It’s time for the U.S. Supreme Court to restore government workers’ First Amendment rights to free speech and freedom of association. No government worker should be forced to pay for union politics as a condition of employment.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Feb. 26, 2018) – Today the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the landmark workers’ rights case, Janus v. AFSCME. Across the United States, more than 5 million government workers are required to give part of their paycheck to a government union as a condition of working in public service. This case seeks to outlaw that practice, and restore workers’ First Amendment rights to free speech and freedom of association.
The plaintiff in this case is Mark Janus, a child support specialist for state government in Illinois. Janus is required to pay approximately $45 each month to AFSCME Council 31, even though he is not a union member, never voted on union representation and is opposed to the policies for which the union advocates.
Janus filed his case in 2015 with free legal aid from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation and the Illinois-based Liberty Justice Center.
During oral arguments, supporters of Mark Janus and the fight to restore workers’ rights will rally outside the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Mark Mix, president of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, offered the following statement: “Poll after poll demonstrates that the American people overwhelmingly believe that union membership and financial support should be voluntary and not forced. Now those compulsory union payments are squarely before the Supreme Court, with the First Amendment rights of over five million teachers, firefighters, police officers and other government workers like Mark Janus at stake. Forty years ago in the Abood case the High Court erred by allowing public employees to be forced to pay money to union officials as a condition to working for their own government, and we are hopeful that by the end of the Court’s term that injustice will finally be remedied.”
Mark Janus offered the following statement: “Government workers like me should not have to bear the burden of supporting political and policy causes we disagree with in order to serve our communities and state. The right to say ‘no’ to a union is just as important as the right to say ‘yes,’ but for over 40 years, government workers have been denied that right. I am hopeful that after today’s arguments, the United States Supreme Court will restore the rights of me and every other government employee in America.”
Jacob Huebert, Janus’ attorney from the Liberty Justice Center, made the following statement: “This is the biggest case for workers’ rights in a generation. No one should be forced to check their First Amendment rights at the door just because they want to work in a government job. Workers deserve a choice and a voice.”
The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable organization providing free legal aid to employees whose human or civil rights have been violated by compulsory unionism abuses. The Foundation, which can be contacted toll-free at 1-800-336-3600, assists thousands of employees in about 200 cases nationwide per year.
