IFPTE 21

To opt out of IFPTE 21 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.

International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) 21 is the designated union for many public sector county, city, utility, and port employees in the Bay area. IFPTE 21 represents over 11,000 workers.

For years, public employees in California 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 IFPTE 21 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

What happens after I send my resignation to the union?

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.

How much are IFPTE 21 dues?

According to its membership form, IFPTE 21 deducts 0.963% of members’ wages in dues. The average member pays $850 per year.

Will the union continue to represent me if I opt out?

Yes. IFPTE 21 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, IFPTE 21 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.

Will I lose wages, health care, retirement or other benefits if I opt out?

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 IFPTE 21.

How will my relationship with the union change if I opt out?

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.

Why do people opt out of the union?

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.

How does IFPTE 21 spend my dues money?

IFPTE Local 21

IFPTE 21 collected $10.8 million in dues and fees from its members in tax year 2019, according to reports the union must file with the IRS.

In that year alone:

$748,275 went to affiliate organizations, including the IFPTE headquarters in Washington, D.C.
$493,557 was spent on travel, conferences and meetings.
$341,011 was spent on attorneys and legal fees.
$30,000 was spent on government lobbying.

IFPTE 21 paid 51 employees in tax year 2019, at least five of whom were paid six figures; IFPTE 21 executive director Debra Gabrielle was paid $214,459.

As of mid-2020, IFPTE 21 had accumulated a stockpile of $3.7 million in spare cash.

IFPTE 21’s most recent IRS 990 reports are available here.

A portion of the dues paid by IFPTE 21 members goes to support the international headquarters of IFPTE.

IFPTE Headquarters

IFPTE collected $5.3 million in dues and fees from its members in fiscal year 2022, according to reports it must file with the U.S. Dept. of Labor.

In that same year:

$320,255 was spent by IFPTE on political activity and lobbying.
$109,110 was spent on attorneys and private consultants.

IFPTE paid 30 employees in fiscal year 2022, 16 of whom were paid six figures. IFPTE president Matthew Biggs was paid $209,210.

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