Union dues and deliquent payments

[hagatha]

Soc,

This has nothing to do with family court. I guess this would be considered a employment issue.

Union dues are deducted once a month, either the first or second week. However, if employee is ill during that pay period, the company frequently forgets to take the dues out the next pay period. Most employees don't think about the dues coming out of their checks. They only look at the bottom line, the actual amount they get to take home.

Every 3 yrs the union does an audit of it's books. Any employee that is "deliquent in payments" (3-6 months)is terminated from the union. Even though the employee has been paying dues during the 3 yrs. The union then required the employee to pay the initiation fee ($550) to be reinstated in the union. There is no notice given. The "fee" simply gets deducted every week, at twice the regular dues amount every week till the "fee" is paid.

This is a union shop. If you are not in the union and not a manager, you don't work.

1. Is this legal?

2. Is there anything we can do to stop this deduction and get the $200 already paid returned?

3. Wouldn't a company, in this case a union, be required to reconsile the books annually?

Thanks,
The Witch

[socrateaser]

>1. Is this legal?

Probably. If you have notice of the policy from the union in advance, so you can know what you obligation is.

>2. Is there anything we can do to stop this deduction and get
>the $200 already paid returned?

If you never received notice of the union's policy, then you could get an injunction, on grounds that the union has no legal contractual right to take your money, because you never agreed to it in advance. Otherwise, you're SOL.

>
>3. Wouldn't a company, in this case a union, be required to
>reconsile the books annually?

Maybe. Officers and directors of a corporation/association have a fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of their members/shareholders. You could sue for an injunction based on a breach of fiduciary, but you'ld spend way more litigating than just paying the dues.