SEIU Healthcare 1199NW

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.

According to federal filings, union dues for SEIU 1199NW are 1.8% of members’ wages. On average members paid the union $781 in 2022.

Yes. SEIU 1199NW 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, SEIU 1199NW 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 SEIU 1199NW.

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.

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.

SEIU Healthcare 1199NW

SEIU 1199NW collected $21.8 million in dues and fees from its members in calendar year 2022, according to reports the union must file with the U.S. Dept. of Labor.

In 2022 alone:

• $3.7 million went to the SEIU headquarters in Washington, D.C. to support its massive political, economic and social agenda.
• $573,065 was spent by SEIU 1199NW on political activity and lobbying.
• $114,736 was paid or contributed to largely ideological organizations.
• $493,110 was spent on hotel venues and travel expenses for union staff, including $237,562 at the Hilton in Seattle, a 4-star hotel and conference center.
• $596,419 was spent on attorneys and private consultants.
• $23,229 was spent on food and catering.

SEIU 1199NW paid 225 officers and employees in 2022, 48 of whom were paid six figures. In 2022, union president Jane Hopkins was paid $182,027 and the union reported a total of $16.6 million in spare cash assets.

SEIU 1199NW’s most recent LM-2 reports are available here: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016.

A portion of the dues paid by SEIU 1199NW members goes to support the SEIU Washington State Council.

SEIU Washington State Council

The SEIU Washington State Council collected $1.6 million from its local affiliates in 2020.

In 2020 alone:

• $1.9 million was spent by the State Council on political activity and lobbying. Because it made major political contributions for years and failed to register and report as a political action committee as required by law, the Council will have to pay up to $250,000 in penalties and fees.
• $56,000 was paid or contributed to largely ideological organizations.
• $12,700 was spent on private attorneys.

SEIU Washington State Council paid nine officers and employees in 2020. The executive director, Joan Jones, was paid $93,500.

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

Lastly, a portion of the dues paid by SEIU 1199NW members also goes to support the national SEIU headquarters in Washington, D.C.

SEIU National Headquarters

The SEIU national headquarters collected $255 million from its affiliates in 2020. In that year alone:

• $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 included a $398,000 bill from a 4-star resort in San Diego.
• $26.5 million was spent on private attorneys and consultants.
• $150,000 was spent on food and catering.

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

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