Here at the Liberty Justice Center we’re starting 2019 with a big push for government workers’ rights.
We have filed a lawsuit in Illinois on behalf of Erich Mandel against his government union, SEIU Local 73. Erich is a diesel mechanic in the transportation department of Community Consolidated School District 15 in Palatine, Illinois.
He first asked to leave SEIU in August 2018, after learning about his rights in the Janus decision. The union responded that Erich must wait until an arbitrary time period to resign his membership and stop dues collection. This is unjust and unconstitutional.
“If I had the choice to pay nothing to the union as a non-member at
the time I joined, I would have taken that option. Now that I have that
right I should not be required to wait until July.”
Erich never wanted to be a member of the SEIU and the U.S. Supreme Court has declared mandatory union membership and agency fees unconstitutional.
He is not alone, not only do we have ongoing lawsuits on behalf of government workers in New Mexico, California, and Illinois, but I’m hearing from employees in many other states on a daily basis who are being told they can only exercise their constitutional rights during a small window of opportunity in the future.
If you are experiencing similar pushback or know someone who is, reach out to us —we can help.
