How to resign your union membership

Union membership is not required by Michigan law. Most collective bargaining contracts require members to resign from the union only during a specified time period, usually August. If you are interested in resigning from your union, make sure to check the exact requirements of your current contract.

The following steps should be followed if you wish to become a nonunion employee – at no risk of losing your job – and become what is commonly known as a “fee payer.”

1.   Draft a letter of resignation revoking any authorization for payroll deduction of membership dues and authorize only those fees legally chargeable for collective bargaining purposes.

2.   Make three copies of the letter and mail the original, by certified mail (with signature requested) to your union.

3.   Mail one copy to your district’s superintendent.

4.   Keep one copy for your records.

If you encounter any difficulty in this process, you may contact the Michigan Employment Relations Commission at (313) 256-3540. You may also want to consult the National Right to Work Legal Foundation, www.nrtw.org, or contact the Labor Policy Initiative at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

If you wish to resign from your union for religious objector reasons, you may do so at any time during the year, although a formal hearing will be held. Contact Landmark Legal Foundation at www.llf.org for more information on that process.