At the Freedom Foundation, we’ve long believed that when government unions are faced with the choice between respecting workers’ rights and protecting their revenue, they’ll choose the money every time.

And what’s going these days in New York bears that out.

The Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA), one of the state’s largest and most politically powerful unions, has rolled out a new barrier for public employees trying to exercise their constitutional rights. In recent months, we’ve seen CSEA rejecting opt-out requests unless the worker includes their internal CSEA membership ID number on the form.

Let’s be clear: There is no legal requirement to include a union ID number to cancel dues.

CSEA didn’t need that number to start taking money from employees’ paychecks, after all.

But now they’re claiming they can’t cease the deductions without it? Seriously?

This isn’t about security. It’s about stonewalling.

It’s about keeping workers trapped just a little longer — long enough to skim a few more paychecks, pad a few more budgets and delay the financial reckoning CSEA knows is coming.

Since 2022, thousands of New York public employees have stopped paying union dues to CSEA, using OptOutToday.com to assert their rights and stop funding a union they don’t support.

At roughly $900 per member per year, that adds up to millions in lost revenue — and CSEA knows it.

Rather than address the root problem — member dissatisfaction — CSEA is doing what unions do best: creating red tape, burying people in process and hoping it’s enough to keep the dues flowing.

This is just the latest example of the lengths unions will go to when they feel their grip on power slipping.

But we’re not going anywhere.

The Freedom Foundation remains fully committed to defending the rights of public employees — in New York and across the country — to say no to union membership and dues.

We’ve seen every excuse, every stall tactic, every attempt to intimidate or confuse workers out of exercising their rights.

And every time, we’ve answered with legal support, outreach and a growing network of allies who refuse to back down.

CSEA can throw up barriers. But we’ll keep helping employees tear them down.