To opt out of UPEC/LiUNA 792 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, and make two copies.
- 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.
UPEC/LiUNA 792 is the designated union for many local goverment and special district employees in California. UPEC/LiUNA collects dues from the employees of the cities of Alturas, Capitola, Carmel by the Sea, Chico, Milpitas, Monterey, Oroville, Orland, Pacific Grove, Redding, Red Bluff, Seaside, and Susanville.
Likewise, dues are collected from workers in the counties of Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Sacramento, Shasta, Siskiyou and Trinity.
Other public employers where UPEC/LiUNA is the designated voice for workers include Butte College, Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District, Golden Gate National Cemetery, Monterey Peninsula Airport District, Monterey Peninsula Water Management Dist., Mountain Communities Healthcare District, and Presidio Trust.
For years, public employees in California 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 is important to know that UPEC/LiUNA 792 may continue to automatically withhold dues from employees’ pay even if they never signed up for membership in the first place. 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. UPEC/LiUNA uses such a scheme, but litigation is underway which would block such unfair practices and potentially provide refunds to those for whom the union refuses to end dues.
According to federal filings, UPEC/LiUNA 792 members pay an average of $660 in dues and fees each year.
Yes. UPEC/LiUNA 792 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, UPEC/LiUNA 792 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.
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. To learn more about some of the major public unions’ expenditures in light of common faith beliefs, click here.
UPEC/LiUNA 792
UPEC/LiUNA 792 collected $1.9 million in dues and fees from its members in calendar year 2020, according to reports the union must file with the U.S. Dept. of Labor.
In 2020 alone:
- $156,000 went to the LiUNA headquarters in Washington, D.C. to support its massive political, economic and social agenda. The LiUNA headquarters regularly supports a host of controversial organizations.
- $12,800 was spent by UPEC/LiUNA 792 on political activity and lobbying.
- $145,000 was spent on attorneys and private consultants.
UPEC/LiUNA 792 paid 13 officers and employees in 2020, two of whom were paid six figures. UPEC/LiUNA 792 business manager and secretary-treasurer Steve Allen was paid $142,900.
Although UPEC/LiUNA 792 had a stockpile of $459,000 in spare cash at the beginning of 2020, the average dues amount members paid increased from $571 to $660. By the end of 2020, its cash reserves grew to $712,000.
UPEC/LiUNA 792’s most recent LM-2 reports are available here: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016.
A portion of the dues paid by UPEC/LiUNA 792 members goes to support the LiUNA headquarters in Washington, D.C.
LiUNA Headquarters
The LiUNA headquarters collected $93 million from local affiliated unions in 2020.
- $10.6 million was spent on divisive political candidates, causes and lobbying.
- $2 million was paid or contributed to largely ideological organizations.
- $470,000 was spent on airfare, hotels and travel for union staff.
- $2.8 million was spent on attorneys and private consultants.
The LiUNA headquarters paid 236 employees in 2020, 127 of whom were paid six figures. LiUNA general president Terence O’Sullivan was paid $798,634.
LiUNA headquarters’ most recent LM-2 reports are available here: 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 LiUNA’s business dealings:
- General president Terence O’Sullivan has regularly filed LM-30 reports disclosing that he serves on the board of directors of Ullico, Inc., a company that provides insurance, financial services and administrative products to LiUNA. In 2020, he received compensation from Ullico amounting to $77,412.
- Vice president Jon Davis has regularly filed LM-30 reports disclosing that he serves on the board of directors of BayCom Corp., which provides commercial banking services to LiUNA. In 2020, he received compensation from BayCom amounting to $16,004.