Case: Labor Relations/Freedom of Association (E.D. Pa.)

The American Federation of Musicians, Local 45 and the Allentown Symphony Association are entitled to the dismissal of a former principal timpanist’s claims under the First and 14th Amendments alleging that a collective bargaining agreement violates his constitutional rights by forcing him to maintain his membership in the union as a condition of employment, a federal district court in Pennsylvania ruled. The musician contends that the union and symphony are state actors because they engaged in collective bargaining under the authorization of state law, and because the symphony is a “public employer” as that term is defined in Pennsylvania’s Public ...