U.S. Supreme Court dismisses argument of Alaska employee union dues

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – The U.S. Supreme Court decided against hearing a case that would eliminate the option for Alaska state employees to opt out of paying union dues entirely.

The state was appealing a lower court’s ruling allowing state union workers to opt out of paying union dues more easily, but Tuesday’s ruling by the federal court prevented that from happening.

In 2021, an Anchorage Superior Court judge ruled that Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration violated the Alaska Constitution by unilaterally changing how state employees’ union dues are collected. The ruling came after Dunleavy created an opt-in program in 2019 for state employees that would have given them an option to have union dues collected from their paychecks.

Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor said Tuesday that the state is disappointed the Supreme Court did not take up the case.

“It was always a long shot, but we had some hope when the Court re-listed our case a few times because that generally means the justices are taking a hard look,” Taylor wrote in an email. “Ultimately, the Court declined to take this one on. Where there is uncertainty about an employee’s constitutional rights, the State should always defer to protecting those rights and seek clarity on the State’s role through the third branch of government—which is what occurred here. As always, we are committed to upholding the law and will follow the court decisions.”

Heidi Drygas, the head of the Alaska State Employees Union, the AFSCME Local 52, said in a statement that while the union is happy with the call, it also came at a financial cost.

“This is good news for ASEA, yet we can’t help reflecting on the price Alaskans paid to reach this conclusion,” Drygas wrote. “The Governor pursued a politically motivated, frivolous lawsuit to waste untold hours and more than a million dollars during one of the largest public service crises in our state’s history. Alaska’s public workforce showed up on the frontlines of the pandemic to help Alaskans despite being largely short-staffed and underfunded. The Governor returned the favor by seeking to undermine their rights to bargain collectively for better wages, benefits, and working conditions.

“ASEA hopes the Administration will focus now on pragmatic solutions for recruiting and retaining public employees. ASEA will continue to advocate for paying workers fairly and timely for the work they do, treating employees with respect, and providing incentives to stay — like a secure retirement. I’m proud of our union members and our team and I’m excited to forge ahead for the benefit of public employees and all working Alaskans.”

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