Background: On June 27, 2018, the United States Supreme Court issued a decision that affects the rights of public-sector employees across the country. The decision, Janus v. AFSCME, Council 31, involved a public employee, Mark Janus, who declined to join a union but was nevertheless required under a union contract to pay union fees, sometimes referred to as “agency fees” or “fair share fees.” For years, these compulsory union fees were considered legal.
The Supreme Court’s decision in Janus was clear; compulsory union fees are now unconstitutional.
The Fairness Center is a law firm that provides free legal services to those hurt by public-sector union officials and are representing an individual, Glen Wilkofsky, in a Janus-related case that may have far farther-reaching ramifications.
In this episode of Labor Relations Radio, the Fairness Center’s Nathan J. McGrath, President and General Counsel at the Fairness Center, discusses the Allentown Symphony case, as well as several others.
As the Fairness Center’s President and General Counsel, Mr. McGrath oversees the firm’s general operations and litigation to advance the Fairness Center’s clients’ best interests. Mr. McGrath is also a Pennsylvania Advisory Committee Member with the United States Commission on Civil Rights. Prior to joining the Fairness Center, Nathan was a staff attorney with the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, Inc., where he practiced constitutional, labor, and administrative law. Nathan was also an associate attorney with Lawlor & Lawlor, P.C., a general practice firm in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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Labor Relations Radio, Ep. 19: Guest—The Fairness Center's Nathan McGrath On Janus, the Allentown Symphony & More