UNION MEMBERSHIP ACHIEVEMENTS

AFGE, NTEU, and NATCA excel when it comes to membership statistics, but for different reasons.

Both AFGE and NTEU have had positive membership growth news in recent years.  Since 2003, AFGE has increased its membership by 40%. (Bravo, President Gage.)  In contrast, NTEU has only grown 11%. However, NTEU has signed up 57% of the employees it represent while only 46% of the employees AFGE represents pay dues. (Our compliments, President Kelley)  

Sadly, NFFE, once a powerhouse among federal unions has fallen on bad times. It claims to represent 110,000 employees, but reports only 7,300 dues paying members. On a much brighter front, more than 85% of the NATCA-represented employees pay dues.  But do not conclude that  NATCA’s success is due to representing employees in just one occupational field.  Single occupation or agency unions are not always that successful.

POPA falls somewhere in between those two polar opposites with a little over 50% membership among the employees it represents. NWSEO reports about 30% are dues paying members.

From FEDSMILL’s perspective, there is no more important duty for union leaders than boosting membership.  A high membership percentage almost always shows that the employees approve of what the leadership is doing and consider their union valuable.  A union leader with high membership invariably is providing good representation, listening well, and rebuilding the image of all unions.

About AdminUN

FEDSMILL staff has over 40 years of federal sector labor relations experience on the union as well as management side of the table and even some time as a neutral.
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