In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court suggested in its National Right to Work Foundation-won Knox v. SEIU ruling that it was ready to reassess whether union bosses’ forced dues powers violate workers’ First Amendment rights. In response to that suggestion, five American Eagle Airlines, now Envoy Air, baggage handlers from Texas and four Southwest Airlines flight attendants from Maryland, California, and Nevada respectively filed a lawsuit against the Transport Workers Union of America challenging union officials’ forced dues powers under the Railway Labor Act (RNL). The lawsuit seeks to expand railroad and airline workers’ right to refrain from paying any union fees or, alternatively, paying union dues used for union politics. In December 2014, a federal district court judge awarded the case class-action status. Underscoring the significance of the case, the Department of Justice has already moved to intervene in the case.

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Airline Workers’ Federal Class-Action Suit Seeks to Ground Union Boss Forced Dues Powers

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