Center for American Progress

RELEASE: 7 Ways State Lawmakers Can Build Public Sector Union Power 
Press Release

RELEASE: 7 Ways State Lawmakers Can Build Public Sector Union Power 

Washington, D.C. — State lawmakers have the opportunity to innovate new policies for strengthening government workers’ right to come together in unions, raise pay for the public sector, and train the next generation of public sector workers. 

A new Center for American Progress report offers a roadmap for state policymakers who are looking to strengthen public sector union power and attract and retain a well-qualified workforce. The seven actionable steps for state lawmakers outlined in this report include: 

  1. Train new public employees about the benefits of union membership: Allow unionized workers to meet with new hires and educate them on the benefits of union membership at the worksite and online. 
  2. Facilitate efficient communication between unions and workers: Ensure unions regularly received updated contact information lists for workers, including email addresses, while protecting workers’ privacy. 
  3. Modernize union dues collection: Allow workers to deduce dues from payroll automatically, so workers deal with one less bill and unions have access to stable finances. 
  4. Strengthen workers’ power at the bargaining table: Respect the right of public sector workers who are not essential to public safety to strike; ensure workers can access critical benefits such as unemployment and health insurance during a strike; and efficiently resolve bargaining conflicts through binding arbitration. 
  5. Extend bargaining rights to more workers and make it easier to unionize: Grant collective bargaining rights to all public sector workers—including home care and child care workers as well as workers at state and local colleges and universities—and modernize methods of unionizing. 
  6. Partner with unions to train the next generation of public workers: Build training opportunities and occupation-specific career pathways to attract workers to the public sector, develop a skilled workforce, give workers an opportunity for career growth, and deepen their understanding of essential benefits. 
  7. Protect public sector jobs with careful review of decisions to contract out: Adopt consistent procedures for determining whether it is in the public’s best interest to contract work out. 

“State policymakers can learn from fellow states on how to implement a pro-worker agenda. These seven recommendations are all actionable opportunities to strengthen public sector unions,” said Karla Walter, senior fellow and co-author of the report. “Empowering public sector workers to exercise their bargaining rights will help improve their wages and working conditions, while attracting the next generation of well-qualified public workers and bolstering local communities.” 

Read the report: “7 Ways State Lawmakers Can Build Public Sector Union Power” by Aurelia Glass and Karla Walter

For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Sarah Nadeau at [email protected]

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