Union Station: July 27, 2018

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On June 27, the Supreme Court issued its 5-4 ruling in Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (Janus). The court ruled that public sector unions cannot require non-member employees to pay agency fees to cover the costs of non-political union activities. Below is a summary of recent actions responding to the ruling.

• Maine and Minnesota: Working on behalf of Jonathan Reisman, an associate professor of economics at the University of Maine, and Boyd Bradbury, a professor at Minnesota State University, the Ohio-based Buckeye Institute submitted letters to both professors' unions demanding their immediate release from membership, circumventing the unions' opt-out requirements. Reisman's union stipulated members could cancel their memberships only between Aug. 15 and Sept. 15 in any given year. Bradbury's union established a similar window beginning April 1 and ending June 15. The Buckeye Institute argued the restrictions violated Janus. The unions acquiesced to the requests. (Source: The Buckeye Institute)
• Maryland: On July 26, The Baltimore Sun reported the Michigan-based Mackinac Center for Public Policy had launched an email campaign aimed at informing public school teachers of their rights under Janus. The emails said teachers “now have the right to stop paying for activities” they do not support. (Source: The Baltimore Sun)
  • Baltimore Teachers Union president Marietta English said the campaign is an attempt to undermine workers' rights: "These billionaires are trying to cut out the voice of the working class. It's not working." Rogie Legaspi, a teacher and union member, said, "This came through my work email, and how they did it was a puzzle to me. It's encouraging union members to give up their memberships, and they're basically saying you can save a couple of dollars."
  • Mackinac’s Lindsay Killen, vice president for strategic outreach and communication, said, "To the extent that union leaders are unhappy with the fact that we’re reaching out to workers in their school systems or places of work, we would assert that those individuals deserve to know what their rights are, and they have a choice. If unions are truly providing a valuable service to members, their members are more likely to stay, and they have nothing to fear from those members being armed with information about their rights." Killen said Mackinac has been sending emails to public sector workers nationwide, having amassed email addresses over the course of years, sometimes through filing Freedom of Information Act requests.
• New York: On July 23, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran signed an executive order prohibiting the release of public workers' personal information, including home addresses, telephone numbers, cell phone numbers, and personal email addresses. The order took effect immediately but does not apply to information subject to New York Civil Service Law or information requested as part of legal processes. Nassau County Comptroller Jack Schnirman praised the move, saying it will “protect the personal information of county employees. The workforce is our partner in progress in Nassau County and deserve to work in an environment free of harassment from those who wish to destroy the labor movement." (Source: Long Island Business News)

The big picture

Number of relevant bills by state

As of July 27, 2018, we are tracking 196 pieces of legislation dealing with public sector employee union policy. No new bills were added this week. On the map below, a darker shade of green indicates a greater number of relevant bills. Click the map for complete information.

Number of relevant bills by current legislative status

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

Recent legislative actions

State legislatures did not act this week on any of the bills Ballotpedia is tracking because all but seven states' legislatures have adjourned. Of those seven, three (California, Michigan, and Pennsylvania) are in recess, two (West Virginia and North Carolina) are in special session, and two (Massachusetts and New Jersey) are in regular session.

See also

• Public sector union policy in the United States