A Minnesota public employee’s workplace rights were recently affirmed after his initial attempt to resign union membership and revoke his dues authorization was met with silence.
John Cashman, a senior press operator with the Minnesota Department of Transportation, emailed AFSCME Council 5 Local 221 in July 2024 stating he wanted to opt out and cancel union due payments.
He received no response.
Fast forward to March 2025, when Mr. Cashman tried to opt out and cancel union dues payments again. This time, he received a response, which stated that he had missed his annual opt-out “window” and would have to continue paying dues until the window opened up again in February 2026.
After months of continued deductions and unsuccessful follow-ups to the union, including attempts from American Experiment’s Employee Freedom MN initiative, Mr. Cashman sought legal recourse.
The Freedom Foundation, in partnership with attorneys from the Upper Midwest Law Center, sent a formal demand letter to AFSCME Council 5. The letter asserted that Mr. Cashman’s First Amendment rights were violated, as he was effectively being forced to subsidize an organization he no longer wished to support, and called for “an immediate cessation of dues deductions and a full refund” of the improperly collected funds.
Faced with this legal pressure, AFSCME terminated Mr. Cashman’s membership and stopped the unauthorized dues deductions, making the outcome another victory for employee rights.
