Union Membership in Janus’ Own State
Good news comes out of the state of Illinois, the home state of Mark Janus, lead plaintiff in the landmark National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation case, which freed all public sector workers from having to pay dues to an unwanted union. Mailee Smith has the story on illinoispolicy.org.
Thousands of teachers and other public education workers across Illinois have exercised their right not to join or pay a union in the year following the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Janus v. AFSCME.
The latest numbers come from the Illinois Education Association, which reported in a Sept. 27 federal filing that thousands have stopped paying dues or fees since June 30, 2018. While the union experienced a slight uptick in the number of full members, it lost 4,881 dues or fee payers overall – a 3% decline from the previous year.