Workers at three Washington state agencies would like to decertify their union, the Washington Federation of State Employees, which has been representing them for many years.
Workers who are angry about the imposition of union dues are the force behind the decertification movement.
For them to be successful, they need to obtain signature cards from 30% of employees. Yet, the union and state agencies have put numerous barriers on the road to decertification, including a ban on releasing the street and e-mail addresses of union members.
While public sector employees represent the largest number of union members in the United States, that may be changing, and actions by workers in Washington may portend a growing anti-union trend. For a large segment of public sector workers to want to decertify their union means that they, like their private sector counterparts, finally realize that unionization imposes unnecessary burdens while providing ever-diminishing benefits.
