The Wiley Law Office has been informed that, as expected, the Minnesota Supreme Court has granted review of the Court of Appeals’s decision in City of Richfield v. Law Enforcement Labor Services, Inc.  As we rarely see cases having to do with public labor or arbitration making their way to the Supreme Court, we imagine that many of the state’s public employers and unions will be paying attention to the outcome.  In our opinion, a decision to uphold the lower court’s decision could (and should) have a major impact on how employers approach unfavorable decisions of arbitrators.

In other news, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Janus v. AFSCME, Council 31 is expected to be released this Monday (or perhaps even as early as today, keep an eye on the Supreme Court website).  Hopefully you have had a chance to discuss next steps in case of an unfavorable decision for the union, as this will have a major impact on whether fair share fees can be collected by unions.  With some unions receiving the majority of their funding from fair share fees, and relying heavily on those fees to stay afloat, this could be one of the most important decisions in public labor law history.

Feel free to contact us at the Wiley Law Office, PC, if you have any questions on the ramifications of either decision, or want to discuss next steps when the decisions are made.