Statehouse News Bureau

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Five State Employees File Lawsuit Against State Leaders And Unions

By Jo Ingles

Published August 27, 2019 at 9:56 PM EDT

Five state employees have filed a lawsuit in federal court, claiming their rights have been violated by being required to pay union dues. Here's why.

Four employees with the Ohio Department of Transportation and one with the Ohio Department of Public Safety have filed suit against two labor unions, Gov. Mike DeWine and Department of Administrative Services Director Matt Damschroder. Patrick Semmens with the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation says it is unconstitutional to require the workers to pay union dues.

“The Supreme Court in the 2018 Janus decision said union dues must not be mandatory and workers must opt in and consent to them," Semmens says.

A spokesman for Attorney General Dave Yost says he does not have a comment at this time.