Oliver v. SEIU Archives - Stand With Workers

Be heard

As a fair share member of the government union at my work place, I never felt heard.

I didn’t want to be a member of the union, yet they represented me in contract negotiations. I didn’t agree with their politics, yet the fees taken from my paycheck supported their political agenda.

Filing my case was empowering. In that moment I finally felt heard. And when we went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and won I knew my voice made a difference.

You can be heard too.

Unions know that and deliberately keep information from their members. A recent article in Trib Live highlights the experience of Francisco Molina, a former SEIU shop steward. His efforts to share information about union guidelines and practices with his colleagues were not appreciated by union officials. And when he alerted his co-workers to a union initiative that would require them to pay union dues “even if they found another job or stopped being union members,” he was pushed out.

This is the reality for many government workers

Shalea Oliver had been trying to leave her union for more than a year when she found a website offering help. It had a template resignation letter that she could send to her union, SEIU Local 668, and a form to fill out if the letter wasn’t effective, which she did…”

All over the country, teachers, firefighters, caseworkers and other public servants are discovering they now have a voice and choice when it comes to union membership. They’re also discovering that the unions are making it difficult to exercise those rights. Fortunately, this Philadelphia Inquirer story is positive:

Pennsylvania can no longer ignore its employees’ rights

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.

Lebanon Daily News: Lebanon County employees sue over forced union dues

The Lebanon County lawsuit says the four employees informed Teamsters in July and September that they wished to resign from the union and to stop the withholding of union fees from their paychecks. The union insisted they could not immediately resign, the complaint alleges.

An attorney for the four employees then asked Lebanon County in October to stop withholding dues, but the county did not, it continues.

‘Like it was a blood contract’: State worker suing SEIU 668 details long road to exit union

Since 2014, Shalea Oliver has seen thousands of dollars removed from her paycheck to fund an organization and political efforts that she does not support. When she tried to push back against those deductions, she faced indifference and a refusal to help from the very people who claimed to represent her.

Pennsylvania Watchdog: Unions kept collecting dues after workers quit

Pennsylvania lawmakers were warned last fall that if the state didn’t amend its laws to comply with the terms of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark Janus v. AFSCME ruling, the result could be a host of legal complications. That warning is now ringing true.

Oliver v. SEIU