Members of the California Nurses Association held protests in front of seven hospitals around the state, to call attention to a case the U.S. Supreme Court will hear next week.
Janus v. AFSCME is scheduled to be heard on Feb. 26.
At issue are what are called fair-share fees that public sector unions use to represent members in collective bargaining.
The plaintiff is a state worker in Illinois, who argues that forcing him to pay fees to a union he wants no part of violates his First Amendment rights.
Sue Phillips, a registered nurse at Palomar Medical Center in Escondido, said if the Supreme Court rules in favor of the plaintiff, a lot of workers will get a free ride.
“This would be on a daily basis, that a person will be able to benefit from all of the contract language that we have, and pay for none of it, and it’s just not fair," she said.
If the Supreme Court upholds the legal challenge, public-sector workers will no longer be required to pay anything to unions that represent them.
A ruling in the case is expected by the summer.
