An elderly man has returned to a part-time job at an Oakland market after the union representing workers at the store got him temporarily fired for refusing to pay a sudden $3,700 membership bill.
The incident, which labor experts said is rare, points to a decadeslong debate about individual workers’ rights and the power of labor unions in a place like California.
California is one of 24 states where unions can get private-sector employees terminated under common “union-security” contract agreements with employers, which require all members of a bargaining unit to pay dues as a condition of employment…