The Buckeye Institute has filed an appeal in the case of Vanderveer v. Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE) with Ohio’s Sixth District Court of Appeals. The organization is seeking to overturn a lower court’s decision that dismissed the case, which centers on allegations of union wage theft.
Katrina Vanderveer, from Wauseon, Ohio, is represented by The Buckeye Institute in this lawsuit. The group has initiated several cases challenging similar union practices.
“Mrs. Vanderveer has ended her membership in the government union. This fact is not in dispute,” said Jay R. Carson, senior litigator at The Buckeye Institute and an attorney representing Mrs. Vanderveer. “What is in dispute is whether the courthouse doors are open to Mrs. Vanderveer—and other Ohioans—to bring her case and end the union’s illegal wage theft.”
In its appeal, The Buckeye Institute argues that the lower court made two errors: first, by ruling that Mrs. Vanderveer’s complaint falls under the exclusive jurisdiction of the State Employment Relations Board; and second, by denying her access to pursue her claim through the courts. According to The Buckeye Institute, a recent decision by the Ohio Supreme Court clarified that state law does not prevent courts from hearing private contractual disputes involving public employee unions and that constitutional provisions guarantee individuals their day in court.
Further details about Katrina Vanderveer’s case can be found at https://www.buckeyeinstitute.org/VanderveervOAPSE.
