The numbers are in, and it’s clear that AFSCME members are sticking with their union. “Our union gained more than 9,000 dues-paying members and nearly 19,000 dues-paying retirees in the last year, suggesting that billionaires and corporations are failing in their effort to ‘defund and defang’ public service unions,” AFSCME reports. This means that in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Janus ruling, AFSCME retained 94 percent of workers it represents; analysts had projected a loss of up to 30 percent. Union leaders credited the “AFSCME Strong” campaign for the union’s success, noting that it’s resulted in more than 1 million conversations between AFSCME members about the value of union membership since its launch in 2014. "We remind our members that this is their union," AFSCME Council 20 Executive Director Andrew Washington told Union City. "We listen to them, find out what their issues and concerns are, and make sure they know they're empowered." It's working: out of more than 6,000 members, AFSCME Council 20 has had just three drop out of the union since the Janus decision, Washington said.