Breaux

Giles Breaux and several other individuals, agricultural employees within the meaning of California’s Agricultural Labor Relations Act (the Act) (Lab. Code, § 1140 et seq.), were required as a condition of their employment to be members of the United Farm Workers of America, AFL-CIO (the UFW). They filed unfair labor practice charges (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 8, §§ 20201-20208; cf. Lab. Code, § 1160.2) against the UFW, alleging among other things that certain moneys they were required to pay to the UFW were being used, over their objections, for political activities and “other noncollective bargaining purposes.” Over their objections, the UFW and the general counsel of the Agricultural Labor Relations Board (the Board) entered into a written settlement of the charges and the Board, by its decision and order in United Farm Workers of America, AFL-CIO (Giles Breaux, et al.) (Dec. 19, 1985) 11 ALRB No. 32, approved the settlement with modifications. Breaux and other charging parties petitioned this court for review of the Board’s decision and order.

The “union shop” agreement by which petitioners were required to be members of the UFW is authorized by the union security…