To opt out of WFSE (AFSCME Council 28) 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 requesting 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 for tracking purposes.
The Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) is the designated union for over 50,000 state and other public service workers across Washington.
For years, public employees in Washington State have been forced to pay union dues or fees as a condition of employment, allowing unions like WFSE to take their members for granted. However, because of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Janus v. AFSCME (2018), public employees can no longer be required to financially support a labor union against their will.
The court ruled that the mandatory dues requirement violated workers’ First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and association, and that public employees have the right to choose for themselves whether to pay any union dues or fees.
You can opt out of WFSE dues by filling out the form above, printing it and mailing it to the union.
Frequently Asked Questions
You should receive some acknowledgement of your request from the union within a few weeks.
WFSE dues 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 of pay periods after submitting your opt-out request, contact WFSE to inquire on the status of your opt out.
Finally, keep in mind:
Opting out is your constitutional right. However, WFSE places restrictions on when they will accept opt-out requests. If the union refuses to immediately cancel dues deductions from your pay, ask them in writing to provide you your signed authorization form and contact us for assistance.
According to its online membership form, WFSE dues are 1.5% of your gross salary up to the maximum of over $134 a month. The maximum dues increases by $5 each year until it expires in 2030, as written in its constitution.
Yes. WFSE is the union designated to represent employees 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, WFSE 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 WFSE.
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.
WFSE (AFSCME Council 28)
WFSE collected $34 million in dues and fees from its members in fiscal year 2025, according to reports the union must file with the U.S. Dept. of Labor.
In fiscal year 2025, WFSE only allocated 27% of their spending towards representational activities, amounting to only $261 per member.
A large portion of the dues paid by WFSE members go to support the international AFSCME headquarters.
AFSCME International
AFSCME collected $212 million from its members nationwide in 2025. In that year alone:
A whopping $22 million was spent on political activities and only $33 per member was spent on representation.