This week is National Employee Freedom Week. Thanks to the Janus v. AFSCME decision, government workers this week have more freedom than they had last year.

The Supreme Court decided in Janus v. AFSCME that government workers were no longer forced to pay agency fees even if they chose not to join a union. Agency fees are purportedly the costs of collective bargaining according to unions that nonmembers were forced to pay.

Dr. Lloyd Corder, founder of CorCom, Inc., just released a survey on public union members’ responses to Janus.

Corder found that while most workers knew about the ruling, about 30% of workers were not aware of the decision. Those in Right-to-Work states and those in the South and the West were less likely to know about Janus.

Just over half (51%) were supportive of the decision, while only 32% thought negatively about the ruling. Supporters tended to be those who had already stopped paying fees or were planning on stopping, those from Right-to-Work states, individuals from the South and individuals under 35 years old. Individuals over 50 years old and those who plan on continuing to pay dues were less supportive. Many of the supporters thought the case would protect their freedom or eliminate unfair union practices.

One respondent wrote:

“I believe people should be able to choose whether or not they are part of a union. Some people might not feel the union represents them or cannot afford for union dues to be taken out of their paychecks.”

A third of respondents said that they already have stopped paying fees or that they were planning on it. Specifically, 6% have already stopped paying fees, and 25% plan on stopping. Most of these individuals believe paying fees is an unfair practice or they want to save the money.

 One individual commented:

“I don’t agree with some of the things my union does, especially on the local level. Also, the dues that they charge are extremely high; way too high for the supposed benefit that we get.”

CWF celebrates the new freedom of government workers and will continue working to ensure that all workers have the freedom to choose whether to join and support a union or not.