Public sector unions constitute the bedrock of progressive power in the United States. The estimated total nationwide membership exceeds 7 million, or 32 percent of all public employees. This compares to an equal number of unionized employees in the private sector, 7 million, but that only represents 6 percent of private sector employees. The fact that one in three public employees are dues-paying union members gives them influence in the public sector far in excess of the power wielded by unions in the private sector.
Moreover, the power of public sector unions is unevenly distributed among states. Their membership is concentrated in states and large cities, where progressives control public policy. In California, 58 percent of public sector employees are unionized, while even in this union-friendly state, only 11 percent of private sector employees belong to a union. The total dues revenue collected by California’s public sector unions is estimated at nearly $1 billion per year.
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