Liberty Justice Center, Author at Stand With Workers

LJC Lawsuit in California Aims to Make Unions Respect the Supreme Court’s Authority

Despite the Janus ruling, some unions are still forcing public workers to pay annual dues.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision from June in Janus v. the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees was clear: Public employees no longer are required to pay union dues, even for collective-bargaining purposes. This was no technical or ambiguous point. The court declared it an infringement of the First Amendment when the government forces workers to financially support organizations that they don’t want to support.

Case settled, right? Not entirely. Public-sector unions, especially in California, aren’t used to finding themselves on the losing end of a public-policy battle. As Janus made its way to the high court, some of the state’s unions successfully lobbied the Democratic-controlled Legislature to pass laws designed to undermine the expected decision in that case, which involved an Illinois social-worker who didn’t want to pay dues to his local AFSCME union

California teacher files lawsuit against United Teachers of Los Angeles and Los Angeles Unified School District for constitutional violations

Special education teacher Thomas Few has filed a lawsuit against the United Teachers of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Unified School District for violating his First Amendment rights to free speech and freedom of association. Few is represented by attorneys from the Liberty Justice Center and the California Policy Center and the complaint is filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

Mark Janus in The Patriot-News: How the Janus decision points to a brighter future for government workers

When the U.S. Supreme Court restored the constitutional rights of government employees in its recent Janus v. AFSCME decision, we were thrilled. For us, this was no mere academic exercise or legal nuance; the ruling was personal.

A Message from Mark Janus

Hi – Mark Janus here.

Last week my colleague Diana Rickert told you about the ways government and union officials across the country are claiming the ruling in my case doesn’t apply to them. They’re trying to lock people into unions. They’re lobbying for anti-worker legislation.

Liberty Justice Center Threatens to Sue Governments That Obstruct the Janus Decision.

The good news: The U.S. Supreme Court issued a groundbreaking decision in favor of workers’ rights when it ruled that no government worker can be forced to pay a government union as a condition of working in public service. In the months since the ruling, government workers from every corner of the country are attempting to exercise their newly restored constitutional rights.

The bad news: Unsurprisingly, government unions and politicians are standing in their way.

Wall Street Journal: Resisting the Supreme Court

Do unions believe in the rule of law? That’s an urgent question as unions and their political friends try to circumvent the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in June blocking the forced collection of union fees.

Fox News: The Liberty Justice Center is Holding Government Unions Accountable

Despite the landmark Supreme Court ruling this summer barring public-sector unions from requiring nonmembers to pay so-called agency fees, workers in several states say unions are either flat-out ignoring the decision or establishing a frustrating maze of procedural roadblocks to avoid compliance.

Press Release: Janus Attorneys Send Cease and Desist Letters to Government Officials in Connecticut

CHICAGO (Sep. 6, 2018) – Attorneys from the Liberty Justice Center have sent cease and desist letters to government officials in Connecticut, demanding that state and local government employers immediately stop deducting union member dues and “agency fees” from employee paychecks. The Liberty Justice Center is prepared to pursue litigation if government employers fail to comply with the ruling.

Press Release: Janus Attorneys Send Cease and Desist Letters to Government Officials in New York

CHICAGO (Sep. 6, 2018) – Attorneys from the Liberty Justice Center have sent cease and desist letters to government officials in New York, demanding that state and local government employers immediately stop deducting union member dues and “agency fees” from employee paychecks. The Liberty Justice Center is prepared to pursue litigation if government employers fail to comply with the ruling.

Press Release: Janus Attorneys Send Cease and Desist Letters to Government Officials in Minnesota

CHICAGO (Sep. 6, 2018) – Attorneys from the Liberty Justice Center have sent cease and desist letters to government officials in Minnesota, demanding that state and local government employers immediately stop deducting union member dues and “agency fees” from employee paychecks. The Liberty Justice Center is prepared to pursue litigation if government employers fail to comply with the ruling.