Dallas, TX – Freedom Foundation attorney James Abernathy authored an amicus brief joined by other national workers’ rights protections groups to back The Buckeye Institute’s appeal in asking the Ohio Supreme Court to hear their case, Sheldon v. Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE).

Freedom Foundation is joined by the Liberty Justice Center, Mackinac Center for Public Policy, and National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation to support the Buckeye Institute’s client Matthew Sheldon and the mission to protect workers’ paychecks from unlawful deductions in Ohio.

The lawsuit challenges existing Ohio law that leaves Ohio’s public workers without a way to challenge the validity of a union’s restrictions on employees’ ability to leave the union and stop paying dues. Ohio courts disclaim jurisdiction and tell workers to go to the State Employment Relations Board and the State Employment Relations Board does the same while telling workers to take their case to the courts. This leaves workers’ rights in a “No Man’s Land” unions love because it means workers’ wages keep flowing into union coffers.

“This lawsuit sets an important precedent about how and where Ohio’s public employees can protect themselves from unlawful union practices. Workers need a venue where they can shine a light on a union’s illegal actions and demand accountability,” said Aaron Withe, CEO of the Freedom Foundation. “We are proud to stand with the Buckeye Institute in defending public employees.”

Learn more about Mr. Sheldon’s case and to stay up-to-date on Sheldon v. OAPSE here.