According to a recent watchdog report, the nation’s largest public service employees union spent $1 out of every $5 in revenue collected through union dues on politics in 2021.
According to a survey of 3,000 potential union members conducted in 2021, “excessive engagement in politics is the number one obstacle” preventing them from joining a union.
According to the report (pdf) by the public sector union watchdog Americans for Fair Treatment, America’s largest public service employees union—the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)—spent $28.6 million on activities to represent the 1.3 million members who belong to about 3,400 locals and 58 district councils across 46 states.
As for other expenditures, AFSCME spent $25.7 million on lobbying and politics and $57 million on union administration, general overhead, and employee benefits. AFSCME President Lee Saunders received a salary and disbursements of $367,221. Secretary-Treasurer Elissa McBride received $303,020.
AFSCME leadership spent another $3.4 million in membership dues on contributions, gifts, and grants to predominantly progressive groups like the Center for American Progress (CAP).
