LJC In The News
Chicago Alderman Wants “Robot Tax”
(Illinois Policy Institute)—As Amazon considers pulling its HQ2 out of New York City, Chicago is considering imposing a “robot tax” on companies looking to automate their way around high labor costs. Chicago would impose a “robot tax” on companies as a penalty for automating, under a proposal that may soon...
Illinois School Employee Sues for Refund of Union Dues
(Daily Herald)—Citing a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision from last summer, a Palatine Township Elementary District 15 diesel mechanic is suing his former union and the district for a refund of dues he says he paid unwillingly. Erich Mandel, a Palatine resident, contends in the federal lawsuit that he had...
21 Policy Groups Back Lawsuit to End Forced Union Representation
(The Daily Signal)—In what could be the largest labor-related case since Janus v. AFSCME, policy groups from around the country are expressing support for a lawsuit that would prohibit forced representation from public sector unions. The lawsuit, litigated by the Ohio-based, free-market Buckeye Institute, received support from 21 different policy...
Janus Didn’t Settle Union Dues Question After All, LJC Attorney Says
(North Cook News)—Would-be nonunion members who thought the U.S. Supreme Court’s Janus decision had codified their right not to pay compulsory collective bargaining dues are discovering the unions have an out, according to a lawsuit filed last month. Jeffrey Schwab, senior attorney at Liberty Justice Center, heads the legal team...
Palatine School Worker Sues Union, Saying He’s Forced to Pay Dues Despite Supreme Court Ruling That Bars Practice
(The Chicago Tribune)—A northwest suburban school employee is suing his labor union, saying he’s being blocked from opting out of membership despite a landmark Supreme Court ruling last year that barred public unions from requiring government employees to pay dues. Erich Mandel, a diesel mechanic from Palatine, claims in the...
Workers Say Unions Defying Janus Ruling, Threaten New Court Action
(Fox News)—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. The June decision in Janus v. AFSCME...
Mass. Unions Say Janus Decision Having Little Effect So Far
(Boston Business Journal)—When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that unions can no longer collect fees from non-members, unions and their advocates slammed the decision as an attack on working people. Many labor rights activists warned the decision could seriously diminish the power of unions. Two months later, the decision does...
Group Warns of Union Dues Lawsuit
(The Salem News)—A conservative group is threatening to sue state and local officials if they don’t stop collecting union dues and agency fees from workers’ paychecks. In letters to Gov. Charlie Baker, Attorney General Maura Healey, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and other officials, the Chicago-based Liberty Justice Center called on...
Janus Lawyers Threaten Lawsuit over Union Dues in Oregon
(Chicago Sun Times)—A Chicago-based conservative group is threatening to sue Oregon government officials if they don’t stop collecting union dues and agency fees from workers’ paychecks, a newspaper reported Wednesday. The Liberty Justice Center has sent cease-and-desist letters to state officials, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. The nonprofit helped represent an Illinois...
Why I Took My Case Over Forced Union Dues to the Supreme Court
(Washington Post)—My home state of Illinois is in financial free fall. The state has billions of dollars in unpaid bills, has unbalanced budgets and is bleeding people and money. A state doesn’t get into a mess like this overnight. It’s the result of many seemingly small decisions over many years....
The Lawyers Who Beat the Unions
(Wall Street Journal)—The Supreme Court closed its term this week with what Jacob Huebert calls “a perfect decision for worker freedom.” In a landmark First Amendment case, the justices ruled 5-4 Wednesday that the government may not authorize labor unions to exact fees from public employees who choose not to...
Janus Ruling Empowers Public Employees
(Seattle Times)—Now 5.5 million employees in 22 states have their First Amendment freedom of association rights restored — including employees right here in Washington. It’s easier to avoid a Goliath than it is to defy one. Child-support specialist Mark Janus chose the harder path. As an employee of the Illinois...
In a Blow to Public Sector Unions, Supreme Court Overturns 40-Year-Old Precedent
(CNBC)—The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 on Wednesday in Janus v. AFSCME that nonunion workers cannot be forced to pay fees to public sector unions. The case, one of the most hotly anticipated of the term, is the second in two days to hand a major victory to conservatives, following Tuesday’s...
Supreme Court’s Janus Decision is a Win for Government Workers (And All Americans)
(Fox News)—In its 5-4 ruling Wednesday in Janus vs. AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees), the Supreme Court overturned decades-old precedent that allowed government unions to require public employees to pay union fees or risk being fired. Now millions of teachers, police officers, firefighters and other government...
Mark Janus on Supreme Court Ruling
(Fox Business)—Janus v. AFSCME plaintiff Mark Janus and attorney Jacob Huebert appeared on Fox Business News to discuss the Supreme Court ruling on public sector unions. Watch the latest video at foxbusiness.com
...