A new law punishes groups that tell union workers their right not to pay union fees.
The Freedom Foundation communicates with tens of thousands of workers, including mailings that encourage them to leave the union and avoid paying dues. The mailers are sent by the foundation or its educational outreach program, Opt Out Today, but Democrats think union members aren’t capable of judging their own union’s value proposition. The mailings don’t impersonate, or claim to represent, a union.
The Freedom Foundation says some 7,500 public union members have responded to its mailers by opting out. But the cost for the nonprofit to keep operating will now be steep, and that’s the law’s point. The law says the state Attorney General can bring an action if she believes a person “has engaged or is about to engage in the false impersonation of an employee organization.” About to engage? That provision lets the state punish groups that haven’t even made contact with union members.
Each alleged offense could garner a $1,000 fine. Attorney General Letitia James will be on the case to file complaints and subpoenas to torment the think tank. Smart union members might ask what their union bosses are so afraid they might hear.
