This month’s U.S. Supreme Court hearing of Illinois state employee Mark Janus’s case – questioning the constitutionality of mandatory teachers union dues – could very well lead to a healthier relationship between labor unions and government workers. And what’s more, a growing body of research suggests many states could also help their students in the long-run by making further adjustments to labor union policy.

At stake in the upcoming Janus v. AFSCME case is a 40-year-old precedent that allows governments to force state, municipal, and school district employees to pay union agency fees as part of their jobs. This is problematic when the values and priorities of union leaders and individual members clash. Yet these forced payments are the reality for government workers in 22 states, who could gain the freedom to decide how to spend hundreds of dollars of their own earnings each year.