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Ask President Burrus

Question:

My brother is a pilot for Delta Airlines and he told me that his union requires non-members to pay an “administrative fee” that is equal to the union dues. Couldn’t we do something similar?

Cathy, Minnesota Area Local

President Burrus:

Thanks for your message.

Many contracts include a requirement that non-members pay a union fee as reimbursement for representation. These provisions are called “agency fees” and are implemented through payroll deduction. They can be negotiated only in states that have not passed “right-to-work” laws, which prohibit requiring employees to pay union fees as a condition of employment.

The Postal Service cannot negotiate agency fee provisions because it is a nationwide federal entity operating in every state, including those that prohibit agency shops.

For readers who have an interest in this subject, I refer you to the President’s Viewpoint column in the March/April 2007 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine. The article has a link to the full text of the 1953 NLRB decision that is cited as precedent on this

March 26, 2007

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