Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
Culture > News

HC Wake-Up Call: Supreme Court Rules Against Union Workers, Ex-Fox News Exec. Joins WH, & Prince William Makes History

Good morning Her Campus! With a break-neck news cycle, there is no possible way for you to stay on top of every story that comes across your feeds—we’re all only human, after all.

But, life comes at you fast. So grab a cup of coffee and settle in for this quick and dirty guide to stories you might’ve been sleeping on (like, literally. It’s early.)

Supreme Court Rules Against Union Workers

In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that public employee unions can’t require collective-bargaining fees from non-union members. For more than 40 years, 22 states allowed unions to asses these fees — but that’ll now change, affecting about 5 million workers. 

Those that supported the decision — namely, conservatives — argued “that the rule could require workers to give financial support to public policy positions they oppose,” The Washington Post reported. Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. even wrote that unions extracting these fees from nonmembers “violates the First Amendment.”

Paul Clark, director of the school of labor and employment relations at Penn State University, said the ruling is “just another step in a longtime effort to weaken the labor movement in the U.S.” The Post said the decision was not only a blow to unions, but also Democratic Party politics. 

Former Fox News Executive Bill Shine Accepts White House Role

Bill Shine, Fox News’ former co-president, was rumored to become the White House’s next deputy chief of staff for communications, but ABC News reported that he accepted the role on Wednesday night. He will take over for the position once filled by Hope Hicks, who resigned nearly four months ago.

Shine was ousted from Fox News last spring amid a slew of shakeups because of sexual harassment scandals. According to ABC News, he was “never personally accused of harassment, but questions were raised about his handling of the accusations.”

The White House is expected to make a formal announcement about Shine by the end of the week.

Prince William Makes History

Prince William became the first British royal ever to visit the Palestinian Territories on Wednesday. Once there, he toured a refugee camp and told Palestinians “you have not been forgotten.” William also met with the Palestinian president, though ABC News reported that he was trying to “steer clear” of politics. 

“I’m very glad that our two countries work so closely together and have had success stories with education and relief work,” said the Duke of Cambridge. “My sentiments are the same as yours in hoping that there is a lasting peace in the region.”

What to look for…

More content on BDE: Big Dick Energy. Yesterday, we broke down who has it, according to astrology. 

Follow Allison on Twitter @AllisonMCrist.