Grega v. Council of New Jersey State College Locals

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Grega v. Council of New Jersey State College Locals
Case number: 1:19-cv-13473
Status: Terminated/Settled
Important dates
Filed: September 16, 2019
District court decision: February 4, 2020
District court outcome
Voluntary dismissal by plaintiff

This case is one of over a hundred public-sector union lawsuits Ballotpedia tracked following the U.S. Supreme Court's 2018 decision in Janus v. AFSCME. These pages were updated through February 2023 and may not reflect subsequent case developments. For more information about Ballotpedia's coverage of public-sector union policy in the United States, click here. Contact our team to suggest an update.

Grega v. Council of New Jersey State College Locals was concluded with a settlement agreement. The plaintiff voluntarily dismissed the lawsuit from the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey on February 4, 2020. The lawsuit challenged the constitutionality of union fee deduction agreements, made prior to Janus v. AFSCME, allowing continued fee deductions throughout a given time, regardless of membership status, if membership was withdrawn outside of a designated time period. The plaintiff requested an injunction against such agreements, a refund of all dues deducted since her withdrawal of membership in August 2018, costs, and attorneys’ fees.[1][2][3]

HIGHLIGHTS
  • The parties to the suit: The plaintiff was Lisa Grega. The lead defendant was the Council of New Jersey State College Locals AFT/AFL-CIO, Local 2364.
  • The issue: In light of Janus v. AFSCME, can public-sector unions be held liable for refunding union dues after union membership withdrawal if there is a pre-existing agreement for fees deduction throughout a given time period, regardless of membership status?
  • The presiding judge(s): Judge Renee Bumb presided over the district court proceedings. Judge Bumb was appointed by President George W. Bush (R).
  • The outcome: This case resulted in a settlement agreement.

    • Procedural history

    The plaintiff was Lisa Grega, represented by counsel from King Moench Hirniak & Mehta, LLP. The lead defendant was the Council of New Jersey State College Locals AFT/AFL-CIO, Local 2364, represented by counsel from Mets, Schiro & McGovern, LLP.[1] Below is a brief procedural history of the lawsuit:[1][2][3]

    • September 16, 2019: The plaintiffs in Grega v. Council of New Jersey State College Locals first filed their lawsuit on September 16, 2019, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. The lawsuit challenged the constitutionality of union fee deduction agreements, made prior to Janus v. AFSCME, allowing continued fee deductions throughout a given time, regardless of membership status, if membership was withdrawn outside of a designated time period. The plaintiff requested an injunction against such agreements, a refund of all dues deducted since her withdrawal of membership in August 2018, costs, and attorneys’ fees.
    • February 4, 2020: The plaintiff voluntarily dismissed the lawsuit. A settlement agreement was reached in this case.

    For a list of available case documents, click here.

    Decision

    A settlement agreement was reached in this case, and the plaintiff voluntarily dismissed the lawsuit.[2][3]

    Legal context

    Janus v. AFSCME (2018)

    See also: Janus v. AFSCME

    On June 27, 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a 5-4 decision in Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (Janus v. AFSCME), ruling that public-sector unions cannot compel non-member employees to pay fees to cover the costs of non-political union activities.[4]

    This decision overturned precedent established in Abood v. Detroit Board of Education in 1977. In Abood, the high court held that it was not a violation of employees' free-speech and associational rights to require them to pay fees to support union activities from which they benefited (e.g., collective bargaining, contract administration, etc.). These fees were commonly referred to as agency fees or fair-share fees.[4]

    Justice Samuel Alito authored the opinion for the court majority in Janus, joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, and Neil Gorsuch. Alito wrote, "Abood was poorly reasoned. It has led to practical problems and abuse. It is inconsistent with other First Amendment cases and has been undermined by more recent decisions. Developments since Abood was handed down have shed new light on the issue of agency fees, and no reliance interests on the part of public-sector unions are sufficient to justify the perpetuation of the free speech violations that Abood has countenanced for the past 41 years. Abood is therefore overruled."[4]

    Related litigation

    To view a complete list of the public-sector labor lawsuits Ballotpedia tracked between 2019 and 2023, click here.

    Number of federal lawsuits by circuit

    Between 2019 and 2023, Ballotpedia tracked 191 federal lawsuits related to public-sector labor laws. The chart below depicts the number of suits per federal judicial circuit (i.e., the jurisdictions in which the suits originated).

    Public-sector labor lawsuits on Ballotpedia

    See also: Public-sector union policy in the United States, 2018-2023

    Click show to view a list of cases with links to our in-depth coverage.

    v • e
    Public-sector labor lawsuits
    Federal lawsuits

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    See also

    External links

    Case documents

    Trial court

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 PacerMonitor, “GREGA v. COUNCIL OF NEW JERSEY STATE COLLEGE LOCALS, AFT/AFL-CIO, LOCAL 2364 et al,” accessed June 4, 2020
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 PacerMonitor, “Grega v. Council of New Jersey State College Locals: Complaint,” June 6, 2019
    3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 PacerMonitor, “Grega v. Council of New Jersey State College Locals: Letter from Matthew C. Moench, Esq. to Hon. Renee Marie Bumb, U.S.D.J., regarding status of case,” December 20, 2019
    4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Supreme Court of the United States, Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Council 31, et al., June 27, 2018
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