A new study says Janus will cost NY public sector unions tens of millions in dues and will greatly reduce their power in Albany and DC
In just a few weeks, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the Janus v. AFSCME case challenging fair share fees. With the case expected to be decided by June, The Empire Center has decided to take a look at the economic impact of Janus on public sector unions in the strongest union state, New York.
New York currently has over 1 million public sector employees that are organized in a union. These employees pay $862 million a year in dues to their respective union to cover the cost of things like bargaining and representation during grievances. In 2016, it is estimated that 129,000 public sector employees opted out of their union and instead paid a fair share fee, to the tune of $53 million. If the Supreme Court gets rid of fair share fees, they would stop immediately, leaving unions tens of millions of dollars in the hole and still needing to represent these free riders.
