Last fall we contacted government leaders in more than a dozen states, alerting them the Janus v. AFSCME decision had restored government workers’ constitutional rights and freed them from mandatory union membership.
We also warned these public officials that they needed to fulfill their responsibilities and enforce that law. If they failed to do so, we would take action on behalf of government workers in their states. They not only ignored, but openly defied the Supreme Court ruling.
So we’re taking action.
In addition to the lawsuits currently pending in California, Hawaii, Illinois and New Mexico, we are now representing five government workers in Pennsylvania in two new lawsuits.
Shalea Oliver, a Philadelphia caseworker for the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, quit the union once the Janus decision made that possible. However, the SEIU and state of Pennsylvania continued to deduct union dues from her paycheck for more than six months after she’d resigned the union! Her plight is poignantly captured in this recent article.
In Lebanon County, we’re representing four mental health workers whose right to opt out wasn’t even recognized by their Teamsters Union. They tried unsuccessfully for months to opt out of the union before turning to us in desperation to have their First Amendment rights honored.
Fortunately, these hardworking Pennsylvania folks had the Liberty Justice Center to turn to. My hope is that more government workers across the nation will find us or other organizations to help them stand up to government officials and union bosses, and demand they recognize employees’ rights.
