State Employee Union Membership Dips

(Sacramento, CA) — The rate of union membership among California state workers saw a slight drop last year. As the pandemic shifted to a remote work model, the number of new members in the majority of the state’s public unions saw zero growth or declines of roughly one-percent. Remote working put a damper on recruitment last year since union representatives usually have new membership meetings in person. Another roadblock was a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that stopped unions from collecting fees from employees without their consent. Because of that ruling, unions lost millions of dollars as workers opted out of paying fees.