Government employees unions face an inherent tension when communicating with their members.

On one hand, unions want workers to believe they are perpetually under assault and that their hard-won benefits and wages are always on the verge of being taken away. On the other hand, government unions also want their members to believe the union is working tirelessly and effectively on their behalf and winning new concessions from union-backed politicians (at taxpayers’ expense).

In some cases, the tension produces some hilariously inaccurate rhetoric. A recent email sent by the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) to its members provides an enlightening case-study.

The email asks state employees to complete a survey to help the union “better understand our member’s priorities, develop strategic alliances and build a stronger union for all public employees.” Nothing remarkable here. 

But under a section entitled, “Why it Matters,” the tension between imminent destruction and the Promised Land is on full display in a series of laughable claims. It bears reproducing in full (including punctuation errors and accompanied by plenty of author’s commentary):

“Well-funded self-serving entities come to Olympia year after year and hijack our democracy to dismantle vital public services at the expense of hard working state employees and our state’s most vulnerable. (This is indisputably true. All WFSE needed to do was look in the mirror to figure this one out. But a later reference to the Freedom Foundation indicates who they had in mind. The “self-serving” accusation presumes the Freedom Foundation has something to gain from its lobbying efforts but, as a nonprofit organization that accepts no government grants and functions entirely on voluntary contributions, how does the Freedom Foundation directly benefit from anything that happens in Olympia? Any examples? Didn’t think so. We’ll get to the “well-funded” part later.) 

These organizations, backed by ultra-wealthy donors like the Koch brothers, lobby legislators in an attempt to dismantle vital state services – services that keep our communities healthy and safe, and our economy strong and fair. (While liberals assume the Koch brothers single-handedly back any cause, candidate or organization they don’t like, the truth is there are many other freedom-loving patriots willing to voluntarily contribute their hard-earned dollars to counter the pervasive influence of the government union machine that relies on the ability to extract mandatory dues and fees from public employees. With that said, we are about due for our annual bottle of Koch maple syrup. As for dismantling “vital state services,” the complete list of legislation the Freedom Foundation worked on last year is available here. Not one had to do with dismantling state services. There were quite a few, though, that would have loosened WFSE’s grip on its members and increased the transparency of collective bargaining.)

During the 2015 legislative sessions, state employees (While state employee unions took some well-deserved flack, the Freedom Foundation has nothing against state employees. And for the record, while current and former union members regularly testified in support of the Freedom Foundation’s proposed reforms, only union executives and lobbyists testified against them) faced numerous attacks from a coordinated anti-worker front. (If there are other groups actively defending the interests of public employees and taxpayers against government union monopolies, could WFSE please point them out so we can coordinate?) WFSE/AFSCME members collectively fought back to protect state employee pensions, healthcare, bargaining rights, pay raises and better funding for the public services we provide. Because of our collective tenacity and the support of our friends in the community, we defeated these attacks – despite being sorely out-funded. (That’s right: If it hadn’t been for WFSE, government union collective bargaining agreements might be posted online)

Organizations like the Koch brothers-backed Freedom Foundation will continue to attack state services, public employees, and our union. The same network of organizations and their politicians continue to introduce bills that adversely impact our communities harming small businesses, veterans, communities of color, and our environment. (Any examples? How does giving public employees more time to file to decertify an unwanted union hurt the environment? How does requiring government collective bargaining negotiations to be open to the public harm small business? How does bringing state law into compliance with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling hurt veterans?)

Our union members understand that through coalition building we can strengthen our ability to win at the bargaining table, in the legislature, and in the workplace. This survey will help us develop strong coalitions and partnerships. Together, with strong allies, we can create an economy that works for ‘we the people,’ not just the wealthy and well connected. (It’s hard to find wealthier and better connected special interests than government unions)

Thank you for helping us build a powerful union for (those of us employed by) state employees (mandatory union dues).”

Perhaps the most laughable — and most frequently repeated — claim in WFSE’s email is that the union is being “sorely out-funded” by the Freedom Foundation. But the numbers speak for themselves.

According to its annual LM-2 report filed with the U.S. Department of Labor, WFSE’s total receipts exceeded $24 million in 2014, about 14 times the Freedom Foundation’s budget that year.

When it comes to spending on lobbying, state Public Disclosure Commission records indicate WFSE has spent over $220,000 on lobbying so far in 2015, more than eight times the amount spent by the Freedom Foundation. And this doesn’t include the $117,000 WFSE has contributed to political campaigns this year. The Freedom Foundation has made no such contributions.

And WFSE is just one of the dozens of government unions in Washington.

At least some of the other unions are a bit more forthcoming about their political influence. A recent letter from SEIU 775 seeking political donations from its members (in excess of the 40 percent of their dues that already goes to politics) referred to the union as a “political powerhouse” which “hold(s) politicians accountable” by “flexing (its) political muscle.”

Either way the unions choose to message it, it’s clear that the Freedom Foundation is the real underdog in this fight. But the fact that this underdog has some of the state’s largest unions on the run and the rest very nervous shows that Goliath can’t win forever. And the unions know it.