The opt-out records in Washington just keep falling as the Freedom Foundation charges deeper into the second quarter. 

In April, the organization helped 687 public employees drop their union membership and dues deductions, marking the second-best April total on record.  Bringing the total year to date opt outs to 2,616. 

The Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE), Washington’s largest and most politically active state worker union, continues hemorrhaging members at an alarming (for them) rate. 

So far, the Freedom Foundation has helped 1,028 WFSE-represented workers cancel their union membership.  

Considering the average member pays at least $1,000 annually in union dues, WFSE is staring down a potential revenue loss exceeding $1 million. 

Close on WFSE’s heels is SEIU 925, with 341 opt-outs to date. SEIU is another large government union representing thousands of public employees, including childcare providers, classified school employees and municipal workers.  

Last year SEIU 925 saw just over 492 members cancel their dues. 

Thanks to a recent increase in digital marketing, the Freedom Foundation has been able to reach workers across the state with the message that they can increase their income simply by opting out of union membership. Many public workers lose nearly 2% of their gross income to union dues deductions. 

Email outreach has also driven a consistently large share of opt outs, with workers receiving informational emails nearly every week. One email to WFSE represented workers highlighted two married, highly paid union executives. Following that message, 101 verified recipients cancelled their membership. 

As the cost of living continues to rise, more workers are choosing financial freedom rather than funding union backed political activism and the union’s bloated administrative budgets. 

Public employees are increasingly recognizing they do not have to keep funding an organization that speaks out — and spends their dues dollars — advancing causes that have no bearing on their wages or working conditions and violate their personal convictions.