That’s what I was wondering? Does this mean that the union can no longer collect dues?
They can collect from whoever wants to pay them, but they can no longer use the government to compel payment by deducting the dues from paychecks and forwarding them. So, their income took a huge hit.
To compound that huge diminution in income, the unions just spent millions from their savings in the recent recall elections, without winning.
Now, with income devastated and savings simultaneously depleted, they're laying off many staffers.
Perhaps we should take up a collection?
Only the ones which remain certified can collect dues. The ones who chose not to re-certify will not even exist anymore, legally. The only legal union activity they can perform at that point is to try to re-unionize. Until they do that, they aren't unions. If they want to be a political organization, they have to follow the same rules as all the other private organizations.