Illinois group threatens lawsuit over Oregon union dues

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – A legal nonprofit based in Illinois has sent cease and desist letters to state and local government officials in Oregon threatening to sue if they don’t stop collecting union dues and agency fees from workers’ paychecks.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports Wednesday that the conservative Liberty Justice Center is threatening to sue over the collection of union dues in the state.

The nonprofit helped represent an Illinois child support worker in his landmark case before the U.S. Supreme Court.

The high court ruled in June that public employees can’t be required to pay union dues or fees if they opt out of membership.

The newspaper says unions collected nearly $21 million from 25,000 state employees who are union members, and $5 million from 6,000 state workers who aren’t.

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Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com