For the past year, the so-called “opt-out windows” imposed by unions on public employees who no longer want to be members or dues-payers has been a special point of emphasis for the Freedom Foundation’s outreach team in Washington state.
The experience of a recent caller to our office perfectly illustrates why.
The employee, a Seattle-area paraprofessional, considered herself a union supporter when she joined the Washington Public Employees Association (WPEA) this past April. But she quickly grew disillusioned and wanted out.
“The only time they really organized was to prevent increased parking fees. It seemed like a petty waste of my money,” she said.
Like so many of her fellow union members, however, her opt-out request was denied because it hadn’t been made in the proper time frame.
When the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018 affirmed that forcing public employees to join a union or financially it with regular dues, unions like WPEA responded by adopting various schemes to avoid having to comply. Among the most odious of these was refusing to consider opt-out requests unless there are made during a union-designated two-week annual “window.”
From the unions’ point of view, the court ordered them to allow members to leave, but it didn’t say the process had to be easy. But as far as the Freedom Foundation is concerned, unions have no authority to decide when and how someone’s First Amendment rights can be exercised.
This isn’t a game; fundamental rights can’t be denied just because you didn’t say “Mother may I?”
“I wish they would have provided more information (about the opt-out window) at the orientation,” the Seattle-area worker said. “I would have never signed the membership card had I known.”
Feeling deceived, she sought help from the Freedom Foundation.
Upon review, the organization’s attorneys confirmed suspicions that she was within her rights to cease dues deductions under a separate clause of her agreement. They quickly sent a demand letter to WPEA.
Almost immediately, the union quietly stopped collecting dues without any formal response, treating her merely as a dehumanized source of money for politicians and union executives.
“I’m a single mother with a sick child,” she explained. “The medical bills are adding up, and by opting out of paying dues, I’ll have more money for my family.
“I’m immensely grateful to the Freedom Foundation,” the worker concluded, “for listening to me and advocating against WPEA on my behalf.”
