Government union dues are the Democrat Party's political ATM – and workers are finally starting to fight back.
Now New York Democrats just passed a bill to stop them.
What they handed Letitia James to make that happen is something union bosses have wanted since 2018.
New York Bill Gives Letitia James Power to Subpoena Groups Informing Workers of Janus Rights
A union backed bill passed the New York Assembly that targets the Freedom Foundation, a conservative think tank that sends mailers to public employees informing them they can opt out of union membership.
That right was established by the Supreme Court in its 2018 Janus v. AFSCME decision, which found mandatory union fees unconstitutional for government workers under the First Amendment.
The Freedom Foundation identifies itself clearly on every mailer – either directly or through its Opt Out Today outreach program.
Unions don't care.
They told Albany lawmakers the mailers were confusing workers, then couldn't produce a single documented example of actual deception when pressed.
The bill makes it illegal to "falsely impersonate" a union representative, with a $1,000 fine per incident.
For an organization running mass mailings to hundreds of thousands of workers, that math leads straight to bankruptcy – which is exactly the point.
Kathy Hochul Must Decide Whether to Sign a Bill Targeting Union Opt Out Mailers
The bill's real edge isn't the fine structure.
It's the enforcement mechanism.
Attorney General Letitia James would be authorized to issue subpoenas against anyone distributing communications in New York – including organizations based entirely outside the state.
James is up for re-election this year, and every union campaign dollar counts in New York.
The bill hands her a legal battering ram she can swing at the Freedom Foundation without ever proving a single worker was actually deceived.
Oregon ran this same play first – passing nearly identical legislation that took effect January 1, 2026, written specifically to shut down Freedom Foundation outreach in that state.
New York's version goes further, extending the attorney general's reach across state lines and setting the fine at more than double Oregon's penalty.
Hawaii is advancing its own version, with union operatives testifying the bill was specifically meant to "get out in front of" Freedom Foundation outreach – and citing Oregon as the blueprint.
Three states. Identical legislation. Coordinated timing. Oregon proved the strategy works long enough to bury the opposition in federal court while the dues keep flowing, and New York is copying the model.
Freedom Foundation Helped 250000 Government Workers Cancel Union Dues Since Janus
The Freedom Foundation has directly helped more than 250,000 public employees opt out of union membership since the Janus decision – costing unions more than $700 million based on average dues of $950 per employee per year.
In 2025 alone, the organization helped 50,000 workers leave, pulling more than $40 million out of union political accounts in a single year.
In New York specifically, 7,500 public employees have used Freedom Foundation materials to cancel their memberships, including more than 1,400 this year.
Unions have hundreds of thousands of members in New York state.
The Freedom Foundation is reaching a fraction of them – and Albany is treating it like an emergency.
Teachers who contact the Freedom Foundation say the same thing: they want to do their jobs without bankrolling a political agenda they never agreed to fund.
Union bosses know exactly what those workers would choose if someone told them they had a choice – and that is precisely what this bill is designed to prevent.
Democrats Call It Fraud Prevention But No Union Has Produced a Single Victim
Albany had a simple option: if the Freedom Foundation is actually deceiving workers, prosecute it under existing fraud law.
Democrats didn't take it, because existing law requires proof of actual deception – and unions can't produce any.
So Albany wrote them a new law where the allegation itself becomes the weapon.
The Freedom Foundation doesn't need to be convicted of anything.
It just needs to be subpoenaed repeatedly, buried under legal costs, and forced to choose between bankruptcy and silence.
This is what happens when government protects the people paying for its campaigns instead of the workers paying their salaries.
Unions spent billions funding the politicians who just handed them this bill.
Now those same politicians are using state power to make sure union members never find out they're allowed to ask for their money back.
Hochul should kill this bill – but the unions own Albany, and they are calling in the debt.
Sources:
- The Editorial Board, "A New York Union Protection Act," The Wall Street Journal, June 8, 2026.
- Aaron Withe, "Freedom Foundation Reports 250,000 Union Opt-Outs Post-Janus Decision," The Center Square, December 15, 2025.
- Aaron Withe, "Oregon's Union Crackdown Spreads," RealClearPolicy, April 3, 2026.
- Freedom Foundation, "Oregon Dems Advance Bill Targeting Freedom Foundation with Union Lawfare," freedomfoundation.com, April 17, 2025.
