Controversy over vaccine and mask mandates are causing Californians to opt out of their respective worker unions in record numbers, according to an organization that monitors unions nationwide.
“A lot more about union corruption is coming out,” said Rachel Wiegel, California outreach director for the Freedom Foundation, a watchdog group. “Especially with the pandemic, teachers, firefighters and other first responder roles are very upset with the unions handling of the pandemic. Many teachers, are very frustrated with the union's push for vaccine and mask mandates in schools.”
While the City of Los Angeles city council issued an order requiring city employees, including firefighters, to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 15, 2021, California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is requiring health care workers, adult care facilities and direct care workers to be immunized against COVID-19 with a booster shot by Feb. 1
“We're seeing healthcare workers very upset too about nurses being fired because of vaccine mandates, the staff shortages that has caused and the pressure that's put on the nurses who are still working, Wiegel told the Southern California Record. “This is the time during these types of crisis situations that workers expected the union to come in and stand up for them.”
As a result of a Freedom Foundation campaign, in one month, alone,1,278 Californians left multiple unions, according to Freedom Foundation data.
U.S. Census Bureau statistics place the number of public employees statewide at 1.6 million people.
“We're seeing record high numbers of teachers leave the California Teachers Association, which is an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers as well as the National Educators Association, which are the two of largest teachers unions in the country,” Wiegel said. “We also saw record high numbers of Californians leave multiple local SCIU chapters, which is the largest state worker union in the country. We also saw huge numbers of people leave the SCIU 721, which is another state worker affiliate out here in California.”
The Freedom Foundation campaign in December 2021 targeted 15 different union groups in California, which included teachers, state workers, city employees, and county employees. "We told them that they have a constitutional right recognized by the U.S. Supreme Court to opt out of their union," Wiegel added. "Many people, especially out here in a blue state like California, don't know that they have this right. Because of that, we spread the word, we educate and we inform them that they they no longer have to be a part of the union as a term of employment. Then, we walk them through the steps of how to leave the union if they decide that's what's best for them."