On Friday, the Freedom Foundation took its latest in a long line of steps toward advancing worker freedom in Ohio by delivering to Gov. Mike DeWine nearly 500 individual letters from the state’s public employees, each containing one simple request — stop taking union dues from their paychecks.
Hundreds of Ohioans have attempted to opt out of their unions — and while some have been successful, almost 500 have had their opt-outs denied by their union.
It’s time for Gov. DeWine to take action where government union leaders have failed.
Since arriving in Ohio last fall, the Freedom Foundation’s campaign to inform public employees of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2018 decision in Janus v. AFSCME has produced the expected results — hundreds of individuals deciding to leave their unions and keep their money in their pockets.
For these hard-working Ohioans, the fight to protect their hard-earned paychecks from union greed may feel like an uphill battle. But with the Freedom Foundation on their side, the time has come for this unjustifiable behavior to change.
In sharing this information with Gov. DeWine and his administration, our organization is hopeful state officials will take action to give a voice back to employees who’ve rightfully chosen to exercise their First Amendment rights and, in doing so, expose government unions’ blatant disregard for the “members” they claim to protect.
The Freedom Foundation’s letter urges DAS to “take immediate action to process the enclosed forms and cease deducting dues from these employees on the union’s behalf,” and goes on to point out the department’s clear responsibility to do so under Ohio Revised Code (ORC) section 4117.09(B)(2) and Article 4.01 of the state’s contract with the union representing state employees, the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association (OCSEA).
The letter also asks DAS to address opt-out forms that have been ignored by various other government unions.
At the end of the day, the concept isn’t hard to grasp. These individuals have made it clear they want out of their unions. For union leaders to blatantly flout their constitutional rights is a shameful injustice, and Gov. DeWine’s administration cannot allow this to continue.
The Freedom Foundation looks forward to hearing a response from both the Governor’s Office and DAS. As champions of individual liberty and limited, accountable government, we should all be in agreement that workers’ freedom to choose how their money is spent embodies all of those values we hold near and dear in our hearts.
Gov. DeWine has the power to make a difference for these people. We hope he chooses to lead them to their rightful freedom.
If he doesn’t, the Freedom Foundation will.
