WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court intervened in a dispute between organized labor and management Tuesday, agreeing to decide the validity of a state law that limits employers' ability to weigh in on union organizing.

The case comes from California, where a 2000 law prohibits employers from using money they receive from the state to oppose or support unionization efforts.

The law was upheld by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals over the objection of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business interests. Those groups argued that federal labor law guarantees the free-speech rights of employers and trumps state regulations in this area.

If the law is allowed to stand, the chamber said labor unions would seek to pass similar measures in other states and would gain an advantage over management in the fight to bolster union membership.

Arguments will be heard early next year in the case, which is Chamber of Commerce v. Edmund G. Brown, Jr., Attorney General of California, 06-939.