Are Union Dues Refundable?

[YM2k3]

I was hired in October to work Preload. I was the first new hire at my location, and I was told after peak only about 3-5 new hires would be kept after peak.

After peak was completed, I learned I would be let go. They werent keeping any new hires. I assume this to actually be true because they gave me an extra week of work because I had seniority over all the other new hires.

I feel like for this reason my union dues should be refunded. I was competing for a spot that was never there. Im not even sure if the people hired right around Christmas had to pay union dues at all.

I payed approximately 300 dollars in union dues in the time that I was there. That equated to about 15% of what I actually made in total.

Anyway I read on here once that if you are let go after peak, you can be refunded your union dues. Do I have a case?

 

[YM2k3]

I would like to clear something up as well. Many of you probably assumed this anyway.

The only people I had seniority over were the other "New-hires" because I was hired about 2 weeks before anyone else.

Anyway I went to look at all my paychecks, and I payed dues on every week except for my 1st and last weeks there.
I payed 25 dollars for dues 7x amounting to 175.00, and I payed 43 dollars 2x for initiation fees amounting to 86 dollars. Therefore I paid 261 total. They charged 43 dollars during the first week of November and December.

I read another post that said:
Under article 44 seniority in 705's contract it reads,

Employees hired to fill vacancies during the vacation period, or hired only for peak season (October 1st through December 31st) shall
not be entitled to seniority. No new Employees shall be hired if Employees on the Seniority list are available at adjoining Centers and
willing to perform the work.
All employees hired to perform bargaining unit work shall pay union dues in the same manner as seniority employees of the​

collective bargaining unit. Upon attaining seniority an employee shall be required to pay the Local Union initiation fees.



So at the very least, wouldnt I be entitled 86 dollars back? Because I Never attained seniority right?

 

[YM2k3]

bump??

 

[Southwestern]

May I suggest you contact your local union and inquire? The worst that will happen is they'll tell you no. I wish I could give you a definite answer, but rules vary from local to local.

Alternatively, you may contact your former manager and let him know you're still interested in employment; you may be re-called sooner-than-later. At the (very large) building I work at, guys with less than two years seniority are not working, and guys with three to five years are getting a day off here-and-there. It's because a) volume is traditionally slow early in the year, 2) nationwide, the weather's been near-perfect, 3) few requests for time-off and 4) low-seniority full-timers like me are bumping into the sort. Our management told the seasonal that they may be offered work beginning in April. At that point, they'll work most days through the end of the year (sans a few days within the fall).

 

[N.E.Teamster]

No they are not.... You are doing union work.

 

[UPSFIKES]

If you work 1 week out of a month you pays dues.

 

[Southwestern]

No they are not.... You are doing union work.

&

If you work 1 week out of a month you pays dues.

The OP was a seasonal hire that paid initiation + monthly dues. In many locals, the initiation is refundable if employment was not permanent; only the payment of dues is owed.