After the Supreme Court decision in Janus v. AFSCME just last year, public employees no longer were mandated to have membership in a union and they had their first amendment rights restored. However, now we are seeing local unions set up obstacles for union members who wish to legally resign, creating hostile work environments.
Laura Loescher works at Scandia Elementary School in the Forest Lake Public School District and is also a member of the Teamsters Local 320, believing that if she were not to be a union member, she would be fired. After the Janus case, Loescher attempted to legally resign from the union, following all the complicated steps the Teamsters union put into place.
Loescher’s union then refused to recognize that she had resigned and insisted that her employer continue to deduct dues from her pay. They also, despite their insistence that she is still a member, stripped her of all abilities to participate in contract ratification and more. Loescher will soon filed a lawsuit to challenge this mandated union membership and subsequent payments toward union dues.
Since Janus, the Center of the American Experiment has launched a project called Employee Freedom MN. It’s main goal is to empower minnesota public employees to make educated decisions about their union membership.
“The State of Minnesota is not telling employees about their rights or requiring the written consent employers need before deducting union dues. We hope our efforts will change that in the near future” says Kim Crockett, Vice President of the Center of the American Experiment.
Watch the Center of the American Experiment’s recent press conference here.
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Megan Olson
Megan Olson is a 2020 graduate of the University of Minnesota with degrees in political science and history. She works in public affairs in addition to serving on the Legislative Advisory Council for School District 196. She is also on the school board for FIT academy, a charter school in Apple Valley.
