Survey Says: Majority of Public Sector Union Members See Janus Ruling as ‘Positive’

It has been two months to the day since the U.S. Supreme Court decided to give all public employees a voice and choice when it comes to union membership.

Prior to the ruling, awareness of the Janus v. AFSCME case was quite low. But a new survey of government union members shows post-Janus knowledge of the Supreme Court ruling is high, and many think the ruling is a positive development.

Fifty one percent [of 311 public-sector union members] say the changes are positive, but 32 percent do not and 17 percent are on the fence. When asked why they think the changes are positive, respondents offered a number of reasons, including that the ruling protects their personal rights and freedoms (37%), eliminates what they believe is an unfair labor practice (22%) and allows them to save money by not being forced to pay dues (18%).

A breakdown of respondents by age revealed those under 35 years old were more likely to say the Janus decision is positive (61 percent); those over 50 years old were more likely to say the change is not positive (41 percent).

But how will the surveyed members respond monetarily?

… 6 percent say that they have already stopped paying dues and 25 percent say they are planning to stop paying.

One-third of respondents do not intend to continue (or already stopped) paying union dues. And that does not include agency fee payers who were no longer forced to financially support a union as of June 27.

Janus has given all public sector employees real choice through workplace freedom­. And they like it.