Supremes to rule on whether to gut labor law

California has a good law that passed in 2000. Under this law, employers can't use money they get from the state to either oppose or support workers' efforts to unionize. Fair enough, isn't it?

But the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other corporate-backed secret societies cried like the big babies they are and sued in an effort to toss out this law. They want employers to be able to use the taxpayers' money to stop union efforts. A federal appeals court upheld California's law, but now it's going to the U.S. Supreme Court.

You'd think this one would be a no-brainer. Any legal scholar can see the law is perfectly valid and constitutional. But we have to be wary, because the current Supreme Court is a conservative activist court that's already proven that many of its rulings ought to be published on toilet paper. Worse, the Bush regime is backing the Chamber of Commerce and the business groups who want to stop California's law.

Big Business truly is looking a gift horse in the mouth. The state law covers money that's given to employers by the state - in other words, the taxpayers. That's the taxpayers' money. It's only fair that the taxpayers' elected representatives should be able to place restrictions on how that money is used. If you put your money in a condom vending machine, you don't expect to get bubble gum.

In other words, Big Business is happy to accept corporate welfare - but they don't want any strings attached. They want to use your money for their goals. The law doesn't stop businesses from advocating against unions. It only says they can't use taxpayer money to do so.

If the SCrOTUS sides with Big Business on this, people ought to be marching in the streets.

(Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-7091520,00.html)