Posts tagged agency fees
Commentary: Finally, it’s time for the Trump NLRB to go on offense
September 21, 2026 // The Cemex decision was legally problematic, and the precedent the Biden NLRB has set was challenged in federal courts. But now, Carey has targeted the Cemex decision for reversal, arguing the decision is “contrary to Supreme Court precedent and sound labor policy.” As labor policy expert Vinnie Vernuccio of the Institute for the American Worker explains: Her [Carey’s] brief notes that the Biden-era board ignored “the significant impact its decision had on worker free choice,” which she rightly calls a “backbone” of federal labor law. The General Counsel’s ultimate point could hardly be clearer or more pro-worker: “The right of employees to vote in a secret ballot election, free from coercion and from an informed position, once meant something — it should again.”
Michigan earns ‘D’ in government union, worker freedom report
September 10, 2026 // The report called many of these actions taken by states and unions “anti-freedom” proposals which leave workers confused on their rights and obligations. “Union executives are spending tens of millions of dollars to rewrite the rules of the game and bolster their political machine in every state, at the expense of freedom for government employees,” Osborne said. “State lawmakers across the country must stand up against anti-freedom labor proposals to ensure that every American worker has the right to choose whether or not to associate with a union, without coercion or fear, and that their hard-earned dollars don’t fund a political agenda they don’t support.”
Teacher unions dedicate money to political activism, lobbying
August 18, 2026 // In 2025, the NEA spent a total of $448,171,192, according to Union Facts, a nonprofit that focuses on transparency and accountability. AFT spent a total of $278,261,430. The NEA spent more than $51 million on political activities and lobbying in 2025, and the AFT spent more than $41 million, according to Union Facts. In comparison, the national average salary for a public school teacher is $74,000, according to the NEA.
Taxpayer-backed teacher unions receive $390M in dues
February 19, 2026 // Since 2022, the NEA and the American Federation of Teachers have together contributed $43.5 million to political organizations, including The Trevor Project, according to a report by the nonprofit Defending Education.
Steelworkers Union hit with unfair labor practice charges by Viking Corporation employee
December 22, 2025 // Kristen Dickinson, who works for the fire-sprinkler manufacturer, submitted the charges to the National Labor Relations Board with free legal assistance from National Right to Work Foundation attorneys. The filings allege union officials told workers Viking was operating as a “closed shop,” meaning employees could be fired if they refused formal union membership. Closed shops have been illegal nationwide since the U.S. Supreme Court’s General Motors v. NLRB ruling in 1963.
Opinion: A Union Sandbags Newsom With a Wealth Tax
October 27, 2025 // The SEIU-UHW collected $136 million in worker dues and agency fees in 2024, according to the union’s most recent U.S. Labor Department filing. Much of this has financed ballot campaigns and political lobbying to promote its own interests and the progressive agenda more broadly. The wealth-tax initiative is a case in point.
Op-ed: Stanford’s Graduate Student Union Tries to Stifle Dissent
September 4, 2025 // At the University of Chicago, graduate students in a similar position have taken their union to federal court, arguing that forced support of the union violates their constitutional rights. In Graduate Students for Academic Freedom v. Graduate Students United, the plaintiffs—including Jewish students—say they are being compelled to fund a union that promotes the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel, a stance they view as antisemitic. The graduate unions at both Stanford and Chicago are registered as local chapters of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America, a national union that funds progressive activism.
Op-ed: Celebrating the Decline of Big Labor
September 2, 2025 // New York and California have 17 percent of U.S. workers, but almost 30 percent of U.S. union members. The states with the lowest rates include the Carolinas, which do not allow collective bargaining in the public sector. More states should look to abolish public-sector collective bargaining, as Utah did this year. And more states should pick up where Republicans left off in the early-to-mid 2010s by passing right-to-work laws. The first order of business should be restoring Michigan’s law that Democrats repealed. In 24 states, private-sector workers can still be coerced to join or financially support a union.
Op-ed: A GOP-Teamsters Alliance Makes No Sense
August 24, 2025 // Republicans getting on board with these ideas aren’t just awkward—they’re incoherent. There’s little evidence that endorsements from Teamsters executives move the needle in general elections, for parties or for candidates. Can Republicans credibly argue that filling the Teamsters’ coffers (and campaign-donation kitty) will result in the sort of political realignment some hope for, or even a lasting political windfall? The only guaranteed outcome is more power for the Teamsters and other unions over U.S. labor relations. If these overtures to the Teamsters backfire, Republicans can’t say they weren’t warned. As one GOP politician running for Missouri attorney general tweeted in 2015, after labor-aligned Republicans derailed state right-to-work legislation, “time for an end to union-backed candidates in GOP.”
Podcast: Championing Worker Freedom Across The States: Alan Jernigan and Vincent Vernuccio on ALEC TV
August 23, 2025 // As debates over worker rights ripple across the country, one message continues to echo from state to state: workers deserve the freedom to choose the work arrangements that fit their lives best. But how should lawmakers turn that principle into policy?