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June 27, 2018                                                                                                                       Erin Shannon 360-705-6543
                                                                                                                                               David Boze 206-946-1018

SEATTLE – The United States Supreme Court delivered a strong affirmation of individual worker rights in JANUS v AFSCME today.  The ruling means government workers at every level, national, state and local,  will regain their freedom of association and be able to choose whether or not to join a government union. 

"This is a victory for worker's rights that will reverberate throughout the nation, including Washington state," said Erin Shannon, Washington Policy Center director for the Center for Worker Rights.  "Government unions will have to stop using force and start using persuasion to attract members."

Mark Janus, the Illinois state worker and lead plaintiff in the case, was a keynote speaker at Washington Policy Center's recent Solutions Summit events.  Janus argued the government union he was forced to belong to was inherently political, given they lobbied for increased government spending and employment policies.  He pointed out that his state was unable to properly provide for the most vulnerable and that he disagreed with the union's priorities.

“I am not anti-union," said Janus.  "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 full TVW video of Janus' presentation at WPC's Solutions Summit is here. 

According to Shannon, the full impact of this ruling will take some time to realize. "This ruling means workers have choice, but government unions and the politicians they've elected planned for this moment and have already set up barriers," she said. "We intend to let workers know the truth.  These special interest groups have been allowed to use employees like ATM's for long enough. Giving people the freedom to choose which associations they belong to and what causes they contribute to affirms fundamental American values. People deserve to know what's really going on."

To learn more about the case or, if you're a government worker and want to learn to opt-out, visit WashingtonPolicy.org.

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