A right-to-work group disputed on Friday claims by a major union that its membership rate in Michigan remains stable.
Ed McNeil, the special assistant to the president of the American Federation of State County Municipal Employees (AFSCME), told local media he estimates the number of AFSCME members in Michigan is staying about the same.
“They’re calling us to organize them because they’re looking at the type of work that we’ve done in the past and how we represent people,” McNeil added, according to MLive.com.
Yet the Center for Union Facts found that AFSCME’S membership rate within the state was indeed declining, according to the group’s database of federal data.
“With voters expressing support for employee rights reformers, unions in Michigan are left with little more than spin. We get that this week from Ed McNeil,” Union Facts said in a statement.
Back in 2012 Michigan became the 24th state to pass a right-to-work law, which outraged many unions.
According to Union Facts, “In 2013 (the most recent year for which data are public), AFSCME L.C. 25 had 40,669 members. That’s a drop of 5,405 members (11.7 percent) from 2012’s 46,074 membership.”
The group added, “While AFSCME Michigan may be recovering some of its losses through new organizing, it doesn’t appear to be nearly enough to stanch the long-term decline.”
“With more opportunity to choose for themselves, many employees are deciding that unions aren’t worthy of their support,” Unions Facts also stated. “It’s time to take this effort to the national level. As unions double down on their failed tactics of ruinous strikes and political hyper-partisanship, legislators should take up reform legislation like the Employee Rights Act to give employees a real voice in their workplaces.”
In recent years, private sector union membership has generally declined while public sector union membership has held steady or even climbed.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that in 2013, union membership rates declined in 26 states, increased in 22 states and the District of Columbia and held steady in two states.
AFSCME did not respond to The Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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