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(Michael Schaus, Nevada Policy Research Institute)<\/strong> A new national survey indicates that nearly 30 percent of union members would opt out of union membership if they knew they could keep their job and not face any penalties.<\/p>\n The\u00a0survey is part of\u00a0National Employee Freedom Week (NEFW), an annual national campaign\u00a0that\u00a0informs\u00a0union members\u00a0about\u00a0their workplace rights, including their right to exit union membership. NEFW runs\u00a0Sunday, August 14th through Saturday, August 20th\u00a0and consists of more than 80 organizations in over 35 states.<\/p>\n Responding to charges by labor leaders that opting out of membership makes employees into \u201cfree riders,\u201d the NEFW coalition conducted additional state-specific surveys to test support for a new policy known as \u201cWorker\u2019s Choice\u201d<\/a> \u2014 a policy that would allow workers who opt-out of paying membership dues to represent themselves in negotiations with their employer.<\/p>\n Nationally, more than two-thirds of union members agreed with the proposal, and over 60 percent of union members in Nevada were supportive.<\/p>\n NPRI\u2019s communication director, and executive director of National Employee Freedom Week, Michael Schaus described the results as a \u201chuge win for employee freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo workers should feel trapped in their union. It\u2019s not fair to them, and it\u2019s not fair to the union,\u201d explained Schaus. \u201cThis year\u2019s poll results show that, nationally and locally, majorities support this concept of worker\u2019s choice \u2014 letting employees decide for themselves<\/em> whether or not they will belong to a collective bargaining unit.\u201d<\/p>\n