WFSE-AFSCME Members: The 22 Percent Union Dues Reduction Option

WFSE-AFSCME Members: The 22 Percent Union Dues Reduction Option
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WFSE-AFSCME Members: The 22 Percent Union Dues Reduction Option

If you are, or know public employees represented by the Washington Federation of State Employees, did you know the court ruled in favor of employees who were frustrated with union overcharges?

Did you know your union dues are being used for more than simply representing you? Millions of dollars of dues are spent on elections and ideological causes that have nothing to do with workplace representation.

Union dues for Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) are 1.5 percent of your wages. Roughly 25 percent of that money is sent to the national union, AFSCME, in Washington, D.C. By the union’s own calculation, 22 percent of your union dues is used for extraneous purposes like elections and ideological causes.

Decades ago, public employees Louis and Annie challenged the idea that unions can charge as much as they want and spend on activity that doesn’t relate to collective bargaining.

Thanks to their courage, the U.S. Supreme Court acted to rein in unions’ ability to overcharge, which it found violated the First Amendment rights of workers.
To opt out of the excess dues, like many public employees already do, send in the letter below.

The union will continue to collect all the money it needs to fully cover the cost of representation, and your contract-provided compensation, benefits and conditions of employment remain unchanged.

You are also still paying the full cost of union services like contract enforcement, grievances and discipline assistance, so the union will continue to provide those services.

The current amount of dues including politics is 1.5 percent of wages.

Amount deducted if you pay just the agency fee is 1.17 percent.

To join public employees across Washington in avoiding WFSE/AFSCME overcharges, simply fill out the form here and the union will only charge you for workplace services.

More information about your rights available at: http://optouttoday.com/wfse

Senior Policy Analyst
jlund@freedomfoundation.com
Jami Lund is the Freedom Foundation’s Senior Policy Analyst. From 2004 to 2011, he developed legislative policy as a research analyst for the Washington House Republican Caucus. Prior to that he worked for the Freedom Foundation as the Project Manager for the Teachers Paycheck Protection project, shepherding the development of the Foundation’s landmark U.S. Supreme Court case to protect teacher rights. Jami is an accomplished speaker and researcher, one of Washington state’s top scholars on education policy and finance.