Rauner calls Janus ruling 'victory' for public sector workers and taxpayers
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner on Wednesday called a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that deals a major blow to public sector unions a "great victory for our democracy, our public employees and the taxpayers who count on us to bargain on their behalf."
Rauner stood alongside Mark Janus, the plaintiff in the landmark case, as well as John Tillman, co-founder and chairman of the Liberty Justice Center, on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court building shortly after the ruling on Wednesday morning.
The governor is hailing the decision as a "major victory for public sector workers' First Amendment rights to free speech and association and a victory for taxpayers who must bear the high cost of government."
"For decades, Illinois workers have been forced to pay partial union dues against their will," Rauner said in a statement.
"The practice infringed on the constitutional rights of public sector workers who were asked to give up their First Amendment rights as a condition of employment. This decision fairly reinstates those rights."
Rauner, too, said the ruling will fight the conflicts of interest created when government union leaders negotiate with politicians.
Illinois state workers will be notified of the ruling and be given an opportunity to modify their union status, the governor's office said, adding the average state employee union member in Illinois pays more than $900 a year in fees.
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