Will We Be Free to Associate, or Not?

The most basic of our freedoms are the freedoms of speech and association. Soon, the Supreme Court will decide a case that could affect the First Amendment rights of public employees across the country: Janus v. AFSCME.

Plaintiff Mark Janus and his attorneys from the Liberty Justice Center and National Right-to-Work Legal Defense Foundation argue that everything government unions do is inherently political. And because everything unions do is political, Janus argues that public employees have a First Amendment right to not be forced into paying union fees.

If the Court rules in Janus’ favor, public employees across the country could become right-to-work (like in Michigan), or in other words, unions could not get these workers fired for not paying dues or fees. Come join the discussion and hear labor expert Vinnie Vernuccio talk about both the case and the implications for our freedom of speech and association, especially for public employees.

As always, we’ll have free food, and your first drink is on us! Join us at 6:00 pm to meet and network with other young professionals from across Michigan, and the discussion will begin at 6:30 pm.

More about our speaker:

F. Vincent Vernuccio is a senior fellow at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. He served as the Mackinac Center’s director of labor policy between 2012 and 2017. Vernuccio is a graduate of the Ave Maria School of Law in Ann Arbor, MI. Under President George W. Bush he served as special assistant to the assistant secretary for administration and management in the Department of Labor. Vernuccio has published articles and op-eds in such newspapers and magazines as The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Investor’s Business Daily, The Washington Times, National Review, Forbes and The American Spectator. He has been cited in several books, and he is a frequent contributor on national television and radio shows, such as “Your World” with Neil Cavuto and Varney and Company. He has advised senators and congressmen on a multitude of labor-related issues. He testified before the United States House of Representatives Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and Labor Policy.