UFT may have to dramatically slash $182M budget

UFT may have to dramatically slash $182M budget

The United Federation of Teachers is drafting plans to dramatically slash its $182 million budget anticipating a Supreme Court ruling that would bar mandatory “union dues” from government workers’ paychecks to support union activities, The Post has learned. 

If the Supreme Court rules against government-employee unions, membership and dues revenues would likely plummet by 20 percent to 30 percent, labor sources said. The union would have to get written consent directly from teachers to collect dues from them. 

The UFT is not alone. All unions representing government workers are in the same predicament. 

Supreme Court justices last year deadlocked 4-4 on a union-shop dues case called Friedrichs v. the California Teachers Association. 

The court lacked a tie-breaking vote because of Justice Antonin Scalia’s death, but Justice Neil Gorsuch this year replaced Scalia. 

A new case on union-dues collection, Janus v. AFSCME, is expected to land soon on the Supreme Court docket.