The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in the Janus v. AFSCME case last June was a slap in the face to the labor movement, with many anticipating a huge drop-off in labor union rolls.
Indeed, columnist Dana Milbank notes in The Washington Post that the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees lost roughly 84,000 "agency-fee payers" but added 88,500 full-paying members and have seen a burst of energy among their ranks with a focus on membership recruitment and engagement in pro-labor efforts.
The National Education Association added 13,935 members.
And overall, despite the predictions of a 30 percent drop in membership in the wake of Janus, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported January 18th that there was a total decline of just 0.7 percent in 2018.
While anti-labor activists saw an opportunity to give what they had hoped would be a deadly blow to the movement, they might not have realized the unintended consequences of basically issuing a call-to-arms to unions and their supporters.
As the old adage goes, be careful what you wish for.
