IUOE 324

To opt out of IUOE 324 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.
Provide a copy to your employer’s payroll officer and keep a copy for your files.

International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 324 is the designated union for over 14,000 heavy equipment operators and maintenance workers within the construction and industrial sectors across the state of Michigan.

For years, public employees have been forced to pay union dues as a condition of employment, allowing unions to take their members for granted. However, the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that public employees can no longer be required to financially support a labor union against their will. (Janus v. AFSCME, 2018).

“States and public-sector unions may no longer extract [funds] from nonconsenting employees. . . . This procedure violates the First Amendment and cannot continue.” Consequently, public employees may decline to pay these private organizations without losing their jobs or employer-provided benefits.

It’s important to be aware that IUOE 324 may continue to deduct union dues from employees’ paychecks, even if they never formally enrolled as members. To ensure these deductions are stopped, the most effective approach is to submit a written request directly to the union.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens after I send my resignation to the union?

You should expect to receive some form of acknowledgment from the union within a few weeks of submitting your resignation request.

Keep in mind that the union has a financial incentive to continue collecting dues and may reach out to try to persuade you to maintain your membership. This outreach could include misleading claims or pressure tactics. It’s wise to document any questionable statements made by union representatives. Stand firm—there is nothing the union can legally do to retaliate against you for exercising your right to opt out.

Be sure to monitor your paychecks to confirm that dues deductions stop. If deductions continue more than a few pay periods after your resignation, follow up with the union directly.

Some unions have been known to get employees to sign membership forms that include fine print restricting their ability to resign, often limiting it to a short window once per year. If the union claims you’re bound by such an agreement, request written proof that you signed it.

How much are IUOE 324 dues?

According to federal filings, IUOE 324 collects up to $1,527 from its members’ wages. IUOE 324 also requires an initiation fee of up to $865 for all new members.

Will the union continue to represent me if I opt out?

Yes, IUOE 324 has been granted exclusive bargaining rights by the state to represent employees in your workplace. As a result, individual employees cannot negotiate their own pay or employment terms, resolve grievances independently, or appoint another representative.

In return for this exclusive authority and unusual benefit, IUOE 324 is legally required to represent all employees in the bargaining unit—regardless of whether they choose to leave the union.

This means the collective bargaining agreement between the union and your employer will continue to govern your wages, benefits, and working conditions. The union will also remain responsible for representing you in matters such as grievances, disciplinary actions, and other issues covered by the agreement.

Will I lose wages, health care, retirement or other benefits if I opt out?

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 IUOE 324.

How will my relationship with the union change if I opt out?

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.

Why do people opt out of the union?

There are many reasons why individuals may choose not to support the union. Some believe the services provided do not justify the cost of dues. Others feel that the union’s broad, one-size-fits-all approach fails to reflect their unique professional circumstances—such as being new to the field, having a specialized role that is overlooked in bargaining, or feeling their individual contributions are undervalued. Some employees take issue with the union’s defense of underperforming workers, while others are uncomfortable with its political activity, particularly when dues are used to support partisan causes, candidates, or ideologies they do not agree with. Additionally, concerns about union leadership being unaccountable or self-serving are not uncommon.

Unlike most service providers, unions representing public employees are not subject to standard consumer protection or antitrust laws. This lack of oversight can lead to misuse of authority. Unions often have the freedom to set their own dues rates, allocate funds without member approval, and operate with limited financial transparency. They can make decisions and speak on behalf of employees without consulting them, sometimes prioritizing the interests of certain members over others. In many cases, unions also restrict employees from seeking alternative representation or assistance in the workplace. Moreover, unions rarely face re-election or performance reviews from the people they represent, and are under no legal obligation to provide a high standard of service.

Sometimes people have a faith-based objection to unions’ expenditures. To learn more about some of the major public unions’ expenditures in light of common faith beliefs, click here.

How does IUOE 324 spend my dues money?

IUOE 324

IUOE 324 collected over $20.5 million in dues and fees from its members in the fiscal year 2024, according to reports the union must file with the U.S. Department of Labor.

In 2024 alone:

$388,737 went to the IUOE headquarters in Washington, D.C. to support its massive political, economic and social agenda. The IUOE headquarters regularly supports a host of controversial organizations.
$369,281 was spent by IUOE 324 on political activities and lobbying.
$337,023 was spent on promotional items and other union marketing material.
$695,401 was spent on hotels, travel, and catering.

IUOE 324 paid 62 officers and employees in 2024, 39 of whom were paid six figures. The IUOE 324 President, Kenneth Dombrow, was paid $171,692. The union also holds $24.6 million in spare cash, $5.1 million of which was stockpiled at the end of the year.

IUOE 324’s most recent LM-2 reports are available here: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016.

IUOE Headquarters

The IUOE headquarters collected $70 million from local affiliated unions in the fiscal year 2024, according to reports the union must file with the U.S. Department of Labor.

$17.4 million was spent by IUOE on divisive political candidates, causes, and lobbying. This includes a $250,000 financial contribution to the Arizona Democratic Party.
$4.4 million was spent on airfare, hotels, and travel for union staff. This figure includes a $661,490 stay at the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort and Spa in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
$1.7 million was spent on promotional items, union marketing material, and organizational planning.
$1.1 million was spent on food and catering for union staff.

The IUOE headquarters paid 213 employees in 2024, 99 of whom were paid six figures. IUOE general president James T. Callahan had a total income of $912,028. Callahan’s family members, Thomas Callahan and James J. Callahan, were both on payroll, making six figures as well.

IUOE Headquarters’ most recent LM-2 reports are available here: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016.

Union officials are also required to file reports with the Dept. of Labor disclosing potential conflicts of interest related to IUOE’s business dealings. General president James Callahan has regularly filed LM-30 reports with the Dept. of Labor disclosing that he is on the board of and receives compensation from Ullico, Inc., a company that provides insurance, financial services, and administrative products to IUOE.

“Thank you for checking up on this. It’s nice to know someone is out there trying to make sure the right thing is done!”

– Debra

“Your website is great and so easy to navigate. Thank you for the help in this process and following up. I appreciate it greatly.”

– Teresa

“Keep up the great work. I received both the email and mailer to opt-out of the union; however had already done so. Your work is the first I had seen noting the option to opt-out. Of course the unions nor the State made any effort to notify employees of the option.”

– Darla, State Employee

“Yes, finally! I’ve been asking where the dues go for over 20 years. I am signing and sending this (opt-out form) today. THANK YOU!”

– Oregon city employee

“I am a junior high teacher in California. I want to thank you for your website and the information I gleaned from it. I have decided to leave the teacher’s union due to ideological differences, and have discovered The Association of American Educators. I am very grateful. Keep up the good work!”

– Jamie

“For 28 years I have never been a registered public union member but forced to belong to the corrupt organizations without my written consent. Now toward the end of my career I might be freed from a political force that I have never agreed with…Thank you again for all your work this last decade for the working class that has been pilfered by these political organizations and have always push the political values that I personally do not/have not agreed with.”

– Oregon state employee

“I am a WSDOT employee very unhappy about having to support the WFSE political agenda. Imagine my delight when the Janus decision came down. Not being a passive wait and see person, I instructed my payroll department to cancel the union deduction from my paycheck. They complied, and I have their word in writing. I am happy to stop being compelled to donate to an agenda I don’t agree with. Maybe you can spread the word about quitting the union this way.”

– Patrick

“Thank you for the work that your group is doing. Furthermore, thank you for making the process easy, you are helping many public employees and I know we all appreciate your dedication.”

– Jay

“The union was taking about $80 out of my paycheck every month, until your organization helped me get my money back and stop these deductions. Thank you so much.”

– Jenny

“I applied to get out of the union and I haven’t paid dues since. It has been, to date, the biggest raise that the union has ever gotten for me. Thank you All!”

– Michael

“I’d like to thank you for creating a system that allowed me to collect more of my paycheck and to free me from supporting the union and what it chooses to do with my money.”

– Steven

“Thank you for giving public employees a voice and for putting my best interests first. Your organization is appreciated and I’m very thankful.”

– Evelyn

“Thank you for all your help. I appreciate your time, effort and understanding through the process of opting out of my union. Freedom Foundation equals hope and I’m grateful you are here for us who want to fight for justice…”

– Beth

“People would not answer my questions about opting out within my work place, then I found your website, it’s fantastic. Thank you so much for your help and for what you do.”

– Dee

“Thank you for your assistance throughout this matter. Keep up the great work and continuing to spread the word about the Janus v. AFSCME Supreme Court case.”

– Miguel

“Thank you for providing education on this topic and offering this free service.”

– Genevieve

“Thank you for being the only resource out there for this kind of thing!”

– John

“I would like to share my sincere thanks to the Freedom Foundation for providing information on how to withdraw from the union and stop the payroll deduction for union dues.”

– Michelle

“Thank you very much. Unions have outlasted their worth, I’m tired of being bullied into contracts that don’t represent my values. I really appreciate what your group is doing.”

– Austin

“Dues are no longer being taken from my paycheck. Thank you for your help with this! Information about the Janus decision is not easy to find where I work. I wouldn’t have known what to do without the opt out email.”

– Gillian

“I appreciate your time and efforts to help people like myself who have been fair share fee objectors over the years and are grateful for this opportunity to further reduce the financial contribution to a political agenda I do not support.”

– Jennifer

“I’m incredibly grateful for your organization’s guidance throughout this process. You’ve enabled me to receive my $700 back each year and spend it on my own desires not the unions”.

– Elizabeth

“Thank you for helping me in opting out of paying union dues. I couldn’t figure out how to do it on my own before I found your website.”

– Abigail

“Thank you for what your organization has done. It is a very valuable tool for us state workers.”

– Robert

“Thank you for checking up on this. It’s nice to know someone is out there trying to make sure the right thing is done!”

– Debra

“Your website is great and so easy to navigate. Thank you for the help in this process and following up. I appreciate it greatly.”

– Teresa

“Keep up the great work. I received both the email and mailer to opt-out of the union; however had already done so. Your work is the first I had seen noting the option to opt-out. Of course the unions nor the State made any effort to notify employees of the option.”

– Darla, State Employee

“Yes, finally! I’ve been asking where the dues go for over 20 years. I am signing and sending this (opt-out form) today. THANK YOU!”

– Oregon city employee