A Coca-Cola driver in Houston, Pennsylvania, named Josh Hammaker recently found himself in a tough spot with his local Teamsters union. He claims they threatened his job unless he joined up and paid dues, which he didn’t want to do. Now, Hammaker has taken the matter to federal court, saying, “I don’t support Teamsters politicking. My job definitely shouldn’t hinge on whether or not my hard-earned money is funding it.”
Hammaker’s complaint is straightforward: he believes his constitutional right to opt out of union membership is being trampled. The issue is that the union contract makes joining mandatory, something Hammaker feels is unfair. Mark Mix, who leads the National Right to Work Foundation, agrees, saying this kind of behavior is all too common where collective bargaining is involved.
Mix argues that union leaders are often out of touch with the workers they claim to represent. He says, “Like the rest of top Big Labor bosses, Teamsters kingpins oppose popular Right to Work laws so they can extort dues from unwilling workers.” To him, the solution is simple: make all union payments voluntary.
Critics of the union’s practices point out that workers’ dues often end up funding political causes they don’t support. A lawsuit highlights how these funds become a slush fund for Democratic candidates, bankrolled by automatic payroll deductions. The Commonwealth Foundation, a conservative policy group, says that just 5.2% of the $33 million spent by government unions in 2023 and 2024 went to candidates from other parties.
The Foundation’s research shows that since 2007, more than half of the $227 million unions spent on political activities came from membership dues. This money goes toward voting drives, lobbying, and mailers, effectively supporting political candidates indirectly. In one instance, the Freedom Foundation filed an ethics complaint against the Pennsylvania State Education Association for allegedly hiding a $1.5 million contribution to Gov. Josh Shapiro.
Chris Lilienthal, a spokesman for the association, denies any wrongdoing, claiming the contribution was lawful. However, investigations are still ongoing to determine whether there was a violation of campaign finance laws. According to Andrew Holman, a policy analyst, it’s hard to believe that union members are in complete agreement with their bosses’ political agendas.
Holman points out that government unions often display blatant partisanship, which harms their members. For example, during the 2024 election, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters did not endorse a presidential candidate, breaking a long tradition of Democratic support. A straw poll showed that 60% of the union’s rank-and-file members preferred Republican Donald Trump.
At the 2024 Republican National Convention, Teamsters President Sean O’Brien emphasized the shift in sentiment. “The American people aren’t stupid,” he remarked. “They know the system is broken. We all know how Washington is run. Working people have no chance of winning this fight.”
The Teamsters union, representing 1.3 million workers across various industries, has seen its leadership support different political candidates based on their actions. Republican support for sick leave for unionized rail workers, for instance, won O’Brien’s endorsement of Trump. Despite being called a “traitor,” O’Brien clarified, “We want to know one thing: what are you doing to help American workers.”
While some parts of the union stood behind Democratic candidates like Kamala Harris, Holman’s research found similar patterns in Pennsylvania. There, unions spent $2.1 million on state and local races, helping maintain a narrow Democratic majority in the state House. Holman believes many union members are still unaware of how their dues are spent.
He says this lack of transparency is a longstanding issue within unions. Members often remain in the dark about the political causes their dues fund. This disconnect between union leaders and their members is a growing concern, especially as more workers question where their money goes.
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