To opt out of AFSCME 411 dues:
- Enter your information into the form below and click “submit.”
- On the resulting page, click the link to open your customized form. You will also receive an email with a link to your form.
- Print the form. If you check the appropriate box about needing a printed version, we’ll mail you a copy of the form.
- Sign and date the form.
- Mail the completed form to the address at the top of the form. We highly recommend sending it via certified mail.
AFSCME Local 411 is the designated union for many Macomb County employees.
The range of activities and causes which is funded by union dues is wide and often controversial. When the union is paying for causes and efforts which you oppose, then it is controlling your voice. Many are uncomfortable with this. A recent court decision reaffirmed that you have the final say about what causes you fund.
“States and public-sector unions may no longer extract [funds] from nonconsenting employees. . . . This procedure violates the First Amendment and cannot continue.” (Janus v. AFSCME, 2018).
Consequently, public employees may decline to pay these private organizations without losing their jobs or employer-provided benefits.
The best way to ensure the deductions stop is to submit a request to the union in writing.
Frequently Asked Questions
You should receive some acknowledgement of your request from the union within a few weeks.
Because it has a financial interest in continuing to withhold dues from your pay, the union may contact you and attempt to persuade you to keep your membership. Their sales pitch may include untrue claims and scare tactics. It is a good idea to try to document any questionable claims made by union representatives. Do not be bullied! If you stand your ground, there is nothing the union can do to retaliate against you for opting out.
Monitor your paychecks to make sure the dues deductions stop. Contact the union if the deductions continue more than a couple paychecks after you submit your resignation request.
Some unions have tricked employees into signing membership forms with fine print waiving their right to resign except during a short annual window period. If the union claims you signed such a form and therefore cannot cancel the dues deductions from your pay, ask to be provided with documentation that you ever signed such an agreement.
Yes. AFSCME 411 has been empowered by the state to represent those in your workplace. Employees are not allowed to negotiate their own compensation or handle their own grievances with their employer, nor can they hire another person or entity to represent them.
In exchange for this unusual benefit, AFSCME 411 is legally obligated to represent all employees in the workplace, including those who choose not to join the union as members.
Consequently, the collective bargaining agreement negotiated by the union and your employer will continue to set the terms and conditions of your employment and the union will continue to represent you in grievances, contract enforcement, discipline assistance or other proceedings governed by the collective bargaining agreement.
No. All provisions of the collective bargaining agreement between the union and your employer will continue to govern your employment. Your wages, health benefits, retirement and anything else governed by the collective bargaining agreement will remain unchanged if you opt out of AFSCME 411.
While the terms of the collective bargaining agreement will still govern your employment, as a nonmember, the union may choose to prevent you from participating in internal union affairs, such as attending union meetings or voting in union elections, including contract ratification votes. Unions also commonly withhold any special “members-only” deals or discounts the union has arranged for with businesses. You may no longer receive the union newsletter or similar publications.
People have many reasons for not wanting to support the union. Some simply do not believe the services the union provides are worth the dues it charges. Others may find the union’s one-size-fits-all agenda does not serve them well because they are new to the profession, have a specialty that is not acknowledged in bargaining, or they believe their effectiveness is undercompensated. Some resent the union’s role in enabling and defending underperforming employees. Many find the union’s political activity and use of dues to advance partisan causes, candidates and ideology distasteful. Still others believe that union officials are corrupt and unaccountable to their membership.
Unions representing public employees are not governed by the usual consumer protection or anti-trust laws, so abuses are common. Unions can charge whatever they wish. They can spend dues money on anything they want. Often, they do not have to disclose how dues money is spent to members. They can speak for employees without consulting or informing them. They can injure some members’ interests while advancing the interests of others. Unions even have the ability to prevent employees from getting help in their workplace from other sources. They are not governed by any obligation to provide quality service, and almost never have to seek approval of the people they represent in an election to continue as the exclusive representative.
Sometimes people have a faith-based objection to unions’ expenditures on causes like abortion advocacy and attacks on values. Additionally, the core union philosophy of conflict, oath-breaking, disrespect and greed also can be perceived as contrary to many religious beliefs. To learn more about the major public unions’ expenditures in light of common faith beliefs click here.
AFSCME Local 411
In its filings with the IRS, AFSCME Local 411 reports less than $50,000 in revenue from dues. AFSCME 411’s IRS 990 filings can be found here.
A significant portion of the dues paid by AFSCME 411 members goes to AFSCME Council 25.
AFSCME Council 25
AFSCME Council 25 collected $7.9 million from its local affiliates in 2020, according to reports the union must file with the U.S Dept. of Labor.
In 2020 alone:
- $252,600 went to political activity and lobbying.
- $258,700 was spent on private attorneys.
- $31,900 was spent on an executive board meeting at a four-star Westin hotel in Detroit.
AFSCME Council 25 paid 59 employees in 2020, seven of whom were paid six figures. Director Lawrence Roehrig’s compensation was $189,464.
Also, AFSCME Council 25 holds a cash stockpile of $17.6 million. Of that amount, $1.2 million was accumulated just in 2020.
AFSCME Council 25’s most recent LM-2 reports are available here: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016.
A portion of the dues paid by AFSCME Council 25 members also goes to support AFSCME International, headquartered in Washington, D.C.
AFSCME International
AFSCME collected $183 million from its members nationwide in 2020.
- $62 million was spent by AFSCME on divisive political candidates, causes and lobbying. This includes $115,000 in campaign support to Michael Madigan, former speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, who recently fell into disgrace under accusations of corruption and cronyism.
- $2.9 million was paid or contributed to largely ideological organizations. This includes $5,000 donated to the Alliance for Global Justice, a left-wing, anti-capitalist organization that grew out of the Nicaragua Network, which supported the Communist Sandinista regime in Nicaragua.
- $1.3 million was spent on airfare, hotels and travel for union staff.
- $4.6 million was spent on attorneys and private consultants.
- $71,500 was spent on food and catering.
AFSCME paid 484 employees in 2020, 211 of whom were paid six figures. AFSCME’s international president, Lee Saunders, was paid $357,000.
AFSCME’s most recent LM-2 reports are available here: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016.