San Francisco – Last week the United States Supreme Court ruled that states may enact “paycheck protection” laws requiring unions to obtain the permission of members before using dues for politics. The ruling is expected to provide a major boost to efforts to protect workers from being forced to fund candidates they do not support simply by being a member of a labor union.

“This ruling is a tremendous victory for workers,” said Lance Izumi, senior fellow in California Studies at the Pacific Research Institute, a co-signatory of an amicus brief submitted to the Supreme Court that argued for the constitutionality of “paycheck protection” laws. Mr. Izumi, co-author of the report Giving a Voice to Workers: Why California Needs Paycheck Protection, which was cited in the amicus brief, observed: “Paycheck protection gives individuals a true and powerful voice over how their union dues are directed. That voice, it must not be forgotten, is protected by the First Amendment right of free speech.”

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