American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) District Council 47 is a labor union that represents workers and retirees in the non-profit, higher education, cultural/arts, and government sectors of greater Philadelphia. It is affiliated with the AFL-CIO, which has 150,000 members in the Philadelphia area.
Some support staff of the University Libraries and the Archives and Records Center are members of the AFSCME Local 590 and are governed by a collective bargaining agreement that is in place through 2026.
Has AFSCME Local 590 told you about union dues?
You may have to pay the union just to keep your job at Penn Libraries
If Penn Libraries staff vote to unionize with AFSCME Local 590 in the upcoming election, you may be required to support the union in the form of dues or fees deducted directly from your paycheck1–around $700 every year2–and you may need to pay the union just to keep your job.
Here’s language from the current labor contract between AFSCME Local 590 and Penn Libraries that covers approximately 100 Penn Libraries staff.
ARTICLE IV~ UNION SECURITY AND CHECK-OFF
Section 1. All present and future employees covered by this Agreement shall, as a condition of employment, be required to become Union members thirty (30) days after being employed. Employees who fail to comply with this requirement shall be discharged by the University within thirty (30) days after receipt of written notice to the University by the Union.
ARTICLE IV~ UNION SECURITY AND CHECK-OFF
Section 1. All present and future employees covered by this Agreement shall, as a condition of employment, be required to become Union members thirty (30) days after being employed. Employees who fail to comply with this requirement shall be discharged by the University within thirty (30) days after receipt of written notice to the University by the Union.
You also should know that Local 590 has...
- Increased the amount of dues that members must pay 3 times since 20123
- Used dues money to pay a select group of your coworkers more than $10,000 to be officers of Local 5904
- Used its ability to raise dues whenever it wants—in fact, Local 590 recently advised Penn Libraries of a 2.75% dues increase
Does it make sense to pay AFSCME Local 590 hundreds of dollars every year when the union’s negotiated pay increases have been LOWER than Penn’s year-over-year to other non-union staff?
- AFSCME Local 590 LM-3 financial report filed on October 2, 2023, with the U.S. Department of Labor. (File Number 512-836.)
- Union dues and fees are withheld from pay after taxes and are not tax deductible.
- Analysis of AFSCME Local 590 LM-3 financial report filed on October 2, 2023, with the U.S. Department of Labor. (File Number 512-836.)
- Analysis of AFSCME Local 590 LM-3 financial report filed on October 2, 2023, with the U.S. Department of Labor. (File Number 512-836.)
Dues and Fees
Regardless of whether you want to unionize or vote “no,” if the majority of those who vote choose “yes” on the ballot, the union expects everyone in the bargaining unit to pay dues or fees.
According to federal documents and the recent 2.75% dues increase requested by the union, AFSCME requires monthly dues that range from a minimum of $54.24 to a maximum of $158.40. This means you could pay up to $1,900 annually to the union.
100% to the Union
This means that 100% of the negotiated FY25 pay increase for library staff who are members of the union (2.75% according to the CBA) is going directly to the union.
