United Food and Commercial Workers' Union Local No. 655 v. St. John's Mercy Health Systems, Doing Business as St. John's Mercy Medical Center

Union Dues Case: Court Upholds Firing of 73 Nurses

This case involved a dispute between a hospital and a nurses' union over unpaid union dues. Seventy-three nurses at St. John's Mercy Medical Center had fallen behind on their required union dues payments. Under the union contract, workers who don't pay their dues can be fired. The union went through arbitration (a private dispute resolution process) and won an order requiring the hospital to fire these nurses and collect the overdue fees.

The hospital tried to fight this decision in court, arguing that firing so many nurses at once would harm public safety and violate public policy. However, both the lower court and the appeals court disagreed with the hospital and upheld the arbitration ruling.

What this means for workers: If you work under a union contract that requires dues payments, you must stay current on those payments or risk losing your job. Courts generally won't override union contract terms, even when many workers are affected. This case reinforces that union dues obligations are legally enforceable, and employers must follow arbitration decisions about firing workers for non-payment, regardless of potential staffing shortages.