On The Usefulness Of Automatic Checkoffs

And you shouldn’t infer from the news that transit workers are not being forthcoming with their dues now that automatic paycheck deductions have been suspended that workers don’t highly value their union membership:

Transport Workers Union Local 100 can’t afford to represent workers at disciplinary hearings or arbitration sessions except in the most critical cases where workers have been suspended, the local’s top lawyer wrote recently to NYC Transit. The lawyer asked that such hearings be postponed and that no new ones be scheduled.

For months, union officials — and even internal political opponents of local President Roger Toussaint — have been urging the approximately 34,000 members to pay dues directly by personal check or by another method.

But too few have agreed to pony up.

Conductor Ronald Brockington said some workers are unhappy with the contract that was imposed by an arbitrator after the walkout.

Others say they don’t see union representatives enough in the field or have other gripes after a bitter internal election for officers, he said.

“I don’t like the contract,” Brockington said. “I’m undecided, but I don’t think I’m going to pay.”

Up until this month, NYC Transit automatically deducted dues from workers’ paychecks and forwarded about $1.5 million a month to the union.

A Brooklyn Supreme Court judge last year halted the deduction but delayed the move until June 1 to allow the union to first pay off a $2.5 million walkout fine.

The union can petition the court to have the checkoffs reinstated after 90 days — but must assert it doesn’t have the right to strike in the future.

Union officials declined yesterday to say how many workers have signed up for an alternate dues-payment program the union has been promoting. Workers would have to provide bank or credit card information and authorize regular payments to a union fund.