Metro East Sun

Republican candidate Doug Jameson’s perspective on the Supreme Court’s recent decision freeing non-union workers from paying fees is tempered by being a former union member and his political affiliation.

“I understand the idea of freedom of speech and the right for a person to be able to decide for themselves,” Jameson told the Metro East Sun. “But at the same time, I was a union worker for more than ten years, my son is a union employee and the district where I reside is heavily union. I also understand the need for collective bargaining in certain sectors of the economy. In the end, I think it all goes back to the individual and [if] they want to take on that responsibility.”

In a 5-4 decision, the court last week ruled in favor of Mark Janus, a child support specialist from Illinois who argued that American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) violated his First Amendment rights by engaging in political speech with which he does not agree.

“Maybe this decision will cause public unions to improve the ways they go about recruiting workers,” said Jameson, a Belleville Republican challenging incumbent Jay Hoffman (D-Swansea) in the 113th District. “But the good things is it’s still all up to the worker and they stand to have more of voice from this.”

The Illinois Policy Institute estimates that five major government unions in Illinois doled out a combined $46 million in political contributions to both Republicans and Democrats over a 12-year period ending in 2014.

Janus was represented in the proceedings by the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation and the Liberty Justice Center.

The Supreme Court’s ruling in Janus v. AFSCME overturns a 41-year-old ruling in the Abood v. Detroit Board of Education case.