In response to the decision issued the morning of Wednesday, June 27, 2018 in the U.S. Supreme Court case, Janus vs AFSCME (Illinois), DEA President Michael J. Palladino issued the following statement:
“The Supreme Court has announced their long-awaited decision in the case of Janus vs AFSCME (Illinois). It is a lengthy decision (83 pages) and our attorneys are examining it right now. The ruling prohibits unions from compelling “agency shop” members to pay union dues. It is important to note that the DEA currently does not have any “agency shop” members. We only have full union members. Therefore, at this time, we do not anticipate that this ruling will have a major impact on our union.
Do not be mistaken: the decision has absolutely nothing to do with First Amendment rights. It is designed to strengthen the position of the wealthy in our country and silence the voices of working class people. However, in the anti-police climate that exists today, I do not believe Detectives will risk losing their labor representation, legal assistance, life insurance, and/or other protections and benefits that are funded by their union dues.”
We will have further information once our attorneys have completely analyzed the Supreme Court’s ruling.
Here’s the backstory:
This monumental case sought to reverse a 1977 United States Supreme Court decision requiring non-union members to pay a “fair share” fee to cover the cost of bargaining on their behalf. Oral arguments were made in the United States Supreme Court on February 26, 2018.
A survey went out to all active DEA members. Delegates are responsible for ensuring that members fill out the surveys and for collecting them.
On Thursday, April 12, 2018, Gov. Cuomo held a public bill signing at the UFT to support organized labor in anticipation of this adverse decision in the Janus case. The bill is a redefining of a labor union’s obligation in its duty of fair representation in New York State.