Putting The Worker First This Labor Day Weekend
As we enter this Labor Day weekend, which offers an extra day off in recognition of the commitment of America’s workers, it is important to put the focus back on the individual worker. Recent action we saw this week in Alaska is a shining example of ways our national leaders can put workers first.
Alaska Attorney General Kevin Clarkson issued an opinion this week that says the state may no longer collect union dues from public employees unless they provide explicit consent to do so. The Mackinac Center’s Workers for Opportunity organization, which focuses on advancing the liberty of employees across the country, praised the decision because it properly implements the U.S. Supreme Court decision Janus v. AFSCME. “Attorney General Clarkson is the first in the nation to correctly recognize that no public employer should collect dues unless they have evidence that their employees wish to waive their First Amendment rights and consent to pay union dues,” Mackinac Center F. Vincent Vernuccio said immediately following the announcement.
And in today’s Wall Street Journal, Mark Mix and William Messenger with the National Right to Work Foundation also praised the leadership of Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and Attorney General Clarkson, but warned how broad the problem is in other states. “Labor Department figures suggest unconstitutional deductions could be coming out of the paychecks of as many as 7.2 million government employees nationwide. The fix is simple: Governments must cease transferring wages to unions until they amend their dues-deduction policies to comply with Janus,” they wrote.
Worker’s For Opportunity is committed to advancing workplace freedom for employees across the country and encourages other states to see Alaska’s leadership on behalf of workers as a call to action.
