Notice of Employee Rights

Notice of Employee Rights and Obligations

You have the right to join or refrain from joining SEIU6 Property Services NW (SEIU6) as a full member in good standing. We encourage you to join SEIU6 because the benefits, which are exclusive to full members, include:

• Participating in negotiations for new contracts and voting on whether or not to ratify a proposed agreement.
• Helping to determine SEIU6’s goals and priorities by running for and serving as an elected official in the union.
• Becoming part of a community of union brothers and sisters, with the ability to attend union meetings, leadership trainings, and social functions.
• Joining the international labor movement and standing in solidarity to advance the rights of all working people. Being a full member of SEIU6 means more than just fighting to improve your compensation and working conditions. It means fighting for that right for everyone, because it’s the right thing to do.

To be a full member in good standing, you must pay regular dues. If you choose to become a full member in good standing, you may resign your membership at any time. Whether or not you choose to become a full member in good standing, you are required to financially contribute to SEIU6. That is because SEIU6 represents and negotiates on behalf of every employee in the bargaining unit, regardless of their membership status. If you choose to become a “financial core” member, you may pay either the equivalent of full union dues, or a reduced percentage of dues, known as “fair-share” fees. The fair share fees reflect the proportion of time and expense SEIU 6 devotes to representing bargaining unit employees on matters relevant to collective bargaining, but does not reflect the proportion of time and expense allocated towards building worker power through non-representational activities which are included in full union dues and help support important parts of SEIU6’s mission. At present, fair share fees are 71.21% of union dues.

If you choose to become a fair share payer, you have the right to challenge SEIU6’s calculation of the fair share percentage of dues and to be provided adequate information, upon request, to assist you in deciding whether you wish to challenge, and how to challenge, that calculation. To object to full union dues and become a fair share payer, you must inform SEIU6 in writing of your objection: (1) within 30 days of receiving your membership application (2) during an annual 30-day objection window between January 1 and January 30; or (3) within 30 days of resigning your full membership from SEIU6.

Finally, it is important to note that the collective bargaining agreement covering your job contains a union security clause, which requires you to become either a member in good standing “financial core” member of SEIU6 as a condition of your employment. That means you must regularly pay union dues or fair share fees, either through an automatic paycheck deduction or by manually remitting payment to SEIU6. Under the union security clause, SEIU6 may lawfully request that your employer terminate your employment if you fail to timely remit your dues or fair share fees.