The Goldwater Institute will ask the Arizona Supreme Court next week to stop the City of Phoenix from financing the political activities of government-sector unions with other people’s money. You are invited to watch the oral arguments as Goldwater explains why the practice of union release time violates the state and federal constitutions.
Goldwater’s lawsuit of Gilmore v. Gallego will be heard by the Arizona Supreme Court at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13, at 1501 West Washington Street, Phoenix, Arizona, 85007. Jon Riches, Goldwater’s Vice President for Litigation, will present our case to the state Supreme Court.
The court hearing will be open to the public and you can attend. The following link provides a map with the building location and parking directions.
The hearing also will be streamed online live here. Look for the case Mark Gilmore, et al v. Kate Gallego, et al. A link to the video will be available shortly before the hearing starts.
Union release time is one of the most corrupt ways that government spends your money, by paying employees who engage in union work to campaign for election candidates and lobby for even bigger government.
It’s not the first time that government unions have used the power of government to force taxpayers to pay for their work, which includes helping elect candidates that support their agenda.
Until recently, unions would bargain for provisions in labor agreements that required workers to pay union dues, even if those workers did not belong to the union or had no desire to support the union’s political activities. But then the U.S. Supreme Court decided Janus v. AFSCME and said that these so-called “agency fees” were unconstitutional because they violated employees’ First Amendment rights against compelled speech and association.
The same constitutional principles should apply to the practice of union release time, which Phoenix provides for some city employees to leave the jobs for which they were hired and go work instead for their labor union.
To learn more about Goldwater’s lawsuit to stop union release time and end this abuse of taxpayer funding, please see this recent column in National Review.
If you have any questions about Tuesday’s hearing before the Arizona Supreme Court or Goldwater’s work to stop union release time, please send me a note at ltemplar@goldwaterinstitute.org or give me a phone call at my direct line, (602) 633-8974.
Thank you for your support that makes this work possible!
Le
Le Templar
Vice President for Foundation Relations
Goldwater Institute
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