State Supreme Court limits union rights in Texas
Unionized government workers in Texas — including firefighters, police and teachers — don’t have the right to be accompanied by a union representative while being questioned during internal investigations, a divided Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday.
Such representation is a basic right for unionized private sector and federal government employees.
But in a case begun by a Round Rock firefighter disciplined in 2008, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that state labor law doesn’t specifically confer a similar right to workers employed by state, county, city or local governments in Texas.
“On its face, (Texas law) confers only one explicit right: the right to organize into a trade union or other organization,” Justice Paul Green wrote for the majority. “It says nothing about any rights that may attach once such unions are formed.”
More at http://www.statesman.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/state-supreme-court-limits-union-rights-in-texas/nXD2p/ .
Cross-posted in LBN.
