Why Business Is Glued to High Court’s Public Sector Labor Case

Private businesses will be absorbed in a high-stakes labor law debate next week, even though the case is aimed at public sector unions.

As the U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments in Janus v. AFSCME Feb. 26, it might seem odd at first glance that business representatives are involved in a case that turns on the First Amendment rights of government workers. The justices are considering whether public unions can force nonmembers to finance the costs of bargaining for agreements that cover them.

Some of the biggest management-side law firms in the country filed briefs, and business lobbyists are actively ...