In the face of setbacks to public sector unions due to the Supreme Court ruling against required union fees earlier this year, one union in Peoria, Illinois is trying a different approach to increasing membership and needed funds – by working on community outreach and visiting employees at home to find out what employee’s concerns are. The 1.7 million-member American Federation of Teachers union is seeking to spread the message that the union is interested in members being involved with their union from the ground up, giving members more say and power in how the union operates. Giving union members more say in what agendas the union should pursue will hopefully increase membership and allow the union to be a more effective ally for its workers.
See "This Union Has A Radical Plan To Save Itself: Get To Know Its Members Again", Dave Jamieson, Huffington Post, October 4, 2018