Columbus, OH – In a filing with the State Employment Relations Board (SERB), The Buckeye Institute charged the Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE) with an unfair labor practice for refusing to stop its illegal union wage theft from The Buckeye Institute’s client, Robert Gibson, even though Mr. Gibson resigned from the union during his opt-out window.

“When Mr. Gibson decided to quit the government union, he did his research to decipher OAPSE’s opt-out window hieroglyphs and ensure he abided by the union’s opt-out window,” said Jay R. Carson, senior litigator at The Buckeye Institute. “But even that failed to protect Mr. Gibson from the union’s unfair labor practices and its subsequent wage theft.”

As outlined in the statement of facts, Mr. Gibson’s opt-out window was August 5-15 (in union speak, that is: “the ten day period before the end of the initial one-year term or any renewal year thereafter”). On August 15, he notified the OAPSE that he was resigning from the union and instructed them to stop taking money out of his paycheck. Despite the fact that Mr. Gibson’s request was clearly within his opt-out window, the union sent him a form letter stating his “request to have dues deduction authorization cancelled does not satisfy the requirements set forth on the membership application [he] signed.”

Robert Gibson works at the Madison Plains junior and senior high schools in London, Ohio, where he helps teachers supervise students and ensures students complete missed assignments and get to their classrooms before and during the school day. When he started his job, he joined his local OAPSE chapter and even served as the local union secretary when no one else would. Unfortunately, union officials ignored his service when he decided to quit. Instead of respecting his wishes, the government union has continued taking a portion of Mr. Gibson’s wages while—at the same time—acknowledging that he is no longer a member of the union.

Learn more about The Buckeye Institute’s case at: BuckeyeInstitute.org/GibsonvOAPSE.

# # #