SEIU Local 1

To opt out of SEIU Local 1 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.

Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1 is the designated union for approximately 50,000 janitors, security officers, and other service workers employed in the midwest including Talmedge City Schools, City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga Falls City Schools, Medina County and other local government employees.

For years, public employees in Ohio 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 SEIU Local 1 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.

SEIU Local 1 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, so resignations should be submitted when you have decided and save the documentation of your dated letter of resignation.

How much are SEIU Local 1 dues?

According to federal filings, SEIU Local 1 charges between $30 and $1,231 per year in dues. In 2022, the average member paid $664 in dues and fees.

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

Yes. SEIU Local 1 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, SEIU Local 1 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 SEIU Local 1.

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 the union spend my dues money?

SEIU Local 1

SEIU Local 1 collected $28.7 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:

$6.5 million went to the SEIU headquarters in Washington, D.C., to support its massive political, economic and social agenda. SEIU regularly supports a host of controversial organizations. Planned Parenthood, for example, received $50,000 from the SEIU headquarters in 2019.
$838,064 was spent by SEIU Local 1 on political activity and lobbying.
$118,789 was paid or contributed to largely ideological organizations.
$293,099 was spent on airfare, hotels and travel for union staff.
$227,378 was spent on private attorneys and consultants.
$17,836 was spent on food and catering.

SEIU Local 1 paid 237 officers and employees in 2022. Of those, 38 were paid six figures. SEIU Local 1 president Genie Kastrup was paid $216,340.

Also, as of the end of 2022, SEIU Local 1 has accumulated a stockpile of $1.2 million in spare cash.

SEIU Local 1’s most recent LM-2 reports are available here: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016.

A portion of the dues paid by SEIU Local 1 members goes to support SEIU Joint Council 25.

SEIU Joint Council 25

Joint Council 25 collected $367,430 in dues and fees from its members in 2022, according to reports the union must file with the U.S. Dept. of Labor.

In 2022 alone:

$476,179 of Joint Council 25’s total revenue was spent on political activity and lobbying.
$5,000 was paid in contributions to largely ideological organizations.

Joint Council 25’s most recent LM-2 reports are available here: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016.

Lastly, a portion of the dues paid by SEIU 200 members goes to support the international headquarters of SEIU.

SEIU National Headquarters

According to federal filings that must be submitted to the US Department of Labor, 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.