Union Membership Plunges in Wisconsin

Now that folks can't be forced to join, they're making their preferences known

More than two years after Scott Walker's showdown with organized labor in Wisconsin, the official numbers for the state's public sector union membership are in — and they are down. Way down.

According a Labor Department filing made last week, membership at Wisconsin's American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 40 — one of AFSCME's four branches in the state — has gone from the 31,730 it reported in 2011, to 29,777 in 2012, to just 20,488 now. That's a drop of more than 11,000 — about a third — in just two years. The council represents city and county employees outside of Milwaukee County and child care workers across Wisconsin.

Labor Department filings also show that Wisconsin's AFSCME Council 48, which represents city and county workers in Milwaukee County, went from 9,043 members in 2011, to 6,046 in 2012, to just 3,498 now.

(Hat tip to Reason commenter John)