Chicago worker wins back unlawfully deducted union dues

Heidi E. Schneider | Staff Attorney (2018-Present) | NRTWLD&EF, Inc

By Sky Industry News

Oct 18, 2024

Hundreds of thousands of American public sector workers have experienced the effects of the Janus decision, a Supreme Court ruling from June 2018. The decision prohibits union bosses from mandating public sector workers to join or pay dues as an employment condition.

Rhonda Younkins, a 911 operator in Chicago, challenged her union, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 21. She claimed that the union was not acting in its members' best interests and decided to leave due to various grievances. With assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation, Younkins successfully compelled IBEW Local 21 officials to return unlawfully deducted dues and stop future deductions.

Younkins had repeatedly attempted to cease dues payments but faced resistance from union officials. Eventually, with legal aid from Foundation attorneys, charges were filed against the IBEW at the Illinois Labor Relations Board. The union officials then agreed to halt dues collections and refund previously collected amounts.

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The Janus decision continues to influence many workers like Younkins who seek independence from unions. Since its issuance in 2018, approximately 450,000 public employees stopped paying unions immediately. Over six years, litigation supported by the Foundation has protected tens of thousands more government employees' rights.

Patrick Semmens, Vice President of the National Right to Work Foundation, stated: "We at the Foundation are encouraged at the strides workers have made since our Janus victory at the Supreme Court." He noted that challenges remain as "union bosses still stonewall public workers when they try to exercise their First Amendment Janus freedoms."

Semmens added that "Foundation staff attorneys will keep fighting for a future where all American workers’ right to freely associate or dissociate with a union is fully protected."