Since the Supreme Court Decision in Janus unions can’t require dues. They are not legally able to force an individual to join a union or pay fees. More than a few workers have chosen not to pay. But that hasn’t stopped unions from taking dues.
Related: J Bartlett: Janus Ruling Saves NH State Employees 1 Million A Year
The Freedom Foundation has filed a growing number of lawsuits. The charge?
[T]he organization on Monday filed federal lawsuits on behalf of five separate public employees in Washington, Oregon and California alleging their union not only created false documents but cited those same documents to justify keeping the workers — and their dues dollars — in the union.
“This isn’t an accounting error or an honest mistake,” said Eric Stahlfeld, the Freedom Foundation’s chief litigation counsel. “This looks like a pattern of criminal behavior. Unions evidently have learned to do business this way because for generations no one ever stood up to them.”
These unions are forging signatures to allow the union to take dues from these workers.
To date, only a handful of unions have been accused, with about a dozen cases on the west coast but the SEIU is the most common thief among these criminals. And the SEIU is everywhere. We have them here in New Hampshire.
But for this scam to work, the business or government agency where the union operates has to allow direct deductions from payroll checks. The easiest foil would be to require union members to remit dues directly to the union by other means.
Government agencies, legislators, or governors with the authority could discourage the practice by making it impossible for the scheme to work. Ban direct reductions by unions. Stop using taxpayer resources to collect money for left-wing union bosses who, in some cases, are forging signatures to rob their own workers.
Companies operating with a union could do something similar, though that is probably part of your contract with the union. Any effort to modify that may require proof of illegal behavior. It’s a union. If you look hard enough I’m sure you can find something. Especially if you are dealing with the SEIU.
Anyone who thinks they may have been a victim of this scam or knows it is being practiced is encouraged to contact www.freedomfoundation.com.
