Public labor unions in New York won a key victory in the state budget with a provision that would lessen the impact of a U.S. Supreme Court case challenging their ability to collect dues from state workers.

"It was important because we needed a way to do the best we can to represent all the workers, and this language helps us do that," said CSEA Vice President Mary Sullivan.

The Janus v. AFSCME case has spurred unions to rally around the country, saying it's an effort to stem their clout. The case challenges whether unions can collect what are known as agency fees from public workers who do not choose to join the labor organization.

"Unions have come together, particularly in the private sector, because they see this kind of thing happening to them as well, and if we fail, they fail," Sullivan said. "The solidarity has increased tremendously among all the national unions."

The $168 billion budget agreement includes language that bolsters the ability of unions to collect dues, allowing public employers to begin deducting dues from new employees’ paychecks within 30 days of their hiring.

"I am personally 100 percent for working men and women. I'm 100 percent pro-labor," said Gov. Andrew Cuomo. "The labor movement built the middle class in this state."

Fiscal watchdogs, however, say this is a gift to organized labor in New York.

"Previously, if someone disagreed with how the union was spending their dues on political activity, they have the option to resign," said Ken Girardin with the Empire Center for Public Policy. "What the governor and the legislature have done here is make it next to impossible to get out if you disagree with something your union is doing."

And they argue the potential impact of the case is being exaggerated.

"The Janus case has nothing to do with collective bargaining," Girardin said. "All the Janus case would do is treat New York state unions like federal government unions, which is to say that if you want people to pay dues, you have to earn them."

Even as the labor movement has faltered around the country, it remains strong in New York, which has the highest private and public-sector union membership of any state.