We now know how the story ends for Mark Janus.
Recruited to lend his name to a lawsuit – Janus v. AFSCME Council 31 – originally filed by Bruce Rauner, the billionaire governor of Illinois, and bankrolled by big-money special interests to attack public sector unions, Janus is abandoning his public service job. He announced he is quitting his state job as a child support specialist to join the Illinois Policy Institute as a “senior fellow.”
“Once again it’s clear that this court case was never about Mark Janus, but about billionaires like Bruce Rauner and big-money corporate funders launching a political attack on the freedom of working people to speak up together through a strong union,” said AFSCME Council 31 spokesman Anders Lindall. “While IPI tries to dupe workers into quitting their union, AFSCME members will continue doing what they’ve always done: providing important public services and building their union to speak up for themselves, their families and communities.”
Janus v. AFSCME was nothing but a blatant political attack to further rig our economy and democracy against working people. It was decided last month in favor of big-money corporations and special interests and against working families by a 5-4 majority on the U.S. Supreme Court.
But AFSCME members across the country are ready to fight back. We will continue to serve our communities with pride and will never quit on our union.
“Public service workers – teacher, social workers, firefighters, 911 operators – are more determined than ever to stick together in their unions,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders said following the adverse ruling in Janus. “Unions remain the most effective vehicle for the power in numbers working people need to secure their rights and freedoms and provide a pathway to the middle class. We will remain a strong and vibrant force for working people, and will continue fighting to sustain our families, improve our workplaces and to make our communities stronger.”