Requiring Non-Members

To Pay Their ‘Fair Share’

 

When a union negotiates a contract providing increases in pay and benefits, or represents employees before Congress and federal agencies, everyone benefits - but only union members share the costs of such representation.

 

Fair-share legislation would allow unions to require all employees of the bargaining unit who benefit from their representational activities to join in paying for the costs of that representation. Several states have laws stipulating that although employees cannot be required to join a union, employees may be required to share in the cost of union representation.

 

The fundamental difference between enjoying full membership and paying a fair share is that members are entitled to full benefits and participation, whereas employees who pay a fair share are paying for services related directly to collective bargaining. Fair-share payers can’t vote or hold office, and they can’t take advantage of the union’s insurance benefits or discounts offered to members.

 

If it passes, federal fair-share legislation would require employees in some unionized workplaces to pay fees for the contractual benefits they receive. Here’s how it would work:

 

• The fees would be charged only for activities the union is required to perform for all employees under federal law;

• The fees would not be mandatory for all unionized workplaces. Fair-share fees would have to be negotiated and agreed to by both the employer and the union;

• Employees would have the opportunity to challenge the amount of fees if they believed they were being charged too much;

• Fair-share payers would not be required to contribute to the costs of a union’s educational or political activities; and,

• Workers would not be forced to join a union.

 

Funds generated by the collection of fair share fees would strengthen the union’s ability to represent all employees in the bargaining unit.

 

The APWU’s accomplishments have been astonishing: In addition to step increases, promotions and upgrades, wages for APWU represented employees have increased at a rate of 4 percent per year over the past 20 years; workers enjoy unparalleled job security; top-notch healthcare benefits are readily available; bereavement leave and leave sharing have been instituted; there are transfer rights, sick leave for dependent care, part time flexible conversions, and more.

 

Yet despite these successes, nothing that we have done has significantly reduced the unacceptably high percentage of workers who continue to receive the benefits of union efforts but refuse to join the organization.

 

These efforts have cost union members millions of dollars, and benefited every USPS employee in the APWU bargaining unit.

 

APWU will explore every opportunity to correct this injustice to due-paying members, and will thoroughly explore these opportunities in the upcoming sessions of the U.S. Congress.