The two developments might or might not be related, but in the same week public-sector unions all over the nation absorbed a body blow with the long-anticipated ruling in Janus v. AFSCME, a pair of unions in California wilted under pressure from the Freedom Foundation and finally agreed to allow nine workers represented by the organization to opt out.
In June, Freedom Foundation attorneys notified SEIU 2015 and UDW, AFSCME 3930 of their intent to pursue legal action against both unions for their stubborn refusal to respect the wishes of nine “members” who had exercised their constitutional rights under Harris v. Quinn to opt out of all union dues and fees.
The nine plaintiffs were culled from a list of 500 possible litigants.
This week, perhaps coinciding with a Janus decision that extends the same opt-out rights to all state, county and city government workers, the two unions informed the Freedom Foundation they were ending weeks of stonewalling and dropping their opposition.
But not without taking a few parting shots.
“The challenges facing IHSS providers in the current political environment,” read one letter, “are simply too great to allow our union to be distracted by disputes stirred up by corporate-funded outside groups.”
Translation: Your First Amendment rights finish a distant second to our ability to exercise dominance against free-market advocates like the Freedom Foundation.
In a showing of incredible pettiness, the union decided to take a shot at its members on their way out.
Either way, we won and they threw in the towel.
Whether the connection to Janus is real or symbolic, the unions’ capitulation underscores that the floodgates are open and the pathway to freedom is slightly wider. And we have every intention of capitalizing on our momentum.
Please visit OptOutToday.com and share with your unionized friends that they are stronger today thanks to the Supreme Court and groups like the Freedom Foundation.
