Washington Policy Center (WPC) often hears public employees say they didn’t know they had a choice about union membership. That’s not surprising. Government employers generally don’t provide information about this right, and unions have no incentive to emphasize it. Further confusing the issue, union dues, which can add up to $1,000 or more each year, are commonlydeducted through government payroll systems based on authorization information provided by unions.

That’s why we’ve created a simple, one-page resource public employers can use to improve employee awareness about choices available to them.

In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court decided in Janus v. AFSCME that forcing public employees to pay union dues or fees without their consent violates their First Amendment rights. The landmark ruling means union membership is entirely voluntary: Public employees may choose to give a portion of their earnings to a union, but they cannot be required to do so as a condition of employment. For employees who disagree with a union’s activities, that’s important.

Transparency, informed consent, freedom of association and limits on compelled speech are principles all Washingtonians should be able to support, and Janus lives at the intersection of those values.

State lawmakers should want the public workforce to know about all their rights, including this one. If they do, outreach efforts concerning Janus rights are sorely lacking. While information and awareness posters from the state’s...

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