Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) is the first sitting member of Congress to have unionized staffers.
Some political observers feel this trend may pressure more political figures to follow suit.
This comes at a time when union membership in America is at an all-time low.
Public sector unions dodged a bullet in 2017 after the Supreme Court deadlocked on the Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association (CTA) case that threatened to eliminate fair share feesunion duesthat support strong collective bargaining efforts.
Before that it was the 2014 Harris v. Quinncase.
Then came the devastating Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) case in July that challenged public sector unions' ability to collect fair share, or "agency," fees from employees who receive representation and bargaining services unions are required to provide.
Since the Court decided to strip bargaining power from America's workers, undermining their ability to unify around better wages, benefits, workplace protections and standards for working families, it has basically turned the entire workforce into a "right-to-work-for less" sector, fulfilling a dream Republicans and right-wing groups have shared for decades.
Now that their dream is a reality, they are taking their assault to the next level.
Conservative think tanks have been contacting union members via direct marketing campaigns to persuade them to stop paying their dues.
According to internal documents The Guardian obtained from the "State Policy Network" (SPN), a national coalition comprised of 66 right-wing think tanks:
"Well run opt-out campaigns can cause public-sector unions to experience five to 20% declines in membership, costing hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars in dues money. This can affect the resources and attention available for union leaders to devote to political action campaigns."
Union employees earn an average of 30% more than non-unionized workers. They receive better health coverage 92% versus 68% for non-unionized workersand are more likely to have guaranteed pensions.
Unions' collective bargaining agreementscontractshelp protect employees from unjustified dismissal, unlike many nonunion "at-will" workers who can be fired at supervisors' discretion.
Unions provide safer, more equitable, more democratic work environments, provide elected representatives to defend collective bargaining agreements, and serve as bulwarks between exploitative capitalism and civil rights.
This is precisely why so many deep-pocketed entities want to destroy them.
And it is why Bernie Sanders' campaign is committing to try to re-invigorate them.
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