Government unions lose membership

The four largest government unions in the United States, have lost nearly a quarter of a million members, since the Supreme Court, in its 2018 Janus decision ruled that non-members were not required to pay mandatory contributions towards political action.

The four – AFSCME, SEIU, NEA and AFT had a peak membership in 2021 of nearly 7 million members.  Since then, 218,000 union members have dropped their membership.

Private sector unions have lost far fewer members, but those representing government workers, including teachers, have seen the largest decreases in membership.

These government unions, have a major say in political matters and most often influence partisan stands taken by the Democratic Party.  In many communities, these government unions exert tremendous control over the election of local officials, who owe their election to the union’s monetary contributions and their ability to turn out workers to wave signs, doorbell and make phone calls.

Whether or not the decline in membership will result in a decline in union political activism is yet to be seen.  But, if membership continues to fall, its influence on politics will continue to decline.