As expected, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the plaintiff in Janus v. AFSCME Council 31.

In a 5-4 decision written by Justice Samuel Alito and announced this morning, the court has ruled that public-sector unions may not charge fees from employees who are covered by collective-bargaining agreements but do not join the union. Unions are of course required to represent and negotiate on behalf of all members of the bargaining unit without regard to dues-payment status. Justices Elena Kagan (with Stephen Breyer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg) and Sonia Sotomayor dissented.

This decision does not change things immediately or directly for us, as Michigan adopted so-called “right to work” laws in 2013, so these rules already apply to us. However, the effects will be felt immediately in states that still have fair-share laws on the books. It also overturns over 40 years of established law in this country and creates new challenges for people who believe in working collectively to make sure everyone has a voice in the workplace.

The decision is also likely to embolden state legislatures to pass increasingly restrictive labor laws, and over time, it will affect unions nationwide, including ours, as the financing that comes from members and chapters to fund the support and organizational work of the national organizations, which we have long been able to take for granted but would sorely miss if it was gone, is likely to drop significantly in the next few years.

We will be receiving more information later today from the national AAUP, which is also scheduling an online townhall meeting with the leaders of AAUP collective-bargaining chapters. Extensive analysis will also become available over the next few days. For now, you can read the decision (including the dissents) here, and follow the links to some of this morning’s news coverage from the Washington Post, NPR, CBS, and USA Today. Initial analysis of the decision is available on SCOTUSblog.

We will continue to keep you informed as we learn more.