Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Union?
When individual workers come together to fight for better wages, benefits and workplace protections, they form a union!
Having a union ensures that you are not one person fending for yourself. Instead, it's you and your coworkers coming together to ensure your workplace is a somewhere worth being at.
Check out "What is a Labor Union" from our IU to learn more!
What does SEIU Kansas Staff Do?
SEIU Kansas currently staffs 3 individuals: Esau, your Business Representative, Maia, your Organizer, and Kristi, your Bookkeeper.
Esau provides disciplinary representation for staff, assistance with grievances and helps facilitate contract negotiations.
Maia educates represented employees on the reasons to join their union and helps them organize around the issues that matter most to them.
Kristi ensures that the books are balanced and works together with your elected State Treasurer to ensure the financial viability of Local 513.
Each SEIU Kansas employee is also a due paying SEIU Member!
Together, these 3 staff members help to represent ~3,500 service employees in the state of Kansas!
Why Do We Need A Union Contract?
Without a union contract, your employer is only required to do the legal bare minimum.
In Kansas, your employer has no legal obligation to provide you with:
Wage increases (In fact, your rate of pay can be decreased with notice if you don't have a union contract!)
Benefits such as Insurance or Holiday Pay
Vacation time (Or payout of unused vacation time upon leaving your position)
Sick leave
Paid or unpaid breaks
Disciplinary meetings (instead of being instantly fired!)
You do not want to be at the mercy of a good manager;
A good manager can leave - A union contract is legally binding!
How Do Negotiations Work?
Employees who are SEIU members at your place of work can become part of your negotiation team, most commonly, negotiators are your Unit Chair Members. They advocate for improving your contract and give a voice to you and your coworkers. Your negotiating team works with Esau who helps determine if the negotiable items are:
Affordable (IE: Can it be reasonably put into place by your employer without going over their budget?)
Workable and Sustainable (IE: Can it be implemented? Is it well-defined? Is it legal?)
Something that will Address the Issue
Ratifiable (IE: Can the membership vote on it and come to an agreement about it?)
Terms of when contracts are negotiated depend on your bargaining unit.
If you’d like to learn more about Negotiations and Striking, read here.
Why Should I Join?
Every single member makes a difference. When you join Local 513, you are doing your part to keep your contract in place. The more members there are, the more strength you have! It's important for your employer to see a large membership base during negotiations as this tells them there are folks paying attention and holding them accountable.
You shouldn’t rely on others to keep your contract strong. Throughout the year, members retire, promote out of the bargaining unit or leave their position. Membership is constantly fighting an uphill battle of getting enough members to ensure not only that you have the same number of members, but that you can also grow in size and grow in power!
What Does it Cost to Join?
Dues are only 1.5%, or $1.50 per $100 that you earn in each paycheck. Most employees pay ~$20-$24 per paycheck in union dues, but it depends on how much you make, and how many hours you work! You can estimate your union dues by taking your gross pay multiplied by 0.015.
What's my probationary period?
Your probationary period depends on your employer, though generally it is a time period where you are not covered under your contract. In this time, we encourage you to complete your membership form so it's ready to go once you've completed your probationary period. Dues will not come out of your paycheck until your probationary period is complete. While we cannot provide disciplinary representation, we still encourage you to reach out if you have questions or concerns. We're here for you!
USD 259: 90 days
City of Wichita: 6 Months
City of Hutchinson: 6 Months
HRECE: 1 Year
What's the Drop Period and when is mine?
Per your contract, you can drop your union membership once per year, no questions asked. The terms for current contracts in place as of 2023 are as follows:
USD 259: June 1st - July 1st. Dues end effective July 1st.
City of Wichita: December 1st - December 31st. Dues end effective January 1st.
City of Hutchinson and HRECE: Anytime.
If you are experiencing financial hardship, please contact your Organizer Maia. We want to ensure you have access to the resources you need without having to lose Union strength! To drop your Membership, you need to contact either Esau or Maia.