Supreme Court Declines to Hear Challenge to Minn. PCA Union

The legality of a Minnesota personal care attendant (PCA) union was effectively upheld after the U.S. Supreme Court on May 17 declined to review a lower court decision on the matter.

In December, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed the constitutionality of a 2013 Minnesota law that paved the way for PCAs to unionize.

The plaintiffs in the case, Greene v. Dayton, appealed the Eighth Circuit’s decision to the Supreme Court, which declined without comment to review it.

“No matter how many times they try, we will not let any ideological attacks stop us from our goal of making sure every person who wants to stay in their home receives the care they deserve,” home care worker Robin Pikala told Workday Minnesota on May 17.

In March, the Eighth Circuit dismissed a separate challenge to Minnesota’s PCA union. In that case, Bierman v. Dayton, a group of nine PCAs argued that unionization, which they personally opposed, violated their free speech rights under the First Amendment. The Eighth Circuit dismissed the lawsuit on March 22.

— by Matthew Ozga