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Leaving the Union legally

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Tribal

Junior Member
What is the name of your state? NV

I have been a member of the IBEW for 7 years. I signed an agreement when I joined to not work in a non-union shop, or I could be sued.

I have since moved to a part of the country (Texas) that has no union work going on. Little to no union representation. I have a wife and two children, and must start working soon, and have no chance of getting a union sponsored job.

I am trying to drop my membership from the union, but no one at either hall will tell me how. I am getting very frustrated, and must return to work. I hate to work in a non union environment, but that is my option, at this point. And I don't want to get sued....

Anyone have any information on this subject? Would sending them a certified, notarized letter stating my intention be enough to cover me legally? Everytime I call up and ask for info, I get another person telling me that I just need to pack my family up and move to where there is more work, or leave the family behind and go to the work myself. These are not options, and anyone that thinks they are, definately has a screwed up value system..

Any advice is appreciated.
 


mlane58

Senior Member
Regardless of whether you were a voluntary union member or instead you misled or coerced into joining, you have the right to resign and sever your relationship with the union, and thereby avoid internal union fines and discipline.

In Pattern Makers v. NLRB,(26) the Supreme Court held that employees have the right to resign from a union at any time, and that union rules restricting resignations are illegal. By granting employees the right to "refrain from any or all" activities, the NLRA guarantees each employee the right to resign from union membership at any time,(27) although the employee may be required to comply with a union's constitution and by-laws provisions that require the resignation be in writing and sent to a designated officer of the local union.(28)


So basically you can move forward and obtain employment free from retaliation.
 

Tribal

Junior Member
So I basically just have to find out the name of the person to address the letter to, and send a certified, notarized letter to them?

I do want to clarify that there is no ill feeling towards the union, it just puts me at an extreme disadvantage in this part of the country, to find employment. The union has not been telling me that I "can't" drop my ticket, they are just not telling me "how" to do so...
 

mlane58

Senior Member
Just send them a resignation letter with an effective date and send it either return receipt, certified as long as you get a signature they recieved it.
 

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