There’s a moment that keeps repeating itself in my profession — and once you’ve experienced it enough times, you stop believing it’s accidental.
It usually starts the same way.
I’m standing outside a hospital, near a maintenance yard or on a campus walkway as employees are coming and going. Sometimes I’m walking through apartment complexes where public employees live or knocking on doors in residential neighborhoods.
I introduce myself, start a conversation and most people engage. Some are curious, some skeptical — but they can follow along.
And then there’s always someone just outside of it.
They’re listening. Watching. Trying to piece it together.
But they’re not really part of the conversation — not because they don’t care, but because the information has never been made accessible to them in a language they can fully understand.
The Moment Everything Changes
So I adjust.
I slow it down. I simplify. Or I call someone who can translate. I’ve done it more times than I can count — bringing someone in just to explain the exact same information in a way that actually makes sense to them.
And that’s when everything changes.
The confusion disappears. The polite nodding turns into real questions, and you can see the moment it clicks.
Then comes the response I hear over and over again:
“No one ever told me this.”
Not once. Not occasionally. Almost every time.
The Pattern You Can’t Ignore
After years of doing this across different states, campuses, job sites and even at people’s homes, one thing has become undeniable to me: The workers who face language barriers are consistently the least-informed about their rights — not because they’re unwilling to understand, but because the information has not been clearly provided to them.
They don’t know dues are voluntary. They don’t know they can stop payments. They don’t even know they have a choice.
And just as importantly — they’re too often made to feel like they shouldn’t ask.
At some point, I had to stop pretending that was just a coincidence. Because it’s too consistent. Too predictable. Too convenient.
And when a pattern is this consistent — across different workplaces, different states, and different unions — it stops looking like oversight and starts looking like something being relied upon.
Corey’s Story — What Happens When Someone Actually Knows
Corey didn’t need a translator. He understood everything clearly — and because of that, his situation made something else very clear.
His wife recently had a stroke. She now needs constant care. He had planned to work another five or six years to build his pension, but that’s no longer realistic. He can’t afford the kind of help she needs at home.
So now he’s planning to retire early. Every dollar matters to him.
When I explained that union dues are voluntary, he didn’t hesitate. He filled out the form and sent it in.
Not because I convinced him, but because he finally had the information.
Corey’s situation is difficult — but his decision was simple. Because he understood his options.
Now Compare That to What I See Every Day
In another interaction, I spoke with a woman on campus who didn’t speak much English.
She had been standing nearby, listening — trying to follow along, but clearly not fully understanding what was being said.
So I brought in Orlando, a bilingual outreach director in California, to make sure she could hear everything clearly in a language she actually understood — right there where we were standing. And just like so many others I’ve spoken to in the same situation, she had never been told.
Not clearly. Not in a way she could understand.
Not at all.
You could see it in her reaction — the moment it finally made sense. And that’s when the pattern stops being subtle.
Because this isn’t rare. It’s what I see constantly, whether on campus, at a job site or out in the community.
This Is Where the Question Gets Uncomfortable
If this were just a communication problem, the solution would be obvious.
Translate the information. Make it accessible. Ensure every worker understands their rights.
But that’s not what I’ve witnessed. In my experience, workers facing the greatest language barriers given the least access to clear, understandable information — and in many cases, being made to feel uncomfortable or intimidated when they try to engage.
I’ve had employees quietly tell me they’re afraid to ask questions.
They’re afraid of retaliation. Afraid of getting in trouble. Afraid of losing their job.
And what makes their experience even more concerning is that many of them have never been told they have rights that protect them from exactly that kind of treatment, including protection from discrimination and retaliation.
When people don’t know their rights, fear becomes a powerful tool.
And when that fear exists alongside a lack of clear information, it doesn’t just happen in a vacuum. It creates a condition where people remain compliant because they believe they have no other option.
Control Doesn’t Require Force — Just Withheld Information
No one has to explicitly tell someone they’re not allowed to leave.
If the information about leaving is never clearly provided — or is buried, vague or unavailable in a language they understand — the outcome is the same.
They stay. They keep paying. They don’t question it.
And if they’re made to feel uncomfortable or intimidated for even exploring their options, the pressure becomes even more effective. That’s not a failure on their part.
That’s a system where clarity is selectively withheld, and where that absence of clarity directly benefits the organization collecting the money.
We Saw It Again — All at Once
At one point, I spoke with a group of about 10 AFSCME-represented groundskeepers.
Different backgrounds, different personalities. Same reaction.
They were frustrated and dissatisfied, and like so many others, had no idea dues were voluntary.
Once we explained it, the entire conversation shifted. By the end of it, every single one of them said they were going to fill out and return their forms.
Not one. All of them.
That’s what happens when people are finally given clear, understandable information without pressure, confusion or fear.
And That’s the Problem
Every worker should be able to understand their rights clearly, directly and in a language they speak whether they’re at work or at home.
They should also be able to exercise those rights without fear. Anything less than that isn’t just a communication issue.
It’s a system that depends on people not being fully informed and, in many cases, being too intimidated to act even if they were.
A system like that doesn’t just fail workers. It depends on keeping them in the dark — and profits from making sure they stay that way.
