The U.S. Supreme Court will begin hearing the Janus v. AFSCME case on Monday, February 26th.
What is Janus about?
Janus is just one of many ongoing the attacks on working people. The Guardian reported on a network of right-wing think tanks and funders plotting an $80 million campaign in nearly every state to “defund and defang unions” because they know strong unions are the only thing standing between them and total control of our economy and democracy.
Where did this case come from?
This case originated from billionaire Bruce Rauner, governor of Illinois, to take away the freedom and opportunity of working people to join together in strong unions so that he could advance an agenda benefiting corporations and the wealthy. Rauner filed a lawsuit on his own behalf to bar the collection of fair-share fees by public service unions.
A federal judge ruled that Rauner could not bring this action because he was not himself an employee paying fair-share fees. But the legal arms of the National Right to Work Committee and the Liberty Justice Center were able to carry the case forward by planting plaintiffs (in this case, an AFSCME member named Mark Janus) as stand-ins for Rauner in the federal lawsuit. The district court dismissed the case, based on long-standing precedent. The plaintiffs asked the lower court to fast-track their appeal and rule against them in order to more quickly get the case before the U.S. Supreme Court. This will take place on Monday, January 26, when the Supreme Court will begin hearing the case.
What are fair-share fees, and why are they important?
Unions work because we all pay our fair share, and we all benefit from what we negotiate together. Public sector unions charge a fair-share fee to nonmembers for the representation the unions provide. No one is forced to join a union, and no one is forced to pay any fees that go to politics or political candidates. That is already the law of the land. Nothing in this case will change that. This case is about taking away the freedom of working people to come together, speak up for each other, and build a better life for themselves and their families.
Hold an "I'm In Day of Action" on January 26th
To call attention to the importance of unions for every worker, we are asking our locals to conduct a membership drive. Give your members and agency feepayers an "I'm In" button when they complete a membership application. There are ways to do this: having a table in the employee lounge or gathering space; having a social event with ice cream or pizza; playing songs of solidarity; handing out flyers. It's up to your imagination!
Let us at AFT Washington know what you're planning so we can share it within our membership, social media, and AFT. Take photos and send them to us at swatson@aftwa.org.