Columbus, OH –The Buckeye Institute filed its appeal in Darling v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) with Ohio’s Tenth District Court of Appeals on behalf of five hardworking Ohio public employees who had money illegally taken out of their paychecks— for months, and in some cases, years—by their employers and given to a government union.

“Ohio Supreme Court precedent has given common pleas courts jurisdiction to decide private contractual disputes like the ones presented in Darling v. AFSCME,” said Jay R. Carson, senior litigator at The Buckeye Institute and the lead attorney representing the plaintiffs. “In fact, the unions themselves have insisted that the payment of dues is a private contract between the union and its members. We hold the unions to that representation and demand that The Buckeye Institute’s clients get their day in court.” 

After securing victories for five of its 10 original clients in the case, The Buckeye Institute is representing: 

• Chelsea Kolacki of Toledo is an office assistant for the Maumee City School District. She was a member of the Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE) before she resigned on September 24, 2020.
• Kristy Kolacki of Toledo is a secretary for the Maumee City School District. She was a member of OAPSE before she resigned on September 24, 2020.
• Laura Langsdale of Akron is a custodian for the Springfield Local School District. She was a member of OAPSE before she resigned on October 20, 2020.
• Ronnie Legg of Galloway is a driver for the Columbus City School District. He was a member of OAPSE before he resigned on August 20, 2020.
• Stephen Tulga of Columbus is a bus driver for the Upper Arlington City School District. He was a member of OAPSE before he resigned on May 6, 2021.

OAPSE claims that The Buckeye Institute’s clients signed a contract authorizing the government union to keep deducting membership dues from their paychecks even though Buckeye’s clients are no longer members of the union. 

Carson continued, “Ohio’s law simply does not allow this unethical practice, and it is time for the court to tell the unions and the government to stop illegally taking money from workers’ paychecks.” 

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