And speaking [1] of Washington...

National Right to Work Foundation attorneys were instrumental in helping [2] several employees get their jobs back last year after Washington Federation of State Employees union officials unlawfully ordered them fired for refusing to pay union dues without due process. WFSE union spokesman Tim Welch said at the time:

"You can choose to be a member of the union, you can choose to pay a fee. But ultimately, if you do not like that, you can choose to be unemployed."

Despite Welch's clear hostility to employee rights, he aptly summarizes Washington State law, which authorizes the firing of employees for refusing to pay union dues.

However, several employees did indeed stand on principle and refused to pay dues to the unwanted union, sacrificing their jobs in the process. Among these employees were Pat Woodward and Maxine Dunkelman who decided to file suit [3] against the WFSE union alongside several coworkers with the Foundation's help. Here is what Pat had to say about being fired for refusing to pay union dues at a press conference announcing the lawsuit: