Chambana Sun

The nationwide change in how unions collect fees and dues expected from the U.S. Supreme Court's decision earlier this week in an Illinois case against the state's largest public sector employee union is a win for the Constitution, state Rep. Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville) believes.

"The decision is a victory for the free speech rights of public sector employees," Halbrook told the Chambana Sun.

In what is widely seen as a blow to public sector unions, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 on June 27 in Janus vs. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) that nonunion workers cannot be forced to pay union fees and dues. 

Illinois State Rep. Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville)

"This decision gives workers a level of freedom they simply have not had," Halbrook said. "They now are not going to have dues forcibly taken from them to support union organizations when they are not even members of the union."

That, Halbrook said, actually is good for unions. 

"I also think the decision is in the long-term good for unions because now they have to bring their 'A' game and give people compelling reasons to become dues-paying members," he said. "They are not going to see it that way but, in a sense, this decision forces them to show value to prospective members because they are not going to have tons of cash coming from non-members."

Halbrook, who describes himself as a "fiscal and social conservative," is running unopposed for re-election in November. He has represented the 102nd House District since winning the March 2016 primary, defeating James Acklin and Randy Peterson, for the incumbent seat of then-retiring Republican Rep. Adam M. Brown, and then running unopposed in the  November 2016 General Election. 

The 102nd District encompasses all of Douglas, Moultrie and Shelby counties and parts of Champaign, Edgar, Macon and Vermilion counties.

From 2012 until 2015, Halbrook represented the state's 110th House District, which encompasses all of Clark, Coles, Crawford and Cumberland counties, along with parts of Edgar and Lawrence counties.

In 2012, Halbrook turned down enrollment in the state's General Assembly Retirement System pension.

His comments to the Chambana Sun followed the Supreme Court's decision in the Janus case, which overturned the high court's 1977 decision in Abood v. Detroit Board of Education. In that decision, the court ruled that unions represent all employees, even those who are not union members, which effectively and for decades allowed unions to collect dues and fees from all employees.

The Janus case, filed by state worker Mark Janus, questioned whether all public employees should be required to pay dues and other fees. After the case was struck down by the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in March 2017, Janus, represented by attorneys provided by the Liberty Justice Center and the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, appealed the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Workers like Janus stand to gain from this week's decision, Halbrook said. 

"Workers benefit the most," he said. "Non-union members are no longer compelled to pay dues to organizations they have not formally joined. Giving workers more choices and options is infinitely better than compelling people to do something they do not want to do."

That, Halbrook said, will make Illinois a better place for both workers and their employers. 

"I think in time, workers will like having more choices and options in the workplace and they will look at ways to expand those rights and freedoms," he said. "I think this decision opens the doors to radically change the work environment in Illinois."