A national anti-union organization has recently opened its doors in central Ohio. The organization is The Freedom Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit which operates in several states across the country including Washington, Oregon, Ohio and California. The organization claims it is seeking to educate public employees about union membership and dues and hopes to further that goal with its new location in Columbus.
The foundation states that it intends to inform public sector employees of their ability to opt out of union dues pursuant to the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, Janus v. AFSCME. In Janus, the Supreme Court found mandatory union fees to be a violation of a government employee’s First Amendment rights not to endorse the union’s speech. Janus v. AFSCME, Council 31, 138 S. Ct. 2448, 2486 (2018).
The foundation also plans to advocate for new right-to-work legislation. Its stated goal is to “remove all government employee unions from the political cycle.” While the group’s chances of passing legislation in western states appears dim, the group believes that legislation in Ohio is a real possibility. The group has previously used the court system to push its policies by teaming up with the National Right to Work organization and filing class action lawsuits on behalf of public employees.
The Freedom Foundation gets its message out through social media, mail, email, cable television ads, op-eds and phone calls to spread word about employees’ ability to stop paying union dues under the Janus decision. However, the organization also intends to go door-to-door visiting government buildings to speak with public employees personally.
It is important for public employers to be aware of the Freedom Foundation and its mission, as the group makes efforts to contact public employees because there is a possibility there will be an increase in public employees requesting to opt out of paying dues.
The attorneys at Fishel Downey Albrecht & Riepenhoff, LLP routinely advise public employers on employment matters, including issues relating to union dues and collective bargaining. If you have any questions about this case or any other matter, please contact us at info@fisheldowney.com or call 614.221.1216.