Welch v. Civil Service Employees Association, Local 1000

A Syracuse Community Service Officer has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against her union, CSEA, and the City of Syracuse, with the help of the Fairness Center. Amber Welch sent multiple letters resigning her union membership before the City finally stopped taking dues from her paychecks and CSEA officials recognized her as a nonmember. And, in response to her letters, CSEA threatened that it would not provide her representation in a variety of proceedings related to her employment if she became a nonmember. Ms. Welch is frustrated with being forced to accept CSEA as her exclusive representative for collective bargaining and brings this lawsuit to vindicate her constitutional rights not to be forced to associate with or support a union against her will.