Originally Posted by
Packrat
You can opt out of Union membership anywhere. However if there's a contract in place, you still have to pay an "agency fee" which is almost equal to dues.
Why? Because you're benefitting from the Union contract work rules and pay rates. Essentially you get to pay the dues without being able to vote or have any input into the Union.
That's not how I understand Right to Work rules. This is my understanding:
"If you work primarily in a Right to Work state, except on certain federal property, you not only have the right to refrain from becoming a union member, you cannot be required to pay dues or an agency fee to the union unless you choose to join the union."
Source:
Can I be required to be a union member or pay dues to a union? | National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation
Note: I have yet to see an interpretation that employees of a Part 142 sim center fall under the RLA (which requires agency fees). The agency fee isn't mandatory for employment under NLRA in a Right to Work state.