Employee organization dues deduction is a common practice for collecting membership across the United States.  Teacher unions, education associations, and other organizations have used payroll deductions for many years. Organization dues deduction continues to be the rule rather than the exception for collecting membership dues.  Unified dues means that all members would belong to the local, state (TABE), and national organizations (NABE).  The question and answer format is intended to help your affiliate set up payroll deductions in the school district(s) where your members work.  A sample payroll deduction has been included.

What are the benefits of unified dues and payroll deductions?

1.      “Zero” membership syndrome – Local affiliates start each year with zero members.  This is because the organization has to request each year that its members renew their memberships.  In effect, they not only recruit new members, but re-recruit “old” members.  Financially this means that they have no operational base other than a membership list from the year before.  This is eliminated with the use of organization dues deduction also known as payroll deductions .

2.      Organizational linkage – Most organizations promote and in some cases only allow combined memberships (local, state, and national).  The national, state, and local organization work in tandem creating a support system and infrastructure, both vertical and horizontal, that is essential to the welfare of all three.  In the case of TABE and NABE it is common practice for legislators and other “interested parties” to look at membership numbers to determine political clout.

3.      Timing – When do affiliates request payment of membership dues?  At the beginning of school, the worst time of the year to ask anyone in education, especially teachers, for money.

How can we set up payroll deductions in our affiliate?

The president of the local affiliate or designee should write a letter on the affiliate’s letterhead to the manager or supervisor in charge of payroll deductions, requesting payroll deductions and naming the contact person from the local affiliate.  Attach an informational pamphlet from the local affiliate and the state and national associations, if available. The payroll deduction authorization form that the employee/member signs is the final item.   Some districts have their own form.  Others request that the professional organization (the local affiliate) provide the form.  If you decide to use the form provided by the school district payroll department, you should modify the district’s form by filling in the name of your local affiliate, the total amount of the dues to be deducted, the number of payments, and the payment amount deducted from each paycheck.  These modified forms are then distributed to affiliate members.  The members fill in social security number, full name, and signature sections.

Payroll Deduction – Important points to remember

q     Continuing deductions – This means that the payroll deductions continue from year to year until the employee requests in writing that the deductions be stopped.  In the event of an increase in membership dues, the local affiliate informs the payroll office in writing of the increase at the beginning of the school year.  The new amount is automatically deducted.  While the affiliate has the obligation to inform its members of the increase in membership dues, the members do not have to approve it or sign new payroll deduction authorization forms.  Less paperwork for everyone!

q     Number of payments and amount of payment – The suggested number of deduction payments is 20, which corresponds to a ten month pay period.  The amount of the payroll deduction should always be constant.  For initial sign ups, the deductions can continue into the summer payroll if necessary.  At the beginning of the next school year, the payroll deductions will begin as of the first pay period.

q     Batching payroll deduction authorizations forms – The original authorization form must be given to the school district’s payroll department.  The local affiliate should alphabetize the authorization forms and create a batch list (a spread sheet program like Excel works well) each time new members are added.  This batch list should include the member’s last name, first name, social security number, and date of transmittal.  The affiliate should retain a copy of the batch list as a control.

q     Checks – School districts usually issue a check to the professional organizations (the local affiliate) once a month for the payroll amounts deducted from its members during the previous month.  The affiliate should request that the district send a list of the members’ names on payroll deduction to accompany the check.  This becomes the local affiliates second control list in case of errors, omissions, or member cancellations.