Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/17pdf/16-1466_2b3j.pdf
Page Number: 60

Cite as:  585 U. S. ____ (2018) 

5 

KAGAN, J., dissenting 

So the Court struck a balance, which has governed this
area  ever  since.  On  the  one  hand,  employees  could  be
required  to  pay  fees  to  support  the  union  in  “collective
bargaining,  contract  administration,  and  grievance  ad-
justment.”  Id.,  at  225–226.    There,  the  Court  held,  the 
“important  government  interests”  in  having  a  stably 
funded bargaining partner justify “the impingement upon” 
public  employees’  expression.  Id.,  at  225.  But  on  the 
other hand, employees could not be compelled to fund the
union’s  political  and  ideological  activities.    Outside  the 
collective-bargaining  sphere,  the  Court  determined,  an
employee’s First Amendment rights defeated any conflict-
ing government interest.  See id., at 234–235. 

II 

Unlike  the  majority,  I  see  nothing  “questionable”  about 
Abood’s analysis.  Ante, at 7 (quoting Harris, 573 U. S., at 
___  (slip  op.,  at  17)).    The  decision’s  account  of  why  some
government entities have a strong interest in agency fees 
(now  often  called  fair-share  fees)  is  fundamentally  sound.
And  the  balance  Abood  struck  between  public  employers’ 
interests  and  public  employees’  expression  is  right  at 
home in First Amendment doctrine. 

A 
Abood’s  reasoning  about  governmental  interests  has
three  connected  parts.    First,  exclusive  representation
arrangements  benefit  some  government  entities  because 
they  can  facilitate  stable  labor  relations.  In  particular,
such arrangements eliminate the potential for inter-union 
conflict and streamline the process of negotiating terms of
employment.    See  431  U. S.,  at  220–221.  Second,  the 
government may be unable to avail itself of those benefits
unless  the  single  union  has  a  secure  source  of  funding.
The various tasks involved in representing employees cost 
money;  if  the  union  doesn’t  have  enough,  it  can’t  be  an