Salem, OR — The Freedom Foundation condemns Oregon House Bill 3789, which passed out of the House yesterday after more than an hour of debate. The legislation weaponizes the legal system in favor of politically connected public-sector unions while providing no real protection to Oregon workers. The bill now moves to the Senate.
Disguised as the “Workers Fraud Protection Act,” HB 3789 claims to protect public employees from fraudulent impersonation of union representatives. However, the legislation is deliberately crafted to target a single nonprofit organization—the Freedom Foundation.
“The Freedom Foundation does not impersonate unions or their representatives—period,” said Jason Dudash, west coast director for the Freedom Foundation. “This bill is a transparently political attempt to punish us for helping public employees exercise their constitutional rights. It’s not about stopping fraud; it’s about silencing opposition. We thank the Republican members of the House who publicly opposed it.”
Despite its claims, the bill’s sponsors failed to provide a single verified incident of false impersonation by the Freedom Foundation or anyone else. In fact, Oregon’s existing laws already criminalize impersonation of individuals or organizations, including unions.
Instead, HB 3789 introduces vague, open-ended legal definitions designed specifically to target the Freedom Foundation’s constitutionally protected outreach efforts, which include informing public employees of their First Amendment right to opt out of union membership and dues.
“Let’s call this bill what it is—a political hit job designed to please union leaders who fund political campaigns, not to protect workers,” said Ben Straka, research and government affairs associate for the Freedom Foundation. “It empowers unions to sue first and prove nothing, with automatic financial penalties and no burden to show actual damages.”
Not a single public employee has testified in support of HB 3789. On the contrary, multiple workers have submitted testimony opposing it, crediting the Freedom Foundation with helping them freely and lawfully end union membership. Meanwhile, the only evidence provided by HB 3789’s proponents—one edited mailer stripped of identifiers and context—fails to meet any reasonable threshold for fraudulent impersonation.
“This bill sets a terrifying precedent,” Straka continued. “It invites politically favored groups to use the courts as a bludgeon against anyone who challenges them. That’s not democracy—it’s intimidation.”
The Freedom Foundation calls on Senators on both sides of the aisle to reject HB 3789 and any future legislation that attempts to abuse the law to punish constitutionally protected speech and advocacy.
