Hard-working Oregonians are being repeatedly contacted by a group called the Freedom Foundation, which is trying to fool people into giving up their Union membership.
Their real agenda
The Freedom Foundation is an anti-worker, corporate-backed, union-busting organization.
That’s Not a Check or Rebate: It’s a Ploy to Take Away Union Power
The Freedom Foundation is really getting desperate in their underhanded attempts to beat back Oregon workers. This anti-pro-corporate organization is spending millions to try to bust unions by sending out elaborate postal mail and emails to union members that solidarity and worker power is bad. These pieces of mail often look like a check or a rebate in an attempt to get you to drop your union membership.
Don’t be fooled – the “Freedom” Foundation doesn’t care about workers. It is a corporate-backed organization that spends its money union-busting and fighting policies that help workers win great contracts and real pay raises. They know workers have big power and they will stop at nothing to take it away.
It’s because of our power that outfits like this feel the need to attack unions. We know unity is the only way to fight back and ensure workers get real raises, fair contracts and respect in the workplace!
Their claims
When they’re talking to us, they sing a different tune:
Freedom Foundation Claim 1: If I leave the union, “will I still receive the same wages and benefits? Yes.”
FALSE: Study after study has shown that in states where more people are members in union, wages are higher because we bargain from a position of strength and push back on groups like Freedom Foundation who call for cuts.
Freedom Foundation Claim 2: “Does opting out affect my pension? No.”
FALSE: We have a pension because we have a strong union. Where unions are weak, like in Wisconsin, groups like Freedom Foundation have successfully cut pensions.
Freedom Foundation Claim 3: “SEIU doesn’t deliver for its members.”
FALSE: Here are a few of the ways members benefit by being in union.
- Healthcare benefits negotiated through your contracts put an extra $788 per month on average
- $83 a month. That’s the extra money in your retirement account each month (on average) compared to the private sector.
- Wage increases gained through bargaining in 2023: workers will get raises of more than 15% through 2025, some as high as 24% because of the contracts we bargained through Union power.