Oregon public employee gets first refund of union fees after Janus ruling

The Oregonian reports:

An employee at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has won the first refund of mandatory union fees stemming from last month's U.S. Supreme Court ruling that public employees cannot be required to pay unions dues or fees if they opt out of membership.

Debora Nearman filed a lawsuit in April challenging the mandatory union costs as a condition of her employment at the agency. After the Janus decision was issued June 27, the Service Employees International Union 503 moved to settle the case and return more than two years of fees to Nearman, or $2,959.81.

Nearman, the wife of Oregon Rep. Mike Nearman, R-Independence, had claimed that SEIU actively opposed her husband's election efforts, forming a political action committee and spending some $53,000 to campaign against him, including distributing disparaging fliers.

Nearman also said she is a devout Catholic and strongly opposes SEIU's position on abortion and its financial support of pro-choice political candidates and legislation. Finally, she said, SEIU takes policy positions that conflict with her political beliefs, including its support of a ballot measure that sought to impose a gross receipts tax on corporations. The SEIU spent millions lobbying in support of Measure 97, which was ultimately defeated.

Imagine that.