The Missouri Supreme Court has struck down a state law about public labor unions.
The ruling involves a 2018 Missouri law requiring public employee unions to get annual written permission to deduct union fees from workers’ paychecks. In the 5-2 ruling, the state’s highest court says the law, known as “paycheck protection” by backers or “paycheck deception” by opponents, violates equal protection rights. It says unions representing law enforcement, firefighters, ambulance workers, nurses, doctors, and Department of Corrections employees were exempt, treating them differently than teachers and other public employees.
The court said the entire law had to be tossed out because the exemptions were woven throughout.
