Heartless union holds MN public employee captive as she fights cancer

Sue Halloran, a senior account clerk in the business office at Inver Hills Community College, was pulled out of a training session in April 2018 by an AFSCME Council 5 representative who wanted her to join the union. He explained that she had not signed up for union membership, and that all she had to do was sign a dues authorization form on his tablet computer. Feeling rushed and pressured to return to her job training, Sue quickly signed her name and returned to work.

Sue was not informed that she did not have to join the union, nor was she informed how much union dues would cost. And when she found out the cost was around $700 a year, she contacted the union rep the very next day to say she could not afford the paycheck deductions because of her medical bills for tests, infusions, and daily oral chemotherapy.

Sue has been diagnosed with cancer.

She continued to submit requests to cancel her union membership, but every attempt was either blatantly ignored or denied.

It isn’t supposed to be like this. The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Janus v. AFSCME restored Sue’s First Amendment rights, yet AFSCME Council 5 is undermining these rights. And on top of that, the union has shown no regard for her well-being as she fights to stay healthy and beat cancer.

Fortunately, Sue is not in this battle alone. The Liberty Justice Center, along with the Upper Midwest Law Center, are representing Sue pro bono in her lawsuit against AFSCME Council 5. Her story has already inspired many, and the Center supports Sue’s courage and commitment to make sure her experience doesn’t happen to another public employee.