By Doug Cunningham

The Bush Supreme Court Thursday struck another blow against unions when it ruled that public unions must get permission from non-members covered by union contracts before spending their agency fees on politics. Agency fees are assessed in some states on people covered by union contracts but who aren’t members of unions. The Washington State Supreme court had ruled the law restricting public union political spending was unconstitutional. But the U.S. Supreme Court overturned it. The case involved Washington State Education Association. Charles Hasse is President of the union. He says anit-union groups that want to muzzle unions politically are behind this litigation.

[Hasse]: “An organization called the Evergreen Freedom Foundation. They get their money from individuals and organizations that routinely contribute to anti-union efforts and anti- public education efforts."

Hasse says state courts in Washington will now have to resolve many issues of compliance with the law, including what he says is the worst case scenario of a “Catch 22” written into the law.

[Hasse 2]: "That's the worst case in this law that we would be caught in this double bind. You have to figure out ahead of time what you're going to spend on politics and give a refund, and by the way, you're not allowed to figure out what you're going to spend in advance."