Posts tagged union dues
AFP Urges Members of Congress to Oppose the Faster Labor Contracts Act and Discharge Petition
May 1, 2026 // Touted as a pro-worker solution, in reality, this legislation is lifted from the harmful PRO Act and would undermine worker choice and democratic representation. It would strip workers of a fundamental choice: the ability to decide whether the terms of a labor contract actually serve their interests. If negotiations over a first bargaining contract fail to yield a contract amidst a high pressure, highly shortened negotiation timeline, the Faster Labor Contracts Act would force the use of government-mandated arbitrators who would unilaterally impose binding contract terms. Workers, and their businesses, would be locked into a contract without workers ever having the opportunity to approve or reject the agreement.
Union racked up massive tab on swank DC hotel stay to battle Trump — and still lost
April 30, 2026 // Social media posts show SEIU members from around the country converged in Washington, D.C., between June 23 and June 29, 2025, to confront lawmakers and stage protests against the tax and spending cuts under consideration in Congress. Department of Labor disclosures logged on June 30, 2025, reveal that the union spent $1.2 million of members’ dues at the Salamander Hotel to cover a series of expenses labeled as "support for political activities." The One Big Beautiful Bill Act served as the cornerstone of Trump's second-term economic agenda. While supporters touted tax breaks for service workers and small business owners, critics argued cuts to health and food subsidies would harm less affluent Americans. This disagreement sparked fierce opposition, including the SEIU's seven-figure protest campaign, though Trump ultimately signed the bill into law on 4th of July weekend 2025.
The Fast and the Spurious: Teamster allies push Faster Labor Contracts Act
April 30, 2026 // For union leaders, the important part is just getting the contract signed. The fact that it is flawed or potentially unworkable is secondary to generating union dues. Unions typically demand that contracts contain so-called security clauses, provisions that require management to automatically deduct union dues from workers’ paychecks and route them into the labor organization’s account. That’s the real reason for the urgency to get the contract.
After dodging massive strike, a major NYC union struggles to dodge criticism about how it represents workers
April 21, 2026 // Online, members have also been outspoken, with many venting their grievances against the union in the comments sections of building service workers’ posts. “It’s unfortunate because the union representation is lacking,” one user wrote on TikTok. “For the OGs we see every contract the same ole song. Shame on them, living it up with better pensions than the ones who built this union.” Another commenter spoke directly about raises disappearing into increased union dues.
Op-ed: Blue States Are Insulating Unions From Debate
April 8, 2026 // My research shows that teachers and other public-employee unions have long been state-subsidized political actors. Beginning in the 1970s, many states adopted labor laws and bargaining arrangements that made it cheaper and easier for these unions to recruit members, collect dues and mobilize members in politics. Those policies gave unions a built-in advantage. Reform groups—including parent activists, school-choice advocates and the Freedom Foundation—must organize and compete from the outside. By contrast, public-sector unions operate from the inside, with advantages created by the state itself. For example, in most states, public-sector unions aren’t required to win re-election and instead get the privilege of representing all employees (even dissenters) year after year.
Op-ed: Florida made public-sector unions more accountable — Oregon did the opposite
April 7, 2026 // In 2023, Florida passed a law requiring a recertification election for public-sector unions that fail to maintain the support of 60 percent of their dues-paying membership. What followed was revealing. Between June 2025 and January 2026, there were 218 such recertification elections in Florida. In 192 of them — 88 percent — fewer than half of eligible employees bothered to vote. Under existing rules, the unions were certified anyway. For example, at the University of South Florida, exactly 41 employees out of 2,169 eligible cast votes for union representation. Nonetheless, the union now holds exclusive bargaining authority over all 2,169. At Florida A&M, three votes out of 202 eligible employees had the same effect. In one Broward County unit, two votes bound 51 employees to their union. The new bill will change that.
NBC 10 I-Team: State pays union dues for thousands of employees after paycheck mistake
March 30, 2026 // The state of Rhode Island paid $220,000 in union dues for thousands of workers as the result of a paycheck problem last month. The Department of Administration confirmed to NBC 10 News that union dues were not withheld from the Feb. 27 paychecks of approximately 9,000 state employees.
NYPD sergeants union honcho gets zero jail time for tax fraud tied to disgraced ex boss Ed Mullins
March 30, 2026 // The bogus tax returns were filed in 2018 and 2019, as his former boss and longtime friend Mullins was being probed for embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars in union dues to splurge on high-end meals, clothes and other goodies. Ostermann kept his job as the union’s controller even after he’d already pleaded guilty in the case — a fact that Judge Schofield said she factored in while deciding not to jail him. “The union still trusts you, which I think is noteworthy,” Schofield said in court Tuesday.
9th Circuit Case Against UTLA Fully Briefed, Awaiting Oral Argument
March 28, 2026 // “UTLA’s position boils down to this: Accept our representation or give up your career,” said Shella Alcabes, Freedom Foundation litigation counsel. “That’s not a choice the Constitution permits the government to impose. These teachers opted out of this union for good reason, and no court has ever said the First Amendment allows what California is doing here.” Among the actions the plaintiffs attribute to UTLA: spending $700,000 to elect a school board candidate who promoted antisemitic conspiracy theories; funding members’ attendance at anti-Jewish rallies; endorsing a “Teach Palestine” curriculum that misrepresents Jewish history; and, passing resolutions supporting the BDS campaign against Israel.
IBEW Union Bigwig James Burke Pleads Guilty to Embezzling Union Funds
March 23, 2026 // James Burke, Financial Secretary of IBEW Local 549, has pleaded guilty to embezzling over $40k from union funds.