Washington, DC – Leading up to oral arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court in Davenport v. Washington Education Association (WEA) and Washington v. WEA on Wednesday January 10, 2007, National Right to Work Foundation spokesmen and lead plaintiff Gary Davenport are available to discuss the cases with the media. At stake is whether the High Court will overturn a Washington State Supreme Court decision that created a “First Amendment right” for union officials to spend nonunion employees’ forced union dues on politics. If this unprecedented interpretation of the First Amendment is allowed to stand, it will represent a major step backwards for the rights of unionized employees, and it could lead to legal attacks on America’s 22 state Right to Work laws, which ban forced union dues.
### What:
Advance media availability for interviews leading up to Supreme Court Oral Arguments in Davenport v. WEA, and Washington v. WEA – the most prominent cases to be argued this month.
### When:
Between now and January 10, 2007
### Who:
Stefan Gleason, Vice President of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation which is providing free legal aid to the Davenport teacher plaintiffs
Gary Davenport, Lead Petitioner in Davenport v. WEA
### Where:
In studio in the Washington, DC-area, via satellite, or via telephone
### Why:
As the only national organization dedicated solely to protecting workers from abuses of compulsory unionism, the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation is the foremost expert in this important area of the law. Gleason will be able to address to the direct implications of Davenport v. WEA, and Washington v. WEA, as well as the long term implications for the struggle by nonunion workers against compulsory unionism. Davenport will also be able to discuss the employee perspective of the cases.
To schedule an interview or for more information, contact Justin Hakes at (571) 243-3637, or Patrick Ashby at (703) 770-3306.
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 more than 250 cases nationwide per year.
