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It's true that in the late 1980s the Supreme Court ruled in Beck vs. CWA (Harry Beck is a true American hero) that union members are entitled to refunds of monies spent on non-union activities.

The problem is this ruling isn't enforced well and is easy to get around.

First of all, most members are unaware of this right.

Secondly, the union will oftentimes only give you a small window of time to opt out. They'll put a small item about it in the newsletter and if you don't file the proper paperwork in the next two weeks you're locked in with full payments for the next year.

Thirdly, the union will often lie and/or be evasive when asked about the actual percentage of money spent on politics.

Fourthly, those who ask for a refund better brace themselves. I was forced into a union as a politically aware 18-year-old working at a Safeway warehouse in Maryland. I requested documentation of how the money was spent and a refund on all the money I knew was going to support Paul Sarbanes, Barbara Mikulski, Parris Spendening, etc. All these closed shops have worthless goons they can send out to make trouble and if they get arrested it's no big deal. I had my car keyed and tires slashed. Bunch of pathetic parasites.

I quit the job and went to college.

I did an internship at a union tire maker (pretty big one, but out of respect I won't mention which one). The union was on strike a few months before I started, and there was some violence and alot of threats. The attitude was "I am OWED this job! You can NOT tell me what to do!". As a result, that plant and the company in general is not doing very well right now.

Funny thing is, there was a good number of people who didn't want to strike, but were afraid of what would happen if they didn't. Why unions aren't attacked under the RICO laws I will never know.