A Say Before Dues Change
The third right protects your wallet: your dues can’t just be raised on you.
Under federal law, dues, initiation fees, and assessments can’t be increased, and no new assessment can be levied, except through a democratic process. At the local level, that generally means a vote of the members — by secret ballot — after proper notice. In plain terms: the money you pay into the union can’t go up unless the members get a say.
That’s a direct line from your rights to your paycheck. It’s also a good example of the bigger pattern in this course — democracy isn’t just about electing officers, it reaches into the everyday decisions that affect you, including what you pay.
We cover dues in more depth — where they go, and the choices you have — in Lesson 5.
💡 Think first: Can the union raise your dues without the members getting a vote? Decide, then click.
No. Federal law requires a democratic process to raise dues, fees, or assessments — at the local level, generally a secret-ballot vote of the members after proper notice. Your money can’t go up by decision from above without members having a say. We’ll get into how dues work and what choices you have in Lesson 5.