COLUMBUS, Ohio - Chanting "The people, united, will never be divided," and carrying signs with messages such as, "Solidarity works," thousands of union workers and their advocates rallied at the Ohio Statehouse on Saturday ahead of arguments in a U.S. Supreme Court case that could reduce money for organized labor.

The Working Peoples' Day of Action featured impassioned speeches from labor leaders and U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan - similar rallies occurred in other cities across the country - who argued that wealthy American business leaders are fighting to crush unions, which they said created the American middle class.

"They're trying to rip us up," said Shelly Ferguson, who travelled from Cleveland for the event, in reference to the opposition in Janus v. AFSCME, Council 31. "And the people who provide the service are the fabric that keeps this country together. The billionaires have no respect for the workers."

Ferguson boarded a bus at 7:30 a.m. with fellow workers with Service Employees International Union, District 1199, to rally in the rain on Capitol Square.

"Why be selfish with your Saturday when American livelihoods and paychecks are at stake?" said Case Western Reserve student Eugene Schnell.

At issue in the high court Monday are "agency fees." Separate from membership dues, state and local government workers who choose not to join a union are required to pay the fees in 23 states, including Ohio. Union leaders say they need the fees to help cover the costs of collective bargaining from which the non-members benefit.

The case stems from Illinois state employee Mark Janus, who doesn't want to continue paying agency fees since he disagrees with the union's stance on most issues and argues the fees violate his First Amendment rights.

The conservative Buckeye Institute submitted a friend of court brief in favor of ending the agency fees in December.

Robert Alt, the Columbus think tank's president and CEO, argued that even without the fees, unions can continue to thrive.

"What will change if Mr. Janus prevails is that our hard-working public servants, even those who disagree with the unions, will have their First Amendment rights protected and respected. And that is something all of us should rally behind," he said.

Organizers estimated around 3,500 people attended Saturday's event.