To opt out of CIR SEIU 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.
- Mail the completed form to the address at the top of the form. We highly recommend sending it via certified mail.
Based in New York, the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR) is a local of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). CIR SEIU represents approximately 22,000 resident physicians, interns and fellows employed by private and public entities across the country.
For years, public employees have been forced to pay union dues or fees as a condition of employment, allowing unions like CIR SEIU to take their members for granted. However, because of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2018 decision in Janus v. AFSCME, 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.
You can opt out of CIR SEIU 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.
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.
CIR SEIU uses such a scheme, but litigation is underway which would block these unfair practices and potentially provide refunds to those for whom the union refuses to end deductions. SEIU CIR language includes a window during the last fourteen calendar days in the month of February prior to the expiration of the union contract with the employer.
Union dues for CIR SEIU are 1.60% of salary and as high as $2,318 per year. The average amount of money paid in dues by a member in 2022 was $971.
Yes. CIR SEIU 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, CIR SEIU 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 CIR SEIU.
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.
Many unions allow opt outs at various times throughout the year. However, in their union membership contracts, a number of unions have specified certain times during the year (“windows”) stipulating when they will allow or process opt-out requests.
CIR SEIU has specified an opt-out window ranging from August 1st to the 15th. Although this is the timeframe that the union has specified for processing opt-outs, you can certainly fill-out an opt-out request at Opt Out Today any time throughout the year.
CIR SEIU is a private organization with minimal obligations to disclose financial information to members.
However, the IRS requires unions’ 990 tax return to be a public document, and these can be found online at sites like this. CIR SEIU reports using the Employer Identification Number EIN 13-2771401.
Additionally, CIR SEIU is required to file annual financial reports with the U.S. Department of Labor that provide more detailed information about the union’s finances, including how much it spends on certain political and lobbying activities.
CIR SEIU
According to federal filings, CIR SEIU collected $15.8 million in dues and fees during 2022.
In that same year:
- $2.3 million was paid to union affiliates.
- $204,167 was spent on political activity and lobbying.
- $247,644 was paid to various controversial organizations.
The most recent report filed by CIR SEIU is available here: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019.
SEIU National Headquarters
The SEIU national headquarters collected $239 million from its affiliates in 2022. In that year alone:
- $63.5 million was spent on divisive political candidates, causes and lobbying.
- $4.5 million was paid or contributed to largely ideological organizations.
- $6.3 million was spent on airfare, hotels and travel for union staff. SEIU’s hotel expenses included a $805,000 bill from the Hilton in Washington DC.
- $36 million was spent on private attorneys and consultants.
- $63,217 was spent on food and catering.
SEIU national headquarters paid 496 employees in 2022, 309 of whom were paid six figures. SEIU’s International President, Mary Kay Henry, was paid $289,587.
SEIU National Headquarters’ most recent LM-2 reports are available here: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016.