Seven current and former Pennsylvania state employees have filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking to get back dues they claim they were forced to pay to a union that did not represent them.

If they’re successful, approximately 10,000 people could end up getting $3 million back.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – A group of Pennsylvania state employees has filed a lawsuit against AFSCME Council 13, the government union that represents thousands of state employees in Pennsylvania.

Seven current and former state employees filed the federal class-action lawsuit, looking to recoup “fair share” fees taken out of their paychecks and sent to the union.

The U.S. Supreme Court in 2018 ruled in Janus v. AFSCME that those fees are not constitutional.

Schaszberger says he was forced to pay union fees to Harrisburg-based AFSCME Council 13, even though he wasn’t a union member.

“I didn’t seek their representation, I didn’t want their representation, and I didn’t feel that they represented my interests anyway,” Schaszberger said. “So, to be forced to pay them as part of my job just didn’t seem right.”