Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/17pdf/16-1466_2b3j.pdf
Page Number: 51

46  JANUS v. STATE, COUNTY, AND MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES 

Opinion of the Court 

ment initially ran from July 1, 2012, until June 30, 2015. 
App.  331.  Since  then,  the  agreement  has  been  extended
pursuant  to  a  provision  providing  for  automatic  renewal
for  an  additional  year  unless  either  party  gives  timely
notice  that  it  desires  to  amend  or  terminate  the  contract. 
Ibid.  Thus, for the past three years, the Union could not
have been confident about the continuation of the agency-
fee arrangement for more than a year at a time.

Because  public-sector  collective-bargaining  agreements
are  generally  of  rather  short  duration,  a  great  many  of
those now in effect probably began or were renewed since 
Knox  (2012)  or  Harris  (2014).  But  even  if  an  agreement 
antedates  those  decisions,  the  union  was  able  to  protect 
itself if an agency-fee provision was essential to the overall 
bargain.  A  union’s  attorneys  undoubtedly  understand 
that  if  one  provision  of  a  collective-bargaining  agreement 
is  found  to  be  unlawful,  the  remaining  provisions  are
likely  to  remain  in  effect.    See  NLRB  v.  Rockaway  News 
Supply Co., 345 U. S. 71, 76–79 (1953); see also 8 R. Lord,
Williston  on  Contracts  §19:70  (4th  ed.  2010).    Any  union
believing that an agency-fee provision was essential to its
bargain could have insisted on a provision giving it greater 
protection.  The  agreement  in  the  present  case,  by  con­
trast, provides expressly that the invalidation of any part 
of  the  agreement  “shall  not  invalidate  the  remaining 
portions,”  which  “shall  remain  in  full  force  and  effect.”
App.  328.  Such  severability  clauses  ensure  that  “entire
contracts”  are  not  “br[ought]  down”  by  today’s  ruling. 
Post, at 23, n. 5 (KAGAN, J., dissenting).

In  short,  the  uncertain  status  of  Abood,  the  lack  of 
clarity  it  provides,  the  short-term  nature  of  collective-
bargaining agreements, and the ability of unions to protect 
themselves  if  an  agency-fee  provision  was  crucial  to  its
bargain  all  work  to  undermine  the  force  of  reliance  as  a