California public employees are continuing to exercise their right to decline union membership and dues in huge numbers.

January 2026, in fact, marked one of the strongest months the Freedom Foundation has ever recorded, with more than 3,600 workers choosing to opt out.

February was nearly as prolific, with nearly 3,000 additional opt outs, making it the second strongest month on record.

Together, that means over 6,500 California public employees reclaimed control of their paychecks in just two months. The number represents a loss of an average of nearly $6 million in dues revenue the unions will lose over the course of a single year.

This surge reflects a broader shift happening across the state since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2018 ruling in Janus v. AFSCME affirmed the First Amendment right of public employees to eschew union participation.

By law, dues can only be deducted if the worker affirmatively and knowingly consents.

The success of the Freedom Foundation’s California team is the product of fine-tuning our digital campaigns paired with our traditional forms of outreach of mail and email, making our outreach campaigns more holistic and impactful.

For many families, union dues can total hundreds or even thousands of dollars per year. When workers learn they have the freedom to decide whether that deduction continues, many choose to redirect that money toward their own priorities such as housing costs, savings or family expenses.

Just as important, opting out does not adversely affect your job, your salary schedule or the benefits negotiated in your workplace contract. Those terms are set through the collective bargaining agreement between the employer and the union and apply to employees in the bargaining unit regardless of membership status.

The record numbers in January and February clearly show awareness is growing. More workers are learning that they have a choice, and they are acting on it.