Public employers in Washington state aren’t just managing schools, cities and agencies, they’re also serving as dues collectors for unions that make significant contributions to political candidates and lobby for government spending and taxes that further enrich them.
In acting as union bookkeepers, state and local governments spare these private organizations the effort of collecting dues directly from members. Worse, this helps keep workers in the dark about their right to join or not join a union.
That’s not neutral governance. That’s state-sponsored favoritism toward a powerful special interest group. Government should work for the people of Washington, not cater to politically friendly special interests.
It’s been seven years since the U.S. Supreme Court’s Janus v. AFSCME ruling affirmed that public employees do not have to join unions with which they disagree or pay union dues as a condition of employment. But many still don’t even know they have those First Amendment protections, referred to as “Janus rights.”
Some basic steps could help our state put workers, not unions, first. For starters, governments need to respect a public employee’s right to opt out of a union, just as they respect a public employee’s right to join one.
I called some school districts that collect dues for unions and asked what they do if employees have questions about deductions or union membership. I was told they’re referred to the union. One HR staffer from Spokane Public Schools told me, “HR stays out of the conversation” about union membership.
I then asked whether the district gives its workers information about their Janus rights. “No,” she said. During onboarding, the union gives out its information and has time with new employees. This is typical in schools. “Our union is pretty active,” she said, adding that the Spokane Education Association promotes itself, provides materials and posts signage about rallies and other events.
That’s the problem. Information about whether or not to be in a union is one-sided. Employees are surrounded by union messaging, while their actual employers remain silent on their right to say “no.”
The state also falls short. The Department of Labor and Industries’ website lacks clear, accessible information about workers’ Janus rights. Even the official “Your Rights as a Worker” poster — required to be displayed in workplaces — mentions nearly everything but the right not to join a union.
Another favor for unions in 2025
This year, lawmakers expanded their practice of helping labor organizations.
With the passage of Senate Bill 5041, employers will now be required to pay unemployment benefits to striking workers. Unemployment insurance benefits were designed to help those who lose their jobs through no fault of their own — not to subsidize work stoppages. Public employees are even included in the legislation, even though they have no legally protected right to strike, a fact of which many public workers are unaware.
Unions already collect hundreds of dollars — or more — each year from each member. They should be using that money to support members during strikes, not expecting employers to pay workers not to work. The misguided policy will likely raise costs for public and private employers, harm the majority of workers in the state and weaken the state’s unemployment insurance fund.
The government should be neutral between employers and labor, not serve as muscle to force employers to finance a de facto strike fund on behalf of political allies. If lawmakers and public employers truly cared about fairness for workers and the disadvantaged who lose jobs, they’d stop helping unions build political war chests and start giving workers full transparency and choice.
Here’s what should happen:
End automatic deductions of dues. Let unions collect their own money.
Require disclosure of constitutionally protected Janus rights during hiring and on all state employment sites.
Stop public employers from deferring union questions to unions. Workers deserve neutral information, not a sales pitch.
Protect the unemployment insurance fund for those who need it.
Inform public employees that strikes by government workers are illegal.
Public employees deserve honest, balanced information about their rights. Washingtonians deserve a government that protects all its workers.