Article 6: Union Dues and Service Fees

1. General Provisions

a. The parties recognize that the proper negotiation and administration

of this Collective Bargaining Agreement and the fulfillment by the

Union of its statutory duty of representation entail expenses which are

appropriately shared by all Employees who are the beneficiaries of the

Agreement.

b. All Employees shall, within thirty-one (31) calendar days after the

effective date of appointment, tender payment to the Union of either

the dues assessed on members, or the service fees assessed on nonmembers,

or sign an authorized form for payroll deduction of dues

or service fees or make written application to the Union for religious

objector status (see Section 2). Any Employee who does not exercise one of these options

within thirty-one (31) days after the effective date of appointment shall be presumed to have

consented to the automatic deduction of service fees from his or her paycheck.

c. Payment of dues or fees: Provided that the Employee has executed a standard form, prepared by the Administration and acceptable to both parties, the Administration shall deduct from the

salaries of Employees, in installments for each pay period, service fees or

dues levied by the Union. Deductions shall begin in the pay

period following the Administration’s receipt of the authorization.

When an employee has not executed the standard form described above within thirty-one (31)

days of employment, the Employer shall deduct service fees from that Employee's paycheck beginning

in the first pay period after the expiration of the thirty-one day period.

d. An Employee who has authorized dues or service fees deductions may

cancel the automatic deduction of dues or fees by submitting to the Payroll Office and to

the Union written notice of cancellation, provided that s/he has made

alternate arrangements for payment to the Union.

e. The Administration shall furnish to the Union each pay period a listing

of all dues and service fees deducted from the salaries of Employees.

The Administration shall transfer all dues and service fees deductions

to the Union each pay period.

f. Western shall not be liable to the Union, by reason of the requirements

of this article, for the remittance or payment of any sum other than

actual deductions made from the pay earned by the Employee.

g. No earlier than thirty (30) calendar days and no later than forty-five

(45) calendar days after an Employee comes into noncompliance with

the provisions of this article, and following at least fourteen (14) calendar

days written notice to the Employee, the Union may notify the

Employer that said the Employee has not complied with this article. Upon

receipt of such written notification from the Union, Western shall notify

the Employee that failure to comply with the terms of this article

within fourteen (14) calendar days will result in the automatic deduction

of a representation fee in an amount equal to the service-fee obligation

of an Employee at the applicable rate of pay during his/her term

of employment. The representation fee shall be remitted to the Union

by the Employer.

h. Indemnification: The Union shall indemnify and hold the University

harmless from any liability resulting from any and all claims, demands,

suits, or other actions arising from compliance with this article. Indemnification

shall include costs of litigation and the fees of an attorney

at the Union attorney’s customary rate.

2. Religious Objector Status

a. The Union shall make available to Employees, upon request, a written

explanation of the process by which an Employee may apply to the

Union for religious objector status. Upon application for that status,

the Union shall provide a written decision on religious objector status

to the Employee applying no later than twenty (20) calendar days after

the date of receipt of the application, with a copy of the decision to the

Employer.

b. Any person granted religious objector status by the Union shall, within

ten calendar (10) days after receipt of written notification from the

Union of the granting of such status, pay to the Union an amount

of money equal to the service fees assessed on non-members. Such

amounts shall be forwarded intact to the Rollie Hopgood Scholarship

Fund of AFT-Michigan.

c. Any person not granted religious objector status shall, within ten (10)

calendar days after receipt of written notification from the Union, tender

payment to the Union of either the dues assessed on members or

the service fees assessed on non-members, or sign an authorized form

for payroll deduction of dues or service fees. Any person not granted religious objector status

who fails to tender payment or to execute the authorized form shall be presumed to have consented

to the automatic deduction of service fees from his/her paycheck, and such service fees shall be

deducted beginning in the first pay period following the expiration of the ten-day period.