One reason that labor's opponents have made headway on issues like right to work is because of a growing sense even within the union movement that members are not getting their money's worth from their sometimes expensive union dues. In 2011 I wrote about a Harris poll which found that 47 percent of those in union households don't think the benefits of unionization outweigh the cost of being a member. In that same poll, 60 percent of respondents said that unions were too involved in politics.
Over the years government unions in particular have increasingly ventured into areas far afield of labor issues, including spending members' money supporting social issues that some of their own members vigorously oppose. In California, for instance, unions contributed $2 million to a campaign to oppose a 2008 ballot initiative that defined marriage as an act between a man and a woman. Socially conservative union members objected.
The same dynamic seems to be playing out in Michigan. Over at the Foundry blog, Lachlan Markay has compiled figures on Michigan's 25 largest private unions, culled from mandatory filings with the U.S. Labor Department. They show that on average less than 25 percent of union dues is spent on representing workers in Michigan. Above is a chart with the top five Michigan unions and their dollars spent on union representation vs. total expenditures.
The same dynamic seems to be playing out in Michigan. Over at the Foundry blog, Lachlan Markay has compiled figures on Michigan's 25 largest private unions, culled from mandatory filings with the U.S. Labor Department. They show that on average less than 25 percent of union dues is spent on representing workers in Michigan. Above is a chart with the top five Michigan unions and their dollars spent on union representation vs. total expenditures.
Join the conversation