So, the system in which union dues are collected from all employees remains in place. By a tie, 4-4 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court fails to reach a consensus opinion. That means the lower court’s opinions stand. In this case, that means unions win because most lower courts upheld the long-standing custom of deducting union

Judicial interpretation is art, not science.  Judicial interpretation depends entirely on the individual judgment of the judge.  So, it is quite remarkable when a sitting Justice of the Supreme Court calls a justice on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals a "liar."  Judge Antonin Scalia recently penned a book with another author regarding judicial interpretation.