On September 26, 2019, the Governor of Alaska issued an administrative order to rectify the unconstitutionality of the current dues deduction process for union membership and restore the First Amendment rights of our state employees. Based on the recommendations from the Attorney General’s legal opinion, the administrative order directs the Commissioner of Administration to create a new system that will ensure state employees are not coerced into union membership and that they know their rights when electing to pay money to a union.
This is a huge, positive step toward protecting the First Amendment rights of our public servants, and it has received attention from across the country. The following list compiles news coverage and will be updated regularly.
- “If unions don’t like state’s Janus solution, they should collect dues themselves” by Kevin Clarkson in the Anchorage Daily News on October 22, 2019
- “Even post-Janus, worker freedom remains at risk in some states” by Lance Izumi in the Washington Examiner on October 15, 2019
- “The Battle Over Union Dues” by The Wall Street Journal’s Editorial Board on October 10, 2019
- “Already Under Siege, Labor Unions Face a New Threat From Alaska” by Mike Baker in The New York Times on October 9, 2019
- “Court Puts Alaska Worker Freedom on Hold” by Jacob Huebert in In Defense of Liberty on October 9, 2019
- “Alaska Voices: Labor is not a partisan issue” by Todd Peplow in the Peninsula Clarion on October 5, 2019
- “Janus comes to Alaska” by Dave Beaudoin in Ballotpedia News on October 2, 2019
- “New Alaska oil drilling could be ‘tremendous boost’ to US: Governor” in Fox Business on October 1, 2019
- “Alaska governor issues executive order on union dues” by Marc E. Fitch for the Yankee Institute for Public Policy on October 1, 2019
- “Alaska Governor Releases Pro-Worker Order as Union Revenue Falls” by the Center for Worker Freedom on October 1, 2019
- “Alaska Deals A Blow To Unions” by Jazz Shaw in Hot Air on September 29, 2019
- “Alaska Institutes Opt-In Unions” by Yuichiro Kakutani in The Washington Free Beacon on September 28, 2019
- “Alaska Takes Over Key Part of State Workers’ Union Dues Process” by Robert Iafolla in Bloomberg Law on September 27, 2019
- “National Right to Work Foundation Praises Alaska Governor’s Order to Protect Employees’ First Amendment Rights Under Janus” from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation on September 27, 2019
- “Gov. Dunleavy brings Alaska into compliance with Janus decision” by Bethany Blankley in The Center Square on September 27, 2019
- “Administrative Order Moves State Employees to Opt-In Process for Union Dues” by Melodie Bowler for the Alaska Policy Forum on September 27, 2019
- “Governor Dunleavy announces executive order regarding union employee dues” by Peter Segall in the Peninsula Clarion on September 26, 2019
- “Governor Dunleavy Brings Alaska into Compliance with United States Supreme Court’s Janus Ruling” by Arthur Martin for POW Report on September 26, 2019
- “Gov. Walz must restore Minnesota public employees’ First Amendment rights” by Catrin Wigfall for the Center of the American Experiment on September 27, 2019
- “Governor of Alaska: My state will be the first to comply with SCOTUS’ new union ruling” by Mike Dunleavy for USA Today on November 23, 2019
**********
For more information on the Janus v. AFSCME Supreme Court decision, check out these resources. Photo of Governor Dunleavy at the press conference on Administrative Order 312. Photo by Governor Dunleavy, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.