An Illinois lawsuit challenging mandatory union fees paid by government workers could soon be headed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit affirmed the judgment of a district court Tuesday, which was the result the plaintiffs had sought. Now the case can potentially proceed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The plaintiffs in the case, Janus v. AFSCME, are two employees of Illinois government who are required to pay mandatory union fees to the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 and Teamsters Local 916 as a condition of employment. They are represented by the Liberty Justice Center and the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation.
Illinois law requires most employees of state government to pay money to a union as a condition of their employment. Although state employees are not forced to be full-fledged union members, they are required to pay ‘’fair share’’ fees to the union regardless of whether they want union representation. The lawsuit seeks to end that practice on the grounds the fees violate the plaintiffs’ First Amendment rights.
Attorneys for the Illinois state workers now have 90 days to submit a petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case.
