Federal Labor Policy vs. Worker Free Choice
Newsmax published Foundation President Mark Mix’s op-ed on the Obama National Labor Relations Board’s assault on independent-minded workers over the past eight years and its effects today. Below is an exert from the piece.
Maureen Madden is a bookkeeper at Lakeside Foods, a unionized independent grocery store located in greater Chicago. Early this March, Madden filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), cosigned by every other unionized employee at the store, asking that United Food and Commercials Workers (UFCW) Local 1456 be “decertified.”
In plain English, that means that not a single one of the employees wanted UFCW officials to continue wielding monopoly power to negotiate their terms and conditions of employment.
To read the rest of the op-ed please click here.
Foundation Legal Director Ray LaJeunesse’s commentary on Janus v. AFSCME featured on The Federalist Society Website
With free legal aid from National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation staff attorneys, an Illinois state employee’s legal challenge to forced union dues and fees for public sector workers has garnered significant media attention nationwide since the petition to the Supreme Court of the United States was filed on June 6. Recently, Foundation Legal Director Ray LaJeunesse wrote a blog post on The Federalist Society’s website about the case, Janus v. AFSCME. An excerpt is below.
Twice in the past five years the United States Supreme Court has questioned its holding in Abood v. Detroit Board of Education, 431 U.S. 209 (1977) (6-3 decision on this issue), that the First Amendment allows a government to force its employees to pay “agency fees” to a labor organization that is their “exclusive representative” for purposes of “collective bargaining” with the government.
To read the whole post please click here.
Court Rejects Misleading Ballot Language in Big Labor Attempt to Overturn Missouri Right to Work Law
With free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys, a group of Missouri workers have just won a victory in their fight to defend the new Missouri Right to Work law from Big Labor attempts to repeal the new law through misleading ballot measures.
In the ruling that was just issued by Cole County Circuit Court Judge Green, the AFL-CIO union-backed repeal referendum ballot language was deemed “improperly, unfairly, and insufficiently constructed…” Judge Green further noted that “The People [of Missouri] are entitled to consider a question which is phrased in a grammatically-competent manner.”
Patrick Semmens, Vice President of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, issued the following statement on the ruling:
“Union bosses know that giving workers a choice when it comes to union membership and payment of union fees is popular. This is why they are so intent on misleading the public about their attempts to overturn Missouri’s Right to Work law. Today’s ruling is an important step in defending the right of Missouri employees to work without being forced to pay tribute to a union boss.”
For more information on previous legal actions defending Missouri’s popular Right to Work law, please see the press releases here and here.
Janus v. AFSCME Update: Brief Filed at Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals
Today the National Right to Work Foundation along with the Liberty Justice Center, filed a brief on behalf of Illinois Government employees in the case Janus v. AFSCME. The case challenges the constitutionality of government union officials forced-dues privileges. The workers, all employed by the State of Illinois are currently required to pay union dues or fees to a union as a condition of their employment.
The case has the potential to go to the Supreme Court and answer the questions that the deadlocked Friedrichs case did not.
A District Judge recently dismissed the case back and the two employees, who are receiving free legal assistance from staff attorneys with the National Right to Work Foundation and the Illinois Policy Institute’s Liberty Justice Center, filed an appeal of that dismissal in October.
National Right to Work Foundation Mark Mix was recently interviewed on The Illinois News Network about the case. Here are some of his comments.
“We think with the right justice, we could actually get a national right-to-work law for all government employees, thanks to the outcome of this past election.”
Mix said it could take a couple of months for a high court nominee to get approved by the U.S. Senate, but the Janus v. AFSCME case could get in front of the high court shortly thereafter.
The question is simple, Mix said: Is work that government employee unions do political in nature?
“They’re trying to advocate for certain government actions, and they’re trying to convince governments to do certain things with their resources, i.e. taxpayers’ resources, and so in that sense, it’s political speech,” Mix said.
“And if it’s political speech, it’s going to be protected by the First Amendment,” Mix said. “And if it’s protected by the First Amendment, then a worker can’t be compelled to pay anything to have someone, quote/unquote speak on their behalf.”
Mix said Illinois’ now $130 billion unfunded pension liability is the poster child of union power run amok, leaving taxpayers and government employees paying a huge price.
“And probably the biggest price will be paid by government employees who have done their job and probably are going to feel like they’ve been cheated when these pension problems really, really raise their heads, which I think they will sooner rather than later, unfortunately,” Mix said.
To see the full interview please click here. To view a copy of the brief please click here.
New Right to Work Podcast: Card Check Threatens Employee Freedom
In the latest Foundation podcast, Legal Information Director Patrick Semmens sits down with Greg Mourad, Director of Legislation for the National Right to Work Committee, to discuss the recently reintroduced card check bill’s legislative prospects as well as its implications for employee freedom. Click here to listen or use the embeddable player below the fold:
You can also listen to the Foundation’s podcast via iTunes or manually subscribe to the feed. For previous Foundation card check coverage, click here.
Podcast: NEA Illegally Launders Teachers’ Dues into a Political Action Committee Focused on Electing Barack Obama
Foundation VP Stefan Gleason sits down with Professor Bruce Cameron, a Foundation litigator and member of the Regent University Law School faculty, to discuss a money laundering scheme used by the National Education Association to help elect Barack Obama. The MP3 is here.
According to a complaint being submitted by Foundation attorneys to the Federal Election Commission, the NEA illegally laundered teachers’ dues into a union political action committee. Adding insult to injury, when confronted by teachers, union officials tried to dupe them into thinking they were contributing to a "children’s fund."
Podcast: National Right to Work Radio Appearance on Card Check Power Grab
The National Right to Work Committee’s Greg Mourad sits down with WCHS radio hosts Michael Agnello and Rick Johnson to discuss card check’s legislative prospects. Click here to listen or use the embedded player below:
New Right to Work Podcast: Stop the Obama Administration from Rolling Back Union Disclosure Guidelines
For those of you who missed it, the National Right to Work Foundation recently released a video featuring Foundation President Mark Mix urging all Right to Work supporters to get involved in our efforts to stop the Obama Administration from rolling back basic union disclosure regulations. Now Mix’s message is available in podcast form. Click here to listen:
Welcome to Freedom@Work!
Welcome to the new Freedom@Work blog, the most cutting-edge resource for the latest news and views from the Right to Work movement. We look forward to bringing you the latest from the front lines in the battle against compulsory unionism, and using this space to further employee free choice in America. For background on the National Right to Work organizations and the Right to Work issue, please click on the “About” link on the right. Be sure to check back regularly by bookmarking www.nrtw.org/blog or signing up for the RSS feed at https://nrtw.org/blog/blog/feed.
