Union Station: May 10, 2019

Get Union Station: Ballotpedia's weekly deep dive on public-sector union policy

Email *

First Name

Please complete the Captcha above

Welcome to Union Station, our weekly newsletter that keeps you abreast of the legislation, national trends, and public debate surrounding public-sector union policy. This week, we shine a spotlight on Ohio, where CWA 4502 recently settled a class-action lawsuit over membership resignation restrictions.

State spotlight: Ohio CWA 4502 settles class-action lawsuit over membership resignation restrictions

Ohio CWA (Communications Workers of America) 4502 has settled a class-action lawsuit over a policy that restricted the period during which members could revoke dues deduction authorizations. As a result, the union will refund dues collected from affected employees and cease enforcing the policy. (Sources: The National Law Review, National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation)

• Who were the parties to the suit? The plaintiff was Connie Pennington, an employee of the city of Columbus. She was represented by the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation. The defendants were CWA 4502 and the city of Columbus.
  • More about CWA 4502: CWA 4502 is a local division of the Communications Workers of America. It represents approximately 1,000 professional and mid-level management employees of the city of Columbus.
• What was at issue? Before the settlement, members could revoke dues deduction authorizations only at the conclusion of a bargaining agreement. Pennington argued this restriction violated her right, established in Janus v. AFSCME, not to provide financial support to the union.
• What are the responses?
  • Mark Mix, president of the National Right to Work Foundation, said, "Ms. Pennington stood up for her rights and successfully defeated this forced-fees, coercive scheme, freeing not just herself but also hundreds of her colleagues."
  • CWA 4502 has made no public comments regarding the original lawsuit or settlement.
• The case, Pennington v. CWA Local 4502, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.

The big picture

Number of relevant bills by state

We are currently tracking 94 pieces of legislation dealing with public-sector employee union policy. On the map below, a darker shade of green indicates a greater number of relevant bills. Click here for a complete list of all the bills we're tracking.

Number of relevant bills by current legislative status

Number of relevant bills by partisan status of sponsor(s)

Recent legislative actions

Below is a complete list of legislative actions on relevant bills since the beginning of the year. Bills are listed in alphabetical order, first by state and then by bill number.

• Connecticut SB00064: This bill would prohibit employers from requiring employees to attend or participate in meetings concerning an employer's views of religious or political matters, including matters related to unions.
  • Referred to Labor and Public Employees Committee May 9.
• New Hampshire SB148: This bill would require public employers to notify hirees of their right to join or refrain from joining. The notification would also include the estimated annual cost of joining a union.
  • House approved amended bill May 8.
• New Hampshire SB249: This bill would classify the state Legislature as a public employer under the state's labor laws.
  • Died (declared inexpedient to legislate) May 8.

See also

• Public sector union policy in the United States