Wagner v. University of Washington

CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Washington
DecidedSeptember 11, 2020
Docket2:20-cv-00091
StatusUnknown

This text of Wagner v. University of Washington (Wagner v. University of Washington) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wagner v. University of Washington, (W.D. Wash. 2020).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON 5 AT SEATTLE ° ) 7 || CHARLENE WAGNER ) CASE NO. 2:20-cv-00091-BJR ) 8 Plaintiff; ) ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANTS’ ) MOTIONS FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT 9 v. ) AND DENYING PLAINTIFF’S MOTION ) FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT 19 || UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, a ) public university, ANA MARI CAUCE, ) 11 || President, MINDY KORNBERG, Vice ) President for Human Resources; BANKS _) 12 || EVANS, Assistant Vice President; and ) SERVICE EMPLOYEES ) 13 || INTERNATIONAL UNION LOCAL 925, ) a labor organization, ) 14 ) Defendants.) 5 □□ 16 1. INTRODUCTION 17 12 Plaintiff Charlene Wagner brings this putative class action against her former employer, 19 the University of Washington (“University”), and former union, the Service Employees 20 || International Union Local 925 (“SEIU” or “Union”), alleging that each violated her First 21 || Amendment and Due Process rights by deducting union dues from her paycheck in a manner 22 contrary to the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Janus v. AFSCME, Council 31,138 S. Ct. 2448 23 (2018). Before the Court are the parties’ Cross-Motions for Summary Judgment. Dkt. Nos. 25 24 25

(“PL.’s Mot. for Summ. J.”), 27 (“SEIU Mot. for Summ. J.”), 28 (Univ. Mot. for Summ. J.”).! 7 Having reviewed the Motions, the oppositions thereto, the record of the case, and the relevant legal 3 || authorities, the Court will grant the Defendants’ Motions for Summary Judgment and deny 4 || Plaintiffs Motion for Summary Judgment. The reasoning for the Court’s decision follows. 5 I. | BACKGROUND 6 A. Factual Background The parties have stipulated to a set of facts relevant to the pending motions. See Stipulation ° Regarding Facts for Cross-Mot. for Summ. J., Dkt. No. 20 (“Stipulated Facts”). Plaintiff was employed by the University as a Fiscal Specialist from 1999 until she separated from her

ll employment in February 2020. /d. § 3. The Union is the sole representative of employees at the 12 || University, but University employees are not required to become Union members. /d. □□ 1,8. The 13 || parties agree that Plaintiff voluntarily became a member of the Union in 1999 when she signed a 14 membership agreement and union dues deduction authorization, which is commonly referred to as 1S a “membership card.” Jd. 9§ 3, 8, 9; see also Stipulated Facts, Ex. 5, Dkt. No. 22 (“1999 Membership Card”). The 1999 Membership Card states that the undersigned “hereby authorize[s]

18 the University of Washington to deduct the current amount of dues/fees, based on the status 19 || Specified below” and “Member” is checked off. 1999 Membership Card. In exchange for paying 20 || Union dues, the parties stipulate that Plaintiff received certain benefits, including the right to vote 21 || —————_ 23 | Plaintiff has requested oral argument. See Pl.’s Mot. for Summ. J. at 1. The Court concludes that oral argument 24 || would not aid the disposition of the motions and will, therefore, rule on the motions based on the briefing presented. See Local Rules W.D. Wash. LCR 7(b)(4) (“Unless otherwise ordered by the court, all motions will be decided by 25 || the court without oral argument.”).

on Union leadership, participate in internal Union affairs, access discounts for Union members,

7 and other membership rights. Stipulated Facts 9] 19-21. 3 On June 13, 2018, just before the Supreme Court’s decision in Janus, Plaintiff signed a 4 second membership card renewing her commitment to join the Union as a member. /d. 10, 13; 5 Stipulated Facts, Ex. 6, Dkt. No. 20-6 (“2018 Membership Card”). The 2018 Membership Card 6 include an affirmation of the undersigned’s commitment to the Union and agreement to pay membership dues. 2018 Membership Card. Like the 1999 Membership Card, the 2018 Membership Card includes an independent 10 || agreement authorizing annual deductions, stating that “I hereby request and authorize my employer 11 ||to deduct from my wages all Union dues of fees as shall be certified by SEIU Local 925 in an 12 || amount equal to the regular monthly dues or fees uniformly applicable to members of SEIU Local 13 Jd. This latter agreement states that it is “made in consideration for the cost of representation 4 and other actions on my behalf by my Union” and that it shall remain in effect and shall be irrevocable unless revoked by sending written notice to both the University and the Union during

7 15 day revocation period open once a year from when the agreement was entered. /d. Further, 1g || the authorization states that it shall be automatically renewed from year-to-year unless revoked in 19 || writing during the revocation window. Jd. 20 Dues deductions for individual members such as those agreed to by Plaintiff are 71 established, and controlled by, the Collective Bargaining Agreement (“CBA”) reached between the University, as employer, and the Union, representing employees. The relevant article of the CBA has been amended several times. All versions are the same, however, in that they authorize

5 the University to deduct dues from Union members’ paychecks and remit them to the Union. See

Stipulated Facts, Exs. 1-3, Dkt. Nos. 20-1 to 20-3.

7 On June 24, 2018, the Supreme Court handed down its decision in Janus, holding that 3 || unions were not entitled to mandate deductions from the paychecks of non-consenting, non-union 4 ||members. 138 S. Ct. at 2486. Janus overruled a system established by the Supreme Court’s 5 previous decision in Abood v. Detroit Board of Education, 431 U.S. 209 (1977), which recognized 6 that employees did not have to join a union, but the union that represented their bargaining unit could still charge such employees a fee to support the union’s collective bargaining activities. In response to Janus, the State of Washington amended its code on collective bargaining 10 || * include a new section affirming that union membership is voluntary. WASH. REV. CODE § 11 ||41.80.050; see also S.H.B. 1575, 66th Leg., 2019 Reg. Sess. (Wash. 2019). The State also enacted 12 || anew section to govern authorization and revocation of union membership dues deduction. WASH. 13 |) Rev. § 41.80.100. Plaintiff also reacted to the decision in Janus. On October 24, 2018, she sent a letter to the Union resigning her membership and requesting that the Union immediately cease deducting

7 membership dues from her paycheck. Stipulated Facts § 22; see also Stipulated Facts, Ex. 7, Dkt. 18 || No. 20-7. The Union responded with a letter dated November 8, 2018, informing Plaintiff that she 19 || may resign her membership at any time but, according to the 2018 Membership Card she signed, 20 could only request that dues deductions cease during the designated revocation period. 71 Stipulated Facts § 23; see also Stipulated Facts, Ex. 8, Dkt. No. 20-8. The letter identified this period as April 29, 2019 through May 14, 2019. Plaintiff did not contact the Union again either to affirm her resignation from membership 45 to request revocation of the membership dues deductions authorization during the designated

revocation period. Stipulated Facts §/f] 24-25. Instead, she filed suit in this Court on January 20,

7 2020. Stipulated Facts §] 25; Compl., Dkt. No. 1. Only after filing suit, did she attempt to contact 3 || the University by sending an email on January 21, 2020. Stipulated Facts § 25. Thus, when 4 || Plaintiff filed suit, the University was still deducting membership dues from Plaintiff's wages. □□□ 5 426. On January 31, 2020, the Union instructed the University to stop such deductions, which it 6 did. Jd. § 27. The last pay period for which dues were deducted was the pay period associated with earnings between January 1 and January 15, 2020. /d. Plaintiff formally separated from the University shortly thereafter on February 28, 2020. Jd. ¥ 3.

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Wagner v. University of Washington, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wagner-v-university-of-washington-wawd-2020.