Annual Notice of Rights - AY2025/2026

Union Membership & Fair Share Fee Status

Dear colleague:

As a graduate student employee of Brown University (hereinafter, the employer) you are represented for purposes of collective bargaining by the Graduate Labor Organization, Local TBD, RIFTHP, AFT, AFL-CIO (hereinafter, the union). Union representation means that the union, on your behalf and with your full and active participation, negotiates and administers a legally binding contract that secures your wages, benefits, hours, and working conditions. Because all employees negotiate together through the union, union members generally enjoy better job security, more professional workplaces, and more favorable wages and working conditions than non-union workers doing similar jobs.

The union is an affiliate of the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals (hereinafter, RIFTHP) and the American Federation of Teachers (hereinafter, AFT). These affiliations confer benefits by being part of a national network of professionals who can share best practices and speak with a united voice on behalf of our profession. The AFT currently represents more than 1.7 million pre-K through 12th-grade teachers; paraprofessionals and other school-related personnel; higher education faculty and professional staff; federal, state and local government employees; nurses and healthcare workers; and early childhood educators. These professionals recognize that the AFT and its affiliates have the experience and professionalism to help them achieve their goals.

The employer and union are parties to a collective-bargaining agreement containing what is known as a "union security clause" which provides that as a condition of employment, employees who are covered by the contract must pay the union dues or fair share fees. This is the only obligation under such a clause regardless of the wording of the clause. Individuals who are members pay dues, whereas individuals who elect not to be members of the union pay fair share fees. These dues and fees, which are authorized by law, are your fair share of sustaining the union's broad range of programs in support of you and your co-workers.

It is the union's duty to inform you that over the years, courts and the administrative agencies that enforce our nation's labor laws have limited the enforcement of union security clauses. Specifically, the United States Supreme Court has held that individuals covered by a collective-bargaining agreement containing a union security clause may not be required to join the union and may only be required to pay that percentage of full union dues and fees that are germane to the collective bargaining process. In other words, the law makes clear that workers can be required to financially support a union, but they cannot be required to join the union, and they can only be required to pay that percentage of the union's customary dues and fees that is germane to the union's role as the collective-bargaining representative.

The union spends the vast majority of its funds on activities related to the representation of its members. These expenditures are considered to be germane to the collective-bargaining process and must be paid for by all individuals working under the union's contracts containing union security clause language. The union may also spend funds on activities such as organizing new bargaining units and legislative lobbying. The union believes that money spent on these activities advances one of our fundamental purposes – professionals helping other professionals to better their lives. However, federal courts may not consider some of these activities to be germane to the collective-bargaining process.

Employees such as yourself employed under a contract containing a union security clause who choose not to join the union or who resign their membership from the union lose benefits, rights and privileges to which they would have been or were entitled to as union members. For example, these employees lose the right to vote on the acceptance of agreements negotiated with their employer, the right to vote on any dues increase, and the right to run and vote in the election of union officers. They lose the right to attend, speak and vote at any union meeting. In short, non-members elect to give up important rights, benefits and privileges. Moreover, it is illegal for an employer to compensate such workers in any way for the loss of these valuable rights. However, non-members are still members of the collective bargaining unit in which they work, they are entitled to the benefits of the collective bargaining agreement covering their employment and the union and its officers and employees will provide them with the representation required by the law.

Pursuant to Article IV, § B of the collective bargaining agreement, the employer and the union have agreed that it shall be a condition of employment that all graduate student employees shall maintain union membership or pay fair share fees. As such, failure to pay fair share fees may result in a loss of employment.

Individuals employed under a union security clause maintain the right to not be a member of the union. Employees who decide not to join the union may choose to object and become a "fair share fee" payer, and thereby indicate that they only want to pay for union activities that relate to negotiating and servicing the union contract, representing workers in the workplace, administering the union, and organizing employees who work in the AFT's core industries. These are "chargeable" activities which all workers covered by union security clauses contribute towards.

Some additional examples of chargeable activities include: meetings between your union representatives and representatives of the employer; enforcing workers' rights under the procedure in the contract for filing and processing grievances; attorneys' fees to enforce contract and workplace rights; and other related matters. Some examples of activities that are non-chargeable include: support for political candidates; lobbying local, state, and federal governments; community service; members-only benefits; charitable contributions; the costs of the union affiliating with other labor organizations; and organizing outside the AFT's core industries.

Fair Share Fee Status

You will not be required to contribute towards non-chargeable activities if you choose to become a fair share fee payer. In order to choose membership status or fair share fee payer status, you must follow the procedures described below.

Membership dues are presently assessed at 1.65% of monthly stipend. Such dues include per capita payments for the AFT, RIFTHP, local and state AFL-CIO bodies.

The reduced amount you will pay if you choose to be a fair share fee payer will be based on a projection of the union's expenditures for chargeable activities this year. The union estimates that approximately 85% of its expenditures will go towards these activities this year. Thus, the fair share fee you will pay if you choose fair share fee status is 1.4025% of your monthly pay. Any member of the bargaining unit can request further information about the calculations by emailing GLO at comms@glounion.org.

Individuals will have thirty (30) days from the date of this letter, below, to choose whether to become a union member and pay membership dues, by signing a membership card, or become a fair share fee payer, by signing a fair share fee authorization. Pursuant to Article IV, § G(2) of the collective bargaining agreement, a graduate student employee shall be free to revoke their membership dues authorization or fair share fees authorization at any time by notifying the employer or employer-designated office in writing. Failure to sign a membership card or fair share fee authorization by the designated date will result in an individual being placed into agency fee status. Failure to sign a fair share fee authorization shall not constitute a waiver of the union's right to collect or recover the monies directly from a graduate student employee.

Challenges to the Calculation of the Fair Share Fee

A non-member may also challenge the union's classification or calculation of expenditures used by the union to determine the percentage of chargeable expenses germane to the collective-bargaining process before a neutral arbitrator appointed by the American Arbitration Association pursuant to its Rules for Impartial Determination of Union Fees. Any challenge a non-member makes may be coordinated or consolidated with other challenges from other nonmembers before a single arbitrator.

In such a challenge, the Union has to justify its calculations and determinations. All hearings will be conducted in the Providence, RI area. The arbitrator's fees and expenses will be paid by the union. However, a fee challenger will have to pay their own expenses and the fees, costs and expenses of their witnesses and attorneys.

Once a written challenge is received from an individual, the union will adhere to the rules established by the courts and by the administrative agencies that enforce the labor laws as to the handling of the challenger's fees until the arbitrator has issued their ruling. Generally, the fee challenger must pay the fees as determined by the union's calculations. Those fees will be placed in a separate interest-bearing account. If the arbitrator's decision increases the percentage of non-chargeable expenditures, the appropriate portion of the fees will be refunded to the challenger, plus interest earned. All fair share fee payers will then pay the adjusted amount as determined by the arbitrator. If the arbitrator's decision approves the union's calculation, no adjustment will be made in the amount of the fee and the total fees paid and placed in the separate interest-bearing account will be released to the union.

Individuals who choose to file challenges to the union's fee calculations must file the challenge in writing to the Union Treasurer at treasurer@glounion.org no later than 45 days from the date of this letter and for a 90 day period each year beginning on August 15.

The written challenge must include the fee challenger's name, address, phone number, department, and work location. In order for the union to understand the nature of the challenge, the fee challenger is advised to also include a brief statement concerning the nature of the challenge, including the fee challenger's opinion as to the appropriate percentage for non-chargeable expenses. This requirement to file a letter of challenge and request for a hearing is an annual requirement. Fee challenge will not be presumed. Agency fee payers who do not file a timely notice of challenge shall be deemed to have waived any right to a hearing to challenge the estimated percentage of reduction of that year's agency fee.

The union and its leadership are confident that the rights and benefits conferred on union members are worth the cost of membership dues and we hope that you'll participate in the union as a member. Your participation along with that of all of your colleagues is crucial to making the union a success. We look forward to welcoming you in person.

If you have any questions, please contact GLO at comms@glounion.org.