UNION USE OF DEBIT CARDS TO COLLECT DUES IS NEW DEVELOPMENT

With the growing number of right-to-work states, and the new Janus Supreme Court ruling applying the right-to-work concept to governmental employees, unions are developing new tactics to maintain their income through dues collection.  Some locals of a very aggressive national union, the Service Employees International Union, have introduced a pre-paid debit card sponsored by it and ADP, which allows workers to authorize ADP to deposit their paychecks onto the card so as to route their dues to the union.  The cards can also be used to store government benefits, pay bills and cash checks, and allows workers to have a form of a bank account.  This effort is particularly being used in the public sector where workers now have the option of avoiding union dues and fees.  One wonders whether the tactic will be expanded among other unions and in other situations to increase the income to unions and to further their organizing and political efforts.