WELCOME TO THE OFFICE & PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYEES UNION LOCAL 600

This letter contains important information about:

Union representation.
The Union itself. Union governing documents.
The contract with your employer.
Rights of membership.
Rights of employees under union security clause.

Additional information concerning employee, member and contract benefits.

As a new employee in the bargaining unit, you are represented by OPEIU Local 600. If you are like many new employees, you may have some questions as to what this means to you.

Union representation means that OPEIU Local 600 (on your behalf and with the full and active participation of its members) negotiates and administers a legally binding contract known as a collective bargaining agreement that sets forth your wages, benefits, hours and all your working conditions. Because all employees negotiate together through the Union, Union members receive higher wages and better benefits than nonunion workers doing similar jobs. Strength in numbers makes this possible.

This Local Union is part of the Office and Professional Employees International Union. The International Union has a highly trained and motivated staff to help Local Unions. This Local can draw on the resources of the International, which has not only the trained staff but the resources, including modem technology and research departments.

The officers of Local 600 are President, Vice-President, Secretary-Treasurer, Recording Secretary, and Delegates from each area. Your contract is administered by a President/Business Manager. Should you have any questions or problems, you should first contact your Delegate. Our officers are elected by the membership in secret ballot elections. As a member, you will get to participate in those elections.

This Local Union has meetings bi-monthly. These meetings are important and, as a member, you are encouraged to come and participate in the affairs of your Local Union.

Without a legally binding contract, the law allows an employer to fire you for most any reason, to change your wages or hours without your consent, and there are few restrictions set by law regarding what the employer can do. With our Local Union contract, there is a legally binding agreement that is enforceable.

As an employee represented by the Union , you can enjoy all the benefits of this contract. This contract establishes your wages, hours, benefits, and working conditions. The contract does much more:

THE CONTRACT protects your seniority which will become increasingly important to you the longer you are working;

THE CONTRACT prohibits discipline or discharge, except for just cause;

THE CONTRACT establishes a grievance procedure with binding arbitration to take up and resolve your complaints in a way that gets results; and,

THE CONTRACT provides many more benefits, all of which are detailed in the written agreement and negotiated by the Local Union.

Perhaps the greatest benefit of being covered by a Local Union contract is the knowledge and security that the provisions cannot be changed whenever the employer decides. No changes can be made without the Local Union's agreement. The Local Union and the employer do negotiate new agreements when the old agreements expire. At that time, we seek improvements and better wages and working conditions.

In addition to the specific benefits of the Local Union contract, when you become a member of this Local Union, you will be able to:

VOTE YOUR CONSCIENCE on acceptance or rejection of proposed contracts that would set your wages, benefits, and working conditions;

FULLY PARTICIPATE in the development of contract proposals, election of officers, and Union activities; and

BENEFIT from other programs such as discount cards, discount coupons, and other services available only to Union members and their families, such as OPEIU scholarships.

When you become a member of Local 600, we hope that you will take advantage of your membership and become an active, involved member. Strong, active, and informed members are essential to the strength of Local 600. In the long run, your participation will benefit both you and your co-workers by helping the Union gain improved benefits and working conditions.

As an employee working under an OPEIU contract containing a union security clause you are required as a condition of employment to pay dues or fees to the Local Union. This is the only obligation under such clause. Individuals who are members pay dues, while individuals who are nonmembers pay equivalent fees. These dues or fees, which are authorized by law, are your fair share of sustaining your Union's broad range of programs in support of you and your co-workers, but nonmembers may file objections to funding expenditures that are not germane to the collective bargaining process, and thereby be obligated to pay fees representing only expenditures germane to the collective bargaining process.

Only if you are not a member of the Union or if you resign your membership, and you file an objection to the funding of expenditures that are not germane to the collective bargaining process, may you pay fees representing only expenditures germane to the collective bargaining process. If you resign your membership, the many rights and opportunities available to Union members will not be open to you. For example, you will not be able to:

. vote on the terms of your contract;
. participate in the development of contract proposals;
. nominate, vote for, or serve as an officer of the Local Union;
. participate in strike votes; and
. enjoy numerous other benefits and discounts available only to members, including eligibility for OPEIU scholarships for you and our family.

Local 600 hopes you will choose to become an active member and strengthen the Union 's ability to represent you and your co-workers, rather than weakening the Union and making it more difficult to represent you. In our democratic Union , the decision is yours.

Individuals who elect to be nonmembers may object to funding expenditures not germane to the collective bargaining process. Expenditures germane to the collective bargaining process ("chargeable" expenditures) represent only that portion of the Union 's expenditures devoted to collective bargaining, contact administration, grievances and arbitration, and other matters affecting wages, hours, and other conditions of employment. Examples of "chargeable" expenditures include: the costs of negotiations with employers; contract administration expenses; communication with employers in regard to work-related issues; handling employees' work­related problems through the grievance and arbitration procedure; lobbying on matters directly related to conditions of employment; and Union administration.

Examples of expenditures not germane to the collective bargaining process ("non-chargeable" expenditures) are those made for community services, lobbying on issues that benefit represented employees and their families as citizens rather than as workers; for political purposes; for certain affiliation fees; and for benefits available only to members and their families. The fee reduction will represent these non-chargeable expenditures. The International Union's Voice Of The Electorate fund (VOTE), an independent, segregated fund that receives voluntary donations, contributes to political candidates who support the needs of working men and women. No money received from dues or fees goes to the VOTE fund. Accordingly, the VOTE fund is not considered in the calculation of the percentage of expenditures that is spent on non-chargeable expenses.

Individuals who choose to file an objection will receive a rebate of their fees equal to the percentage of expenditures that is spent on non-chargeable expenses. The percentage of non­chargeable expenses of the International Union, which will be effective for the months of July 1997 through August 1998, is 25.69%. The major portion of an objector's fees remains with the Local Union.

In addition to any other avenue of relief available under the law, an objector may challenge the International Union's and/or the Local Union's classification or calculation of expenditures before a neutral arbitrator appointed by the American Arbitration Association pursuant to its Rules for Impartial Determination of Union Fees. Any challenge an objector makes may be coordinated or consolidated with other challenges to the Local Union or International Union determinations before a single arbitrator selected by the American Arbitration Association. Such challenges may also be coordinated or consolidated with challenges to other OPEIU Local Union calculations.

The Unions shall bear the burden of justifying their calculations. If a hearing at which the parties or witnesses may be present is held by the arbitrator it will be held at a location most convenient to the largest number of involved challengers. The cost of any arbitration proceedings will be paid for by the Unions. However, a challenger will have to pay his or her own lost time and travel expenses, and the fees, costs and expenses of any persons they involve in the proceedings.

Once a written challenge is received from an objector, the Local Union will place an amount equal to the requested reduction in the fee into an interest bearing escrow account. It shall remain in that account until the arbitrator issues a decision. Should the decision lower the percentage of chargeable expenditures, the appropriate portion of the escrowed fees, plus the interest earned on the escrow account, will be refunded to the challenger. All reduced service fee payers in each Local Union affected by the decision of the arbitrator will then pay the adjusted amounts determined by the arbitrator. If the arbitrator approves the Unions' calculations, the escrowed money and interest will revert to the Unions.

Individuals who choose to file objections to funding expenditures that are not germane to the collective bargaining process should file them in writing with the Office and Professional Employees International Union at 1660 L Street, N.W., Suite 801 , Washington , D.C. 20036 , Attn: Gilles Beauregard , Secretary-Treasurer. The objection must include your name, home address, Social Security number, employer, job title, department, work location, local union number, and business telephone number. In order for an objection for the current objection year to be timely, it needs to be postmarked within thirty (30) days after your receipt of this letter. An objection may also be made in any future year. All objections must be renewed each your in writing. Any future objection or renewal of an objection must be postmarked during the month of June in order to qualify for the rebate. All timely future or renewed objections will be effective the following September 1 through August 31.

It is your responsibility to promptly notify the Local Union of any change in name, address and/or telephone number, marital status and change of beneficiary. Please call the Local Union office with any changes in this information.

If you have any questions about any of the matters covered in this letter, please contact us at the Local Union office.

Welcome to Local 600!

Very Truly Yours,

John Horan

President / Business Manager