Originally Published June 24, 2013
Did you know that 35.6 percent of union workers in Washington would give up their union membership if they could so without losing their job or facing other penalties? With over half-a-million union members in Washington, this means that as many as 180,000 employees would, if possible, leave their union or choose an alternative.
We believe every employee should be able to make the decision about union membership that is best for him or her. Our goal is to make sure that Washington workers know their options.
In order to help educate Washington workers about their rights, the Freedom Foundation is proud to be partnering with more than 50 organizations in over 30 states to sponsor the first-ever National Employee Freedom Week. To celebrate employee freedom, the Freedom Foundation is releasing its latest publication,Employee Freedom: A Guide to Opting Out of Union Membership. This guide describes the alternatives available in Washington state for employees who want to modify their union membership:
1. How to resign union membership and pay a reduced fee, which excludes the portion of their union dues designated for political activity.
2. How to object to union membership on religious grounds and pay full union dues to a charity instead of the union.
3. How to build enough support among colleagues to hold a vote to decertify the union as their exclusive bargaining representative.
Our intention in releasing the guide is not to attack the existence of unions but to inform workers of their options. Both our society and our economy are stronger when workers are allowed to associate freely. Each individual worker should be able to make the choice about union membership that is best for them and their family. No government or labor union should get to decide that for them.
This September the Freedom Foundation will be partnering with the Cascade Policy Institute to host the Northwest Employee Freedom One Night Event. National labor policy expert Vincent Vernuccio of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy will share the story of how Michigan passed historic labor reform last year, becoming the 24th right-to-work state. Join us with other labor experts to learn more about the local efforts to increase employee freedom in Washington and Oregon. Coffee, tea, water, and snacks will be provided.
