SEIU Healthcare Minnesota

To opt out of SEIU Healthcare Minnesota 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.

SEIU Healthcare Minnesota is the designated union for approximately 20,000 home care workers (also known as “personal care attendants” or “individual providers”) serving Medicaid-eligible clients through the state’s Direct Support Services programs.

For years, state-paid home care workers in Minnesota were required to pay union dues or fees as a condition of employment, allowing unions like SEIU Healthcare Minnesota to take their members for granted. However, because of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2014 decision in Harris v. Quinn, home care workers serving clients through the state’s Medicaid program can no longer be required to financially support a labor union against their will.

The court referred to the requirement for partial-public employees to pay union dues as a money-making “scheme” for the union and ruled that the mandatory dues requirement violated workers’ First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and association.

You can opt out of SEIU Healthcare Minnesota dues by filling out the form above, printing it and mailing it to the union.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens after I send my resignation to the union?

You should receive some acknowledgement of your request from the union within a few weeks.

In most cases, union dues are automatically deducted from employees’ paychecks. Monitor your paychecks to make sure the dues deductions stop. If the deductions continue for more than a couple pay periods after submitting your opt-out request, contact the union.

Finally, keep in mind:

Opting out is your constitutional right. However, unions like SEIU Healthcare Minnesota sometimes place restrictions on when they will accept opt-out requests. If the union refuses to immediately cancel dues deductions from your pay, ask them to provide you with written documentation and contact us for assistance.

How much are SEIU Healthcare Minnesota dues?

According to federal filings, SEIU Healthcare Minnesota collects between 2.25% and 3% of gross wages. In 2020, the average member paid $530 in dues.

Will I still be able to serve Medicaid clients if I opt out of paying dues to SEIU Healthcare Minnesota?

Yes. Under state law, the union contract for individual providers is binding on all providers in the state, regardless of whether they want to be union represented and regardless of whether they choose to pay union dues. Opting out of paying dues will in no way affect your ability to be paid by the state to work for Medicaid clients.

If I stop paying dues to the union, will I still receive the same wages and benefits specified in SEIU Healthcare Minnesota’s contract with the state?

Yes. SEIU Healthcare Minnesota has arranged to be the “exclusive representative” of the entire bargaining unit, meaning it is impossible for providers to get out of the terms of the contract, even if they cease paying dues. Your wages and benefits specified in the state’s contract with SEIU Healthcare Minnesota will remain the same regardless of your formal union membership status.

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

While the terms of the contract will still govern your employment, union officials commonly prohibit nonmembers from participating in internal union affairs, such as attending union meetings, voting for union officers or participating in contract ratification votes. You’ll also be ineligible for any special “members only” benefits, such as discounts on additional insurance, scholarship programs, or deals the union has arranged with businesses. You may no longer receive the union newsletter or similar publications.

How does SEIU Healthcare Minnesota spend my dues money?

SEIU Healthcare Minnesota

SEIU Healthcare Minnesota collected $11.4 million in dues and fees from its members in 2020, according to reports the union must file with the U.S. Dept. of Labor.

In 2020 alone:

$3.3 million went to the SEIU headquarters in Washington, D.C., to support its massive political, economic and social agenda. SEIU regularly supports a host of controversial organizations. For example, Planned Parenthood received $50,000 from the SEIU headquarters in 2019.
$681,300 was spent by SEIU Healthcare Minnesota on political activity and lobbying.
$90,100 was paid or contributed to outside organizations, many of which are ideologically driven.
$447,700 was spent on attorneys and private consultants.
$33,700 was spent on airfare, hotels and travel for union staff.

SEIU Healthcare Minnesota paid 93 officers and employees in 2020, seven of whom were paid six figures. Executive vice president Lisa Weed received $149,658.

Also, SEIU Healthcare Minnesota currently holds $2.1 million in spare cash, $354,000 of which was accumulated just in the year 2020.

SEIU Healthcare Minnesota’s most recent LM-2 reports are available here: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016.

A portion of the dues paid by SEIU Healthcare Minnesota members goes to support the SEIU Minnesota State Council.

SEIU MN State Council

The State Council collected $558,359 in dues from its local unions in 2020. It received an additional $1.7 million from other affiliated organizations.

$586,600 was spent by the State Council on political activity and lobbying.
$397,800 was paid or contributed to outside organizations, many of which are ideologically driven.
$95,400 was spent on attorneys and private consultants.

The State Council paid 12 employees in 2020. Its executive director, Brian Elliott, received $107,249.

Also, the State Council currently holds $675,000 in spare cash, $363,000 of which was accumulated just in 2020.

SEIU MN State Council’s most recent LM-2 reports are available here: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016.

A portion of the dues paid by SEIU Healthcare Minnesota members also goes to support the SEIU headquarters.

SEIU Headquarters

The SEIU headquarters collected $255 million from its affiliates in 2020.

$60 million was spent on divisive political candidates, causes and lobbying.
$2.9 million was paid or contributed to largely ideological organizations. This includes $410,000 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.
$2.3 million was spent on airfare, hotels and travel for union staff. SEIU’s hotel expenses includes a $398,000 bill from a four-star resort in San Diego.
$26.5 million was spent on private attorneys and consultants.
$150,000 was spent on food and catering.

SEIU paid 583 employees in 2020, 295 of whom were paid six figures. SEIU’s international president, Mary Kay Henry, was paid $297,126.

SEIU’s most recent LM-2 reports are available here: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016.