Danny Homan. (file photo)
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that government employees cannot be required to pay “agency fees” to the union in their workplace won’t have a direct impact in Iowa.
Organized labor has long argued non-union members should pay a fee to cover the costs of representing all workers in contract talks and workplace disputes. But Iowa is a “right-to-work” state, so public and private sector employees have a right to refuse to pay union dues or fees if they are not members of a union.
Iowa union leaders denounced court’s ruling. AFSCME Council 61 president Danny Homan and Iowa State Education Association president Tammy Wawro say it’s part of an orchestrated effort to try to diminish the power of labor unions. The Supreme Court was ruling on an Illinois case and the Republican governor of Illinois calls the decision “pro-worker and pro-taxpayer.”
In 2007, the Iowa Senate passed a so-called “fair share’ bill that would have required non-union members to pay fees for union representation, but the bill stalled in the House.