FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMedia Contact:
Steve Buckstein
503-242-0900
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PORTLAND, Ore. – The U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments this morning in the Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association case aimed at protecting the First Amendment rights of free speech and free association for public employees nationwide, including Oregon.
Rebecca Friedrichs and nine other California public school teachers argue that their Constitutional rights are being violated by the collection of so-called “fair share” or “agency” fees from their paychecks to pay for services the teachers don’t want, from a union whose political goals they oppose.
The Court has long allowed both public and private sector employees to opt out of union membership and the political portion of union dues, but has allowed unions to collect fees for bargaining and representation purposes. Now, Rebecca Friedrichs and her colleagues are arguing that in the public sector, everything their union does is inherently political and therefore they should not be compelled to support that organization with their money.
Organizations and individuals across the country have filed Amicus Briefs with the Court in this case, including two Oregon public employees who have opted out of membership in the labor union that represents them, but are still “…required to make ‘payments-in-lieu-of-dues’ to SEIU….” Their brief was submitted by local attorneys Jill Gibson and James Huffman. Mr. Huffman is Dean Emeritus of Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland and an Academic Advisor to Cascade Policy Institute.
Cascade Policy Institute founder and Senior Policy Analyst Steve Buckstein notes that,
“In bringing her case to the U.S. Supreme Court Rebecca Friedrichs may become the most well-known public school teacher in America—and the most controversial. She is taking this action because, in her own words, ‘It’s time to set aside this union name-calling and all this fear mongering, and let’s put America and her children first, and let’s put the rights of individuals above the rights of these powerful unions.’”
Buckstein adds,
“Cascade Policy Institute stands with Rebecca Friedrichs and her colleagues in this important First Amendment struggle. We look forward to the Court ruling in favor of individual rights above the rights of what Rebecca calls ‘these powerful unions’.”
The Court is expected to announce its ruling near the end of June.
Cascade Policy Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy research and educational organization that focuses on state and local issues in Oregon. Cascade’s mission is to develop and promote public policy alternatives that foster individual liberty, personal responsibility, and economic opportunity.
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