Opting Out of Your Union

Workers who want to exercise individual discretion and not fully participate in their unions have a couple options.

Right to Work: Twenty-two states do not allow unions to impose mandatory dues or fees from workers. Employees in these states have a right to work free from union interference. Because membership and involvement in a union is voluntary, unions must treat workers as consumers and earn their confidence, not force them to accept an impersonal, collectivist product.

Unfortunately, Washington state does not have a right-to-work law. State law legalizes “union security” clauses, which permit labor unions to force all public employees in a bargaining unit to pay dues. Workers who choose not to join the union must pay agency fees or be fired. These “fair share” clauses, however, are not fair for workers who did not ask for, do not want, and do not support union representation. These clauses prevent public servants from exercising their free association rights.

For more information on right-to-work ideas in Washington, click here.

Agency Fee Payers: An agency fee payer is an employee who chooses to resign from union membership. He or she pays an agency fee (also known as the “representation” or “fair share” fee) that is used for collective bargaining purposes, but receives a refund of the portion of their dues that is not used for collective bargaining (such as union political expenditures).

For more information on becoming an agency fee payer, click here.

Religious Objectors: Religious objectors are individuals who do not want to belong to a union for reasons of conscience. Many members have sincere religious convictions that are violated by union causes. Federal and state laws do not allow unions or employers to force employees to violate their religious convictions as a condition of employment.

Religious objectors pay no dues to the union. Instead, an amount equal to their dues is contributed to a charity. Religious objectors are no longer members of the union,and 100 percent of their union fees are redirected to a charity they help choose.

For more information on becoming a religious objector, click here.