EmpoweredEmployees.org gives workers clear information on how to remove or replace unwanted labor unions

Dallas, TX — The Freedom Foundation today launched EmpoweredEmployees.org, a new website giving unionized government workers the tools and information they need to take control of their workplace representation.

Although the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018 recognized a First Amendment right of individual public employees to refrain from union membership, it left intact legal arrangements common in most states under which a union gets to control the labor and employment relationship for whole swaths of public employees, including those who do not join as members.

The site walks public employees through three underappreciated pathways for unionized public employees to collectively change or dissolve a union that is not serving their interests.

The first option is to “decertify” the unwanted incumbent union, typically by majority vote in a secret-ballot election administered by a state agency.

Option two is to form a local, independent union unaffiliated with legacy Big Labor organizations and, if a majority of employees vote to do so, have it certified in place of the incumbent.

Finally, in some cases, an existing union can sever ties with expensive and unresponsive vertical affiliates by disaffiliating, a process that is governed by internal union rules and varies from one union to another.

Breaking from existing union representation can be a confusing and intimidating process, but the Freedom Foundation has decades of experience fighting for public employees who wish to disentangle themselves from oppressive, expensive, controversial, and unaccountable unions.

Testimonials from public employees who have successfully pursued and benefitted from each of these options are prominently featured throughout the website, from public school teachers in Illinois to police officers in Washington state.

Their positive experiences with independent unions — or no union at all — are a stark repudiation of Big Labor’s one-size-fits-all narrative.

The website also serves as a portal for public employees interested in pursuing one of the three union alternatives to connect with the Freedom Foundation for no-cost assistance in understanding and exercising their rights.

“Whenever a public employee tries to seek out the truth, unions tend to withhold it,” said Freedom Foundation CEO Aaron Withe. “There has long been a need for a resource that lays out the options available to public employees who want something better than the corporate union model. When employees know the truth — union lies become painfully clear.”

“When looking at different representation options, figuring out where to start is often the hardest part,” added Allison Beattie, Freedom Foundation’s director of labor relations. “Public employees now have answers to the toughest questions in one place, with support from a team that has been doing this for decades. This is about making sure workers are fully informed — and fully empowered — to secure the workplace representation that’s best for them.”

View the new website here.