Union dues for AFT PA vary by employee type and are divided among several levels of the union. An example of how monthly dues are broken out:
$11.45 to AFT PA
$19.03 to AFT national
$?? to local affiliate
To opt out of AFT Pennsylvania 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.
American Federation of Teachers (AFT-PA) is the designated union representing 36,000 teachers and school-related personnel, health care professionals, higher education faculty members and state employees in Pennsylvania.
For years, public employees in Pennsylvania 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 AFT PA 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.
Union dues for AFT PA vary by employee type and are divided among several levels of the union. An example of how monthly dues are broken out:
$11.45 to AFT PA
$19.03 to AFT national
$?? to local affiliate
The total varies by workgroup, but could be as high as $50 per pay period or even $1,000 per year.
Yes. AFT PA 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, AFT PA 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 AFT PA.
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 the major public unions’ expenditures in light of common faith beliefs click here.
AFT Pennsylvania
AFT Pennsylvania collected $2.3 million from its affiliated local unions in fiscal year 2022, according to reports the union must file with the U.S. Dept. of Labor.
In 2022 alone:
- $8,800 was paid to largely ideological organizations.
- $61,955 was spent on attorneys and private consultants.
AFT Pennsylvania paid 16 officers and employees in 2022, six of whom were paid six figures. Staff representative Walter Michalski received $130,591.
The union also holds $3.2 million in cash assets, over $450,000 of which was stockpiled just this past year.
AFT Pennsylvania’s most recent LM-2 reports are available here: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019.
A portion of the dues paid by AFT Pennsylvania members goes to support the American Federation of Teachers headquarters.
American Federation of Teachers
According to federal filings that the union must submit with the US Department of Labor, AFT collected $212 million from its members in fiscal year 2022.
In that same year:
- $35.8 million was spent by AFT on divisive political candidates, causes and lobbying.
- $7.1 million was paid or contributed to largely ideological organizations.
- $3.9 million was spent on airfare, hotels and travel for union staff.
- $10 million was spent on private attorneys and consultants.
- $211,000 was spent on food and catering.
AFT paid 385 officers and employees in 2022, 251 of whom were paid six figures. AFT president Rhonda Weingarten received $487,000.
AFT’s most recent LM-2 reports are available here: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016.
It is not the union’s responsibility to shield district employees from legal liability from the external claims. That is the responsibility of your employer. The state Constitution and Pennyslvania statutes (1 Pa.C.S. § 2310 and 42 Pa.C.S. §§ 8521-8528) also provide broad immunity from lawsuits to employees operating within the scope of their employment.
Since the first responsibility for liability for workplace issues lies with your employer, contact the district business office if you want to learn how your primary liability protection is provided.
The union pays a very small amount for a liability policy for its members that supplements the protection already provided by state law and your employer. Nonmembers are typically not covered by the union legal liability policy.
If you feel more protection is necessary, similar liability insurance can be obtained through other independent professional education associations like Keystone Teachers Association, Association of American Educators, Christian Educators Association International or from an insurance provider.