Pennsylvania labor unions are vowing to keep doing their job representing workers in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that government workers can't be forced to contribute to labor unions that represent them in collective bargaining.
The decision could deal a serious financial blow to organized labor, but Pennsylvania unions say they were prepared and do not expect a dramatic impact on their resources.
In excess of 300,000 public-sector workers in Pennsylvania are represented by labor unions, including teachers, police, firefighters, social services workers, prison guards and rank-and-file government employees.
Republicans and business associations are applauding the court's decision, while Democrats and labor unions are criticizing it. Rick Bloomingdale, president of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, says the lawsuit was driven by corporate billionaires trying to undermine the labor movement.
