At this rate, it won’t be long before the Freedom Foundation is using more of Santa’s helpers than Santa is.
The organization will once again send canvassers out to the state offices in its holiday tradition. This is to let public workers know that they have been granted their right to retain their jobs and to decline union dues, fees, or membership.
The Freedom Foundation staffers will, like always, make their pitch in Santa Claus costumes, making the experience even more special. Or Mrs. Claus. Possiblely an Elf.
What makes this year’s operation different is its scope.
Information teams will visit all fifty states in accordance with an announcement by Freedom Foundation this fall, where it was announced that the foundation’s outreach reach would be expanded. They also plan to appear at county and state offices along the east coast.
“It wouldn’t be Christmas without Santa Claus,” said Freedom Foundation Policy Associate Erin Volz — a veteran outreach elf herself and the coordinator of this year’s week-long east coast excursion. “And he wouldn’t be Santa Claus unless he were spreading holiday cheer.”
“Personally,” Volz continued, “I can’t think of anything more cheerful than being able to keep more of your hard-earned money rather than handing over a portion of it every payday to a union you never asked for, don’t need, and disagree with philosophically.”
Before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2018, that public employees cannot be forced into supporting a union, The Freedom Foundation started its seasonally-based forays into public office offices. Not surprisingly, unions themselves were reluctant to pass along the good news to their dues-paying members, so the Freedom Foundation decided to take the reindeer by the horns — first in Washington, then later in Oregon and California, and eventually to Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Christmas-dressed canvassing teams in festive costumes will hand out candy canes this year and form opt-outs for unions in Virginia and Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey.
“If we keep working our way north, we may have to see if the toymakers in Santa’s workshop are unionized,” Volz joked.
However, these visits can be a serious problem for unions. More than once over the years, they’ve pressured personnel departments to evict the Freedom Foundation staffers from the premises.
And the Freedom Foundation has responded by filing a lawsuit — at least one of which is still pending years later.
“We have as much right to hand out literature and answer questions in a public building or on public grounds as any citizen does,” Volz said. “It’s all the more unconstitutional to keep us out when you consider that unions are given the run of the building in most cases. We’re entitled to present an alternative point of view.”
In the case of the Freedom Foundation’s ongoing lawsuit against Washington’s Department of Ecology, lower court judges have found that unions have special privileges because of their contractual relationship with the public employees.
Freedom Foundation appealed against the Supreme Court.
“If things go as they usually do, there may be more fireworks this year,” Volz said. “But it’s worth it if we free hundreds of public employees in states where we’ve never been active until now.”
Jeff Rhoads, Vice President of News and Information of the Freedom Foundation.
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