South Central Reporter

Republican House candidate Blaine Wilhour believes the recent Supreme Court ruling in Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) will clear a path for jobs to return to Illinois.

"State employees who are not members of the public-sector unions should not be compelled to pay dues that go to support political policies with which they absolutely disagree," Wilhour told South Central Reporter. "This decision will ensure that the union bosses will focus more on sustainable policies that will protect workers and taxpayers in the long term instead of strictly promoting the unsustainable status quo."

The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of plaintiff Mark Janus, a child support specialist from Illinois, who argued that AFSCME violated his First Amendment rights. The June 27 ruling has been praised by Republican lawmakers and candidates because it reverses a 41-year-old precedent that allowed unions to collect fees from non-union workers.

Wilhour, who is running against Democrat David Seiler for the 107th district seat, believes the decision is grounded in common sense because an employee should not be forced to pay for something they are philosophically opposed to, he said.

"The decision creates a level of fairness that has been missing in the workplace for a long time,” Wilhour said. “Compelling workers to pay ‘fair-share' dues when they are not even members of the union is unfair. Giving workers more choices and more options will create a better workplace.”

Now that employees can “opt-out” of public-sector unions, individuals won't be forced to financially support political activity with which they disagree. However, Wilhour sees the need for even more reform.

"We need structural reforms such as workers' compensation reform to attract more employers to Illinois,” he said. “Last year, Illinois lost 33,000 people — more than any surrounding state. We need to enact policies that will create jobs in Illinois and hopefully, this ruling is a step in the right direction.”