Thread by @dizzyzaba

Today's Supreme Court's #Janus ruling is a devastating blow to working people and to the labor movement. As someone who has previously organized a union in my workplace, I have some thoughts to share with non-labor people trying to make sense of what this decision means (1/)

Historically, unions have been the best vehicle for workers to win fair wages, pay equity, and all sorts of benefits through a process called collective bargaining where workers have the power to sit down as a group to negotiate a contract with their employer (2/)

Labor unions are accountable to their members because members pay dues – unlike nonprofits who often have complicated relationships with wealthy funders or foundations. Of course, there are some bad leaders who make bad money decisions but the membership can vote leaders out (3/)

In a workplace that is an "agency shop," everyone benefits from the contract and everyone pays dues, usually a small percentage of your salary. In a workplace that is an "open shop," everyone benefits from the contract but people have the option to opt-out of paying dues (4/)

The #SCOTUS decision today means that every single public sector union will essentially be an "open shop." Twenty eight states already have this kind of law ("right to work") but the #Janus ruling will affect an additional 5 million public sector jobs nationwide (5/)

Dues keep the labor movement alive – there is no other funding stream. As more workers decide not to pay their union dues, their union becomes less effective, which leads to even more workers opting out, which leads to weakened power to negotiate with employers (6/)

Republicans make the argument that people should have the "right" to not pay union dues. But more times than not, the amount of dues workers pay is offset by the raises & benefits they win in their contract. Why wouldn't we want to contribute to make our organization strong? (7/)

The labor movement has been under fire for decades, but there is hope! There has been a huge surge in new workplace organizing with young workers at the forefront – @voxunion, @RevUnion, @CWG_Workers, @newyorkerunion, @BVWkrUnion, @FastCoUnion, @viceunion, & so many more (8/)

The labor movement also needs to think creatively outside of the traditional union structure to build worker power. We're under attack and we need to organizer bigger and bolder than ever before, taking lessons from @fightfor15, @forrespect, @nytwa, & @rocunited. (9/)