Republican Workforce Leaders on the Education and Labor Committee, Reps. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Tim Walberg (R-MI), sent letters today to the presidents of the AFL-CIO, Service Employees International Union, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, and UNITE HERE calling for them to stop collecting dues and fees from unemployed workers and to halt dues checkoffs at companies receiving coronavirus relief loans from the federal government.
In the letters, Reps. Foxx and Walberg write: “…we are concerned that the continuing collection of union dues from unemployed workers is imposing an additional and unnecessary hardship on these workers and their families—making it even more difficult for struggling Americans to make ends meet.” The members go on to write:“…many businesses are now receiving certain federal loans intended to help keep them in business and assist with the cost of wages temporarily, in order to help Americans get back to work. Those government loans should be used for that express purpose—to support businesses in the short term and help fund the wages of their workers—rather than having a portion siphoned off to benefit a private, third-party organization.”
Background: Recent news reports find that unions around the country are still collecting dues from workers who are unemployed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In light of the widespread financial hardship families around the country are facing, Reps. Foxx and Walberg are criticizing the actions of these unions and demanding answers about the collection of union dues and fees during the pandemic.
To read the four letters sent to union leaders, click here.
