect on non-union workers in the public square.  They can no longer be forced to a collection of dues for the purpose of supporting a political campaign without their expressed permission.