Lyon v. Union of California State Workers
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.
Lyon v. Union of California State Workers is pending before the Superior Court of Sacramento County, California. The defendants filed the suit on July 10, 2018, seeking due restitution for the agency fees paid to the Union of California State Workers over the course of their careers, given the plaintiffs never elected to join the union.[1][2][3]
Procedural history
The plaintiffs are Jeff Lyon and Karen Sandberg. They are represented by Eric George of Browne George Ross in Los Angeles.. The defendants are The Union of California State Works, also known as SEIU 1000. They are represented by in-house attorneys.[1][2][3]
The plaintiffs in Lyon v. Union of California State Workers first filed their lawsuit on July 10, 2018, in the Superior Court of Sacramento County, California. In light of the ruling in Janus v. AFSCME, the plaintiffs sought restitution of union dues deducted from their paychecks throughout the course of their careers.[1][2][3]
- July 10, 2018: Plaintiffs file original complaint.
For a list of available case documents, click here.
Decision
A decision is pending in Lyon v. Union of California State Workers.
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
Click show to view a list of cases with links to our in-depth coverage.
See also
- Public-sector union policy in the United States, 2018-2023
- Janus v. AFSCME
- Abood v. Detroit Board of Education
External links
Case documents
Trial court
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Superior Court of Sacramento County, California, "CLASS ACTION COMPLAINT FOR UNFAIR COMPETITION, CONVERSION, TRESPASS TO CHATTELS, UNJUST ENRICHMENT, AND MONEY HAD AND RECEIVED," accessed October 6, 2020
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Courthouse News Service, "State Workers Demand Refund of Union Fees After SCOTUS Ruling," accessed October 6, 2020
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Sacramento Business Journal, "Following Supreme Court ruling, state workers file class action to recoup union fees," accessed October 6, 2020
- ↑ 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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