Effective January 1, 2012, SCEA authorized the City to deduct, by payroll deduction, $17.50 plus five-tenths (5/10) of one percent of the employees monthly salary. Thus, your pay stub will show the following two line items: 

First off, you have rights. You can join and participate in the activities of your labor organization. As an SCEA member, you have valuable membership rights such as attending meetings, voting on SCEA matters including labor agreements, candidates, issues, and running for union office. Members pay dues by payroll deduction in accordance with the SCEA Bylaws.

You also have the right to refrain from joining and participating in SCEA. If you choose to forfeit your membership you will also forfeit important membership rights such as those listed above.

“If you forfeit your membership in SCEA, state law requires you to continue to pay to SCEA an agency fee equal to ninety percent (90%) of the dues you now pay as an SCEA member”,  says Joe Rose, attorney of our SCEA.   This means that like dues, the agency fee is deducted from your payroll. The agency fee covers SCEA's costs of fulfilling its duty of fair representation as the exclusive representative for you and all other employees in the administrative, clerical and services and professional and technical bargaining units.

In short, you might save about $3 to $4 per month as the 10% difference between SCEA dues and the agency fee. But, you will lose so many valuable rights and privileges of SCEA membership.

So next time you wonder about your membership dues, consider the above and contact us if you still have questions.  You are a valued member!