The IPLRA that allowed single union (in this case, the SEIU, which is selected by a majority of the employees) to negotiate pay rates, hours and other conditions of employment for the plaintiffs under circumstances where the plaintiffs were under no obligation to join SEIU. Further, the plaintiffs were free to present their own grievances to the State and to associate with whomever they choose without retaliation from SEIU.
The plaintiffs argued that the IPLRA improperly forced them into agency-like association with SEIU, however the Court rejected their claim that mandatory association with SEIU was subject to "exacting scrutiny." The plaintiffs were free to join their own groups and to oppose SEIU. Instead, the statute was subject to the "rational-basis scrutiny," which Illinois satisfied as the state has legitimate interest in negotiating with only one majority-elected exclusive bargaining representative when deciding what employment terms to offer plaintiffs.