BEWARE: Anti-Union Group Up to Their Old Tricks

Like clockwork, every few years members of an anti-union organization called the Freedom Foundation contact local union members urging them to break solidarity and abandon their union brothers and sisters. Recently, this group, which operates outside of California, sent misleading mailers and email messages to public employees across Orange County.

Make no mistake, the Freedom Foundation’s agenda is anti-worker. This organization's sole purpose is to advance corporate interests by reducing the power and influence of public sector unions. This group is funded by the wealthiest CEOs and billionaires in America who want to destroy unions. These are the same people who have continued to move most of America’s wealth to the top 1%.

They oppose raises for public workers. They want to end public employee pensions. They want to increase your health care costs. They want to reduce your benefits. They want to erase the middle class.

But what the Freedom Foundation doesn’t realize is that, unlike the ill-intentioned billionaires who fund campaigns with union-busting minions who do their dirty work, the union movement is a worker-driven movement. It is your movement.

Union members—from OCEA’s President to our Board Members, Stewards, Committee Members, Union Action Team, and more—all volunteer their time to secure better wages and working conditions to benefit you and your family.

The people who fund the anti-worker agenda fear societal equity for frontline workers like you. They fear those who speak up or try to challenge their greed. They fear the power and influence created by our movement, so they attack us. When anti-union forces succeed, they weaken union rights, defund unions, attack pay and benefits, and eventually outsource jobs.

As a union member, never forget that you represent one of the last standing bastions of the American middle class. We proudly stand in defense of our American dream and will continue to fight for our members, and all workers. We won’t let them break us.

If you are contacted by the Freedom Foundation or see a Freedom Foundation staff member at your work location, please notify your OCEA Steward or call OCEA at (714) 835-3355. If you would like more information about this group, visit OCEA.org/facts.

In Solidarity,

Charles Barfield
OCEA General Manager

Publication Date: July 3, 2025