Unions are the free riders, says government worker challenging labor fees at Supreme Court

The man challenging the power of public-sector labor unions, a major case that the Supreme Court will take up Monday, scoffs at critics who accuse him of trying to get a "free ride" from unions.

It's the opposite, says Mark Janus, the plaintiff in Janus v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. And that’s why he is fighting to end public-sector unions’ power to force mandatory fees from government workers like him.

“People talk about the ‘free rider.’ Well, from my perspective, the union is the freeloader here because they’re the ones getting away without doing anything,” he told theWashington Examiner. He doesn’t think the union is making things any better for him, so why should he have to pay?

“It’s not about the money for me. It’s about my rights. My right to say ‘no’ is at least as important as my right to say ‘yes,’” he said.

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