The Buckeye Institute announced on Apr. 23 that its clients Kevin Chandler, Amy Clark, and Charles C. Perry, Jr. will have union dues refunded following a mediation agreement with the Ohio Association of Public School Employees and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. The settlement concludes a legal dispute in which the unions agreed to return money deducted from the plaintiffs’ paychecks after they had ended their union memberships.
The case highlights ongoing debates over union membership rights and payroll deductions for public employees in Ohio. The Buckeye Institute said this outcome spares all parties from further litigation.
Jay R. Carson, senior litigator at The Buckeye Institute and attorney for the three plaintiffs, said: “The unions—OAPSE and AFSCME—made the right choice and chose to refund dues from The Buckeye Institute’s clients after they had terminated their union membership. By refunding the dues taken, the unions have wisely ended a costly and protracted legal fight for all involved.”
Chandler v. OAPSE was filed in Stark County Court of Common Pleas after Chandler, a bus driver with Perry Local Schools; Clark, a bus aide; and Perry Jr., a technician with Stark Area Regional Transit Authority each resigned from their respective unions but continued to see deductions from their paychecks despite acknowledgment of their resignations by union officials.
According to the official website, The Buckeye Institute depended on private funding from individuals, corporations, and foundations (source). It maintained offices on Capitol Square in Columbus (source) while working to promote free-market public policy through research, data analysis, and policy development (source). While focusing primarily on Ohio issues it also promoted free-market ideas nationally (source), providing policymakers with research aimed at advancing these principles (source). The organization is classified as a nonprofit under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (source).
This resolution may influence future disputes involving public sector unions in Ohio as similar cases arise regarding membership termination procedures.
