Last month Freedom Foundation contacted Public School Employees (PSE) all over Washington to let them know how much money they could keep in their own pockets every year by opting out of PSE/SEIU 1948.

PSE/SEIU 1948 is the largest union in the state representing bus drivers, paraeducators, cafeteria workers, maintenance, office staff, and other non-teaching classified public school personnel.

The letters had no sooner been sent before our phones started ringing off the hook as hundreds of opt-outs poured into our office.

School district employees from more than 60 different Washington cities are starting this school year off by delivering a clear message. Classified school employees are not happy with the lack of quality representation coming from PSE.

Just including the employees who’ve opted out last month, classified employees in Washington are putting in the neighborhood of $132,000 a year back in their paychecks. But if early indications mean anything, that figure could be even higher.

While many are opting out because of poor representation, others are opting out simply because they need the money, and still, others are opting out because they disagree with the unions heavy partisan political agenda.

This loss of members should send a message to union leaders; it’s time to start listening to the employees you are supposed to be representing.

With more outreach planned for the coming weeks, we anticipate another surge of opt outs from classified workers.