LJC In The News
With Janus, California Public Employees Are Free From Union Shakedowns, Finally
(Sacramento Bee)—Just in time for Independence Day, the U.S. Supreme Court has delivered millions into greater liberty – and a day of reckoning for public-sector union leaders. The court struck down as unconstitutional the arrangement – heretofore enshrined in law in 22 states – that forced government workers to pay...
Supreme Court Strikes Down Mandatory Union Fees for Government Employees
(The Daily Signal)—The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 Wednesday that nonunion government workers can’t be forced to pay dues or other fees to support a union, further diminishing the power of organized labor and setting up what right-to-work proponents called the “hard work” of protecting free speech rights for the nation’s...
Supreme Court Decision Puts Workers in Driver’s Seat
(Washington Examiner)—Jade Thompson is a Spanish teacher at Marietta High School in Ohio. What could you do with an extra $14,000? Buy a new car? Put a down payment on a home? Build your child’s college fund? I can think of many ways to spend this, but unfortunately, I had...
In Janus Ruling, Supreme Court Restores Free Speech Rights to Public Workers Like Me
(Fox News)—The Supreme Court ruled wisely Wednesday that requiring public employees to pay money to a union in order to be allowed to work violates the First Amendment rights of the employees. The 5-4 ruling means all public employees, regardless of where they live, will finally have a choice about...
Supreme Court’s Janus v AFSCME Ruling Will Force Unions To Be More Accountable
(USA Today)—Aaron Anthony Benner has been a Minnesota educator for 21 years. Unions can be great for workers. But supporting workers’ rights isn’t political, and it doesn’t make you anti-union. As a teacher in Minnesota, I didn’t have a choice about whether or not to pay the union that was...
How AFSCME’s Demands Invited the Janus Case
(The Chicago Tribune)—It’s fitting that Mark Janus, the plaintiff behind a highly anticipated U.S. Supreme Court ruling this week, works for Illinois government. The union he sued is particularly influential in politics and policy here — with perilous outcomes for taxpayers. The 200-page American Federation of State, County and Municipal...
Teacher Who Challenged Union Speaks Out About U.S. Supreme Court Case
(Capital Public Radio)—This month, the U.S. Supreme Court will hand down a major decision in Janus v. AFSCME, Council 31, impacting teachers and other public employee unions. Rebecca Friedrichs is a teacher and was the lead plaintiff challenging the California Teachers Association’s “agency shop” arrangement, which requires non-union member teachers...
Group Sues to End Illinois Tax Breaks for Retaining Jobs
(The Chicago Tribune)—The legal arm of the conservative Illinois Policy Institute on Friday filed a lawsuit to end the state’s practice of awarding tax credits to businesses for retaining jobs. The Illinois Policy Institute is closely aligned with Gov.-elect Bruce Rauner, who will be sworn in Monday. Rauner, a Republican...
Chicago’s Airbnb Home-Sharing Rules are ‘Draconian,’ Lawsuit Says
(The Chicago Tribune)—A group of homeowners is suing the city of Chicago, alleging the city’s new “draconian and unintelligible restrictions” on Airbnb and other home-sharing platforms are unconstitutional and punish responsible homeowners. This is the second lawsuit filed this month that takes aim at the city’s new home-sharing rules, which...
President of AFSCME Local: Supreme Court May Give Workers a Choice, but Unions Still Have a Critical Choice As Well
(The Hill)—On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Jack Phillips, the owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Colorado. The small-business owner inadvertently took on the Goliath of the far-left political machine when he declined to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple, citing the constitutional protection of his...
Union Activity Ramps Up in Advance of Supreme Court Decision
(Wall Street Journal)—As organized labor braces for a Supreme Court ruling that could make it easy for public-sector workers to stop paying some dues, unions across the country are reaching out to hundreds of thousands of members to persuade them to keep paying dues. The Service Employees International Union has...
Let’s Support Teachers By Backing Their Freedom To Choose Whether Or Not To Join a Union
(The Hill)—As we celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week this week, teachers across the nation remain remarkably underappreciated. In at least five states so far this year, educators are voicing their discontent by organizing walkouts and strikes to protest lagging salaries and woefully inadequate supplies. Viral social media posts of classrooms in...
Ruling for Janus Would Reduce Conflict in Washington State Schools
(Real Clear Education)—On February 26th, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Janus v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). Mark Janus, a child support specialist working for the Illinois state government, was challenging state laws that force him to pay dues to the AFSCME union....
Teacher: Agency Fees Are 100 Percent Political – And Unions Know It
(The Hill)—The Supreme Court recently heard arguments in Janus v. AFSCME, a case involving “agency fees” that unions impose on workers who aren’t members to cover union activities with the exception of political action. Since the oral arguments took place, most news outlets, court watchers and even most union leaders...
IC Alum Central in Supreme Court Case
(Journal Courier)—To Illinois College alum Mark Janus, who is at the center of a history-making Supreme Court case, it’s about standing up for what he believes is right. It’s that belief that resulted in his fight against the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union to the U.S....