Hyper-Political Unions Turn Off Workers

New Survey Shows Why Big Labor Recruitment Drives Keep Flopping

Despite being afforded an array of special legal privileges that no other type of private organization enjoys, private-sector union bosses saw their membership rolls fall by more than half between 1980 and 2020, even as private-sector employment grew by 62%. Union bosses realize only government intervention by their political allies can hand them back control over America’s private-sector workforce.

And thanks partly to the extraordinary growth of government unions since 1980, Big Labor’s political focus is now undoubtedly at a historic high.

However, as a scientific survey of working-age American adults conducted by the nonprofit American Compass confirms, this political activism has come at a huge cost for union bosses.

The survey shows the vast majority of American workers prefer unions that are apolitical over politically active unions. 

The American Compass survey asked a representative sample of adults aged 18-65, as well as a subset of nonsupervisory employees of for-profit businesses who are potential private-sector union members, about the type of worker organization, if any, they would prefer to join.

Political Activism Alienates Even the Most Stalwart Of Union Backers

By a 66% to 34% margin, working-age adults would rather join a worker organization “that devotes its resources only to issues facing you and your coworkers at your workplace” over one that devotes its resources “to both national political issues” and workplace issues “facing you and your coworkers.”

Potential private-sector union members favor apolitical unions by an even more lopsided 74%-to 26% margin.

In the private- and public-sectors alike, Big Labor political activism frequently alienates employees who would otherwise be inclined to support Big Labor workplace objectives.

Los Angeles school teacher Glenn Laird is a case in point.

A union stalwart for decades, Mr. Laird resigned last year from the L.A. teacher union, invoking his right under the U.S. Supreme Court’s Janus decision (argued and won in 2018 by a National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation staff attorney) to cut off all financial support for government union officials.

Mr. Laird’s decision was prompted by the United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA/NEA/AFT) hierarchy’s unabashed support for defunding the police.

This July, he explained his stance to reporter Bill McMorris: “I would much prefer a union focused completely on wages, hours, working conditions. When the union goes into political activist mode, I think it dilutes what a union is supposed to be doing.”

Union Bosses Shouldn’t Be Able to ‘Have Their Cake And Eat It, Too’

National Right to Work Committee Vice President Matthew Leen commented:

“Unfortunately, when public servants like Glenn Laird invoke their Janus rights, union bosses typically try to force them to wait months or even years before they can finally stop bankrolling the union.

“Right to Work attorneys and others are still trying to end this injustice.

“But thanks to Janus independent-minded unionized public employees are already far better off than their private-sector employee counterparts in the 23 remaining forced-dues states.

“Such employees can be forced to bankroll unions whose politics they abhor for as long as they keep their jobs.

“The fact is, neither public-sector nor private-sector union bosses should be able to have their cake and eat it, too. If they want to run a political union, employees who don’t want to support that kind of organization shouldn’t have to.

“To ensure that no workers are forced to pay union dues or fees against their will, Committee members and supporters across America are building Capitol Hill support for H.R.1275 and S.406, the National Right to Work Act.

 “This legislation would make union financial support fully voluntary by repealing the current provisions in the federal code that authorize and promote the termination of employees for refusal to pay money to an unwanted union.” 

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