Press Release: Buckeye Institute

Contact: Lisa Gates, Vice President of Comms (614) 224-3255 or Lisa@BuckeyeInstitute.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE      July 20, 2017

The Buckeye Institute Files Amicus Brief in Janus v. AFSCME Supporting Free Speech Columbus, OH - The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court of the United States in the case Janus v. AFSCME, supporting Mark Janus and the First Amendment. In the brief, Buckeye shows that unions can survive without compelled contributions and, alternatively, this change will lead unions to better serve their members.    "Forcing employees to pay for speech with which they disagree is a violation of their First Amendment rights," said Robert Alt, president and CEO of The Buckeye Institute. "Neither Mr. Janus, nor anyone else, should ever be forced to pay fees to a union just to keep their jobs. Such compulsion is fundamentally unjust and unconstitutional."   Illinois, among other states, forces public sector employees who opt out of the union to pay an agency fee, which is supposed to support the union for collective bargaining services, including lobbying on behalf of the union. As a result, Mr. Janus, a child support specialist with the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, is forced to pay fees to the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), a government union, to keep his job.   As Mr. Janus said in a January 2016 op-ed in the Chicago Tribune:             "I went into this line of work because I care about kids. But just because I care about kids doesn't mean I also want to support a government union. Unfortunately, I have no choice. To keep my job at the state, I have to pay monthly fees to the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, or AFSCME, a public employee union that claims to 'represent' me...   "The union voice is not my voice. The union's fight is not my fight. But a piece of my paycheck every week still goes to the union. I am not anti-union. Unions have their place. And some people like them. But unions aren't a fit for everyone. And I shouldn't be forced to pay money to a union if I don't think it does a good job representing my interests."   The Buckeye Institute's amicus brief was filed on July 7, 2017. # # #   Founded in 1989, The Buckeye Institute is an independent research and educational institution - a think tank - whose mission is to advance free-market public policy in the states. The Buckeye Institute is a non-partisan, non-profit, and tax-exempt organization, as defined by section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue code. As such, it relies on support from individuals, corporations, and foundations that share a commitment to individual liberty, free enterprise, personal responsibility, and limited government. The Buckeye Institute does not seek or accept government funding.