Federal Appeals Court Rules Against Employee in Agency Fee Dispute

摘要

In an August 2003 decision, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit addressed several issues concerning agency fees. These are the reduced payments that union members still must remit if they object to paying dues to cover union expenses not otherwise germane to the collective bargaining process, such as the financing of political activities that an employee may oppose. The facts began when David Conrad was assigned to a mechanic position by TWA in May 1996. He thus became subject to a collective bargaining agreement between the IAM and the airline. The agreement required him to join the IAM and authorized TWA to deduct union dues from his wages each month. In November 1997 Conrad requested that the IAM place him on agency fee payer status.