On July 10, 2018, Illinois child support specialist, Mark Janus opened his paycheck and for the first time the line marked “Union Dues” read “$0.” The same day, Janus and lead of his legal team, Patrick Hughes of the Liberty Justice Center, sat down with Policy Circle to discuss the landmark case JANUS vs. AFSCME. The Supreme Court recently decided in favor of Janus, with the majority opinion stating “the First Amendment does not permit the government to compel a person to pay for another party’s speech.” The decision means public sector unions can no longer require fair share dues of those employees who wish to opt out. Dues amounted to $38 million a year in Illinois alone and $600 million nationally last year.
“If the unions had done what they were originally designed to do, then we wouldn’t have this case … but they somewhat overstretched and got into areas past and beyond simple wages and benefits which was the original idea.” – Mark Janus
Mr. Janus also commented about how this case could affect government worker and said,
“I think you are going to find that the overall management structure of government is going to become more efficient. It is going to be great because they can see that they don’t have to be a member of the union or have seniority to get that job … I think it will be a positive for people.” – Mark Janus
Click here to listen to a recording of the 30 minute conversation. At Janus’s recommendation, click here to read Kristen McQueary’s Chicago Tribune commentary to understand the union environment in Illinois that lead to his filing.
More conversation calls are on the horizon. Join us for the full series by becoming an official member with an annual donation of $50 or more.
