The APA is a meaningless organization. They have zero authority over licensing. They also aren't the only professional psychological organization. APA membership carries with it no particular value; clients don't care about APA membership, they care about licensing.
The value of an APA membership is primarily that it makes access to published research affordable. If someone wasn't interested in accessing journal content, or required to present at conferences requiring APA membership to further their careers, I can't imagine why they'd pay to join.
