Supreme Court to hear NRTW case against SEIU's polical $$$ grab from unwilling workers

How SEIU acquires money for politics.

From the BNA:

The court also will consider whether a state government can, consistent with the First and 14th Amendments, condition employment on payment of a special union assessment intended for political expenditures without the union notifying affected state employees about the assessment and giving them an opportunity to object (Knox v. Service Employees International Union Local 1000, U.S., No.10-1121).

The case was brought by California state workers represented by [The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation.  Even though these state employees are not SEIU members, they are  forced to pay]  Service Employees International Union Local 1000 an annual [tribute] as a condition of employment.

In June 2005, the union issued its required annual notice regarding the agency fee for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2005. But in August 2005, Local 1000 approved a special assessment chargeable to members and nonmembers alike that the union said would be used for “a broad range of political purposes” related to California special ballot measures that Local 1000 deemed anti-union.

Dianne Knox and other nonmembers sued, alleging that the special assessment violated their constitutional rights under the First and 14th Amendments. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California granted partial summary judgment to the nonmembers, holding they were improperly deprived of notice and an opportunity to object to the special assessment (Knox v. Westly, 183 LRRM 3232 (E.D. Cal. 2008); 63 DLR A-12, 4/2/08).

In a 2-1 decision, the Ninth Circuit reversed … The Supreme Court granted Knox’s petition to review the Ninth Circuit decision, which asked the justices to consider whether the union was required to issue a new Hudson notice regarding the special assessment and whether a state may condition continued public employment on payment of union agency fees that finance political expenditures (123 DLR AA-2, 6/27/11).