Do Union Dues Matter? Unions Play Role in Protecting DACA Recipients

What do people get by paying dues to a labor union? Answers vary. Here is one: Unions sue to protect workers who are DACA-recipients.

On September 4, 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a letter strongly criticizing the policy that protects 16-31 year-old immigrants who entered the country as children illegally with their parents. 

Under DACA, 689,800 people who have met age- and conduct-criteria enrolled for “deferred” status.

On September 5, 2017, Homeland Security acted on the Attorney General’s opinion letter and immediately rescinded DACA.

One effect was to end the work-authorization process for DACA recipients.

Here is a brief excerpt of the case that is in the news this week—the case where the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court order preventing the Trump administration from starting to deport DACA recipients. 
The main point of the post: Union dues are paying part of this lawsuit to protect people who cannot afford legal representation:

“SEIU [Service Employees Int’l Union] Local 521 has associational standing to bring its claims on behalf of its members who are DACA recipients. An association has standing to bring suit on behalf of its members when: (1) its members would otherwise have standing to sue in their own right; (2) the interests it seeks to protect are germane to the organization's purpose; and (3) neither the claim asserted nor the relief requested requires the participation of individual members in the lawsuit.

SEIU has established all three elements here. SEIU has members who are DACA recipients. Its constitution states that part of its mission is to provide its members with a voice in the larger community, and that its members should be treated equally with dignity regardless of immigration status or national origin. SEIU has also formed a Committee on Comprehensive Immigration Reform, a member-based committee that engages in organizing, advocacy, and education to help undocumented workers. Its members' interests in these actions are therefore germane to SEIU's stated purpose (App. 801–09). Furthermore, this action does not require the participation of SEIU's individual members.”

(Thanks to my wife for a conversation this morning on union dues. J)