Membership in Public Sector Unions Is in Freefall, Dropping by More Than 100,000 Since 2022

The Nation’s four largest public sector unions have lost more than 100,000 members since 2022, according to a new analysis.The staggering number is on top of the 220,000 that the American Federation of Teachers, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the National Education Association, and the Service Employees International Union have lost since a 2018 Supreme Court decision barring them from collecting union dues from non-union employees, according to the key findings in The Battle for Worker Freedom: Grading State Public Sector Labor Laws released by the Commonwealth Foundation.“To counter these losses, union executives are engaging in aggressive campaigns to change laws that will help them recruit new members and increase union revenue,” says the study, adding that unions in Illinois, Michigan, and Maryland have gained “considerable ground” as a result of those efforts.Described as a “libertarian-leaning think tank,” the Commonwealth Foundation says its findings highlight how public sector reforms have grown at a steady rate across America since the court’s 5-4 decision in Janus v. AFSCME. In the case, the court ruled that requiring public employees to pay union dues regardless of their status violates their First Amendment rights.“The lesson is clear: government union executives use their power to build immense political machines — controlling workplaces and lobbying against beneficial fiscal and educational reforms,” the study concludes. “These union executives appear more concerned with achieving their organizational and political goals than helping the workers they are supposed to represent.”The study says membership in the two teachers’ unions, the AFT and NEA, declined by 83,000 and 87,000 respectively, during the period, while membership of the SEIU declined by 98,000 and AFSCME lost more than 110,000 members.The enrollment drop is estimated to have cost the unions a combined loss of $106.8 million in annual dues and fees.Despite the loss of membership, public unions still boast high participation rates, with their numbers being five times higher than union memberships among workers in the private-sector, according to 2023 figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The bureau says non-union workers overall had weekly earnings that were 14 percent lower than their union counterparts.Despite lower membership levels, unions continue to enjoy favorable public opinion. According to data from a 2022 Gallup report, polling over the last few years shows unions currently have the highest levels of public support since 1965.

Membership in Public Sector Unions Is in Freefall, Dropping by More Than 100,000 Since 2022

More from the New York Sun

Could the Supreme Court’s Tariff Decision Be Applied to the Fed?

American Skier Hunter Hess Says Trump Post Led to ‘Two Hardest Weeks’ of His Life

A Haunting Study of Five Remarkable Black Men Who Soared Despite Societal Challenges

More from the New York Sun

Could the Supreme Court’s Tariff Decision Be Applied to the Fed?

American Skier Hunter Hess Says Trump Post Led to ‘Two Hardest Weeks’ of His Life

A Haunting Study of Five Remarkable Black Men Who Soared Despite Societal Challenges

Revisiting the Australian Film Debut of a Marvel Director

Supreme Court Hands Trump Major Defeat With a Six to Three Decision Striking Down His Global Tariffs

Veterans Sue To Stop Trump’s 250-Foot Triumphal Arch, Saying It Would ‘Dishonor’ Their Military Service

MAHA Movement Stunned by Trump Order Shielding Pesticide Makers From Lawsuits

‘How To Make a Killing’ is Dead on Arrival