Chaquan May is a California mother who cares for her medically fragile daughter through the state’s In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program. Two years ago, she attended the agency’s mandatory orientation, during which Service Employees International Union 2015 representatives locked the door, stood over her at a table, and pressured her to sign a union membership card.
“I honestly felt scared and just went ahead and signed it out of fear,” May recalled.
She’s tried to opt out multiple times. The union keeps withholding dues from her payments and won’t acknowledge her resignation requests. Her story reveals why public-sector unions are hemorrhaging members.
This year, the Freedom Foundation has helped 50,000 public employees nationwide opt out of union membership, keeping dues money worth $47.5 million in their pockets — an average of $950 per worker.
These numbers expose something fundamental: Public-sector unions have built their power on keeping workers in the dark about their rights. The Supreme Court’s 2018 ruling in Janus v. AFSCME reinforced that public employees can’t be forced to join or pay dues/fees to a union.
More than seven years later, however, thousands of workers still don’t know they can leave. And those who do find out encounter an opt-out process deliberately made slow, confusing and time-consuming by the union that insists it has only the worker’s best interests at heart.
Even a cursory look at what unions are actually spending member dues on exposes their priorities.
During the 2024 election cycle, for example, the country’s four largest public-sector unions spent $915 million on elections and political activism, according to the Commonwealth Foundation.
Eighty-six percent of that — $786 million — came straight from member dues automatically deducted from paychecks. These unions spent more on political activities than on contract negotiations and workplace representation combined.
The political spending is not going to an equal number of conservative and liberal candidates. About 96 percent of traceable political action committee spending by major public-sector unions goes to Democratic candidates and causes. Only 60 percent of union members identify as Democrats, and 36 percent consider themselves liberal.
If union leaders were confident members supported this spending, they’d make opt-out procedures simple and transparent. Instead, they do the opposite. Many unions process opt-out requests only during narrow annual windows — sometimes just a few weeks each year. Miss that window, and you’re stuck for an additional 12 months paying for causes you may oppose.
Some unions require specific language in resignation letters and reject requests that don’t match their exact wording. Others claim they never received opt-out requests, even after having submitted them multiple times.
California takes it a step further. State law actually prohibits public employers from informing workers of their constitutional right to opt out.
The Freedom Foundation is challenging these “gag rules” in court on behalf of Shasta County. The government actively prevents workers from learning the truth because it serves union financial interests. If unions provided valuable services that members wanted, they wouldn’t need to ensnare people through intimidation and bureaucratic obstacles.
The fact that 50,000 workers opted out this year despite these barriers shows what happens when workers learn about their options. Public-sector unions built their financial empires when workers had no choice. Janus ended mandatory dues, but it didn’t end the information blackout that unions continue trying to impose.
That advantage is eroding opt-out by opt-out, and we will continue working to ensure every public-sector employee in America knows they can’t be forced into union membership.