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In a recent case involving the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 21, 911 operator Patricia Whittaker successfully halted union dues deductions that were being taken without her consent. This marks another victory for Chicago 911 operators in asserting their constitutional rights under the Janus v. AFSCME Supreme Court decision.
Patricia Whittaker, employed by the City of Chicago, sought legal assistance from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation after IBEW Local 21 officials continued deducting dues from her paycheck despite her objections. Whittaker invoked her First Amendment rights, citing the 2018 Supreme Court ruling which determined that public sector employees could not be forced to support union dues as a condition of employment, requiring unions to obtain explicit consent from employees before making such deductions.
Foundation attorneys filed unfair labor practice charges with the Illinois Public Employment Relations Board (PERB). As a result, the union ceased their demands for dues and acknowledged its missteps. Throughout her ordeal, Whittaker was caught in a back-and-forth between her employer and the union, both attributing the authority to stop the deductions to each other.
