Worker Freedom
Thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Janus v. AFSCME, you and other public employees can no longer be forced to join or financially support a union.
Now, you don’t have to sign up for a union in the first place when you get a job working for a school, college, or other government agency.
You can choose to opt out if you don’t see much value from the $800 to $1,000 or more you have to spend each year on union dues – and keep that money in your pocket. And if you’re wondering how your union dollars are being spent – or if your money is being spent to promote causes and issues you don’t agree with – you can now take back control over your money and opt out.
Read real life stories below about public employees like you who stood up to questionable activities by unions and exercised their newly-won freedom to say no.
Click Below to Opt Out
The process to opt out can be both confusing and time consuming. Each union has its own unique opt out process. But several organizations have put together online guides to make it as quick and easy as possible to exercise your new freedom. Check out the organizations below to learn more.
• Opt Out Today (project of Freedom Foundation)
https://www.optouttoday.com/california
• My Pay My Say (project of Mackinac Center and California Policy Center)
https://www.mypaymysay.com/state/ca/
How Much Could You Save by Opting Out?
Using this calculator, you can find out how much you can save at the end of your career and how much money you can draw down annually from your savings during your retirement years.
For example, a 45-year old employee who expects to retire in 20 years at age 65, and who stops paying annual dues of $1,000 and instead puts it in an account earning 5 percent annually upon retirement will accumulate $34,719. During a 20-year retirement period he or she can draw down annually $2,653.
Resources
Many join a union to get benefits like affordable liability insurance and discounts for home/auto insurance or entertainment tickets. But there are alternatives where you can receive these benefits – and more – at a much lower cost than union dues.
• American Education Association
www.aaeteachers.live
• National Public Employee Alliance
www.npea.us
• Christian Educators Associations
www.ceai.org
• Teacher Guardian
www.teacherguardian.com
Provides an alternative to teachers’ unions with direct access to representation on labor and employment matters – without politics.
• For Kids and Country
forkidsandcountry.org/