[1] Dues fund the provision of union services such as representation in collective bargaining and education activities.
Dues can be collected directly or indirectly from workers; in the case of indirect collection this is often through a check-off where a worker authorises an employer to transfer the membership dues, from their wages, to their trade union.
Union dues may be used to support a wide variety of programs or activities, including negotiating contracts; paying the salaries and benefits of union leaders and staff; union governance; legal representation; legislative lobbying (Members Dues money paid are never used for political campaigns, that is illegal.
Many local unions are affiliated with municipal, provincial, state, regional or national bodies.
Collection frequency also varies widely, and may be tied to the receipt of the paycheck or on a calendar basis (biweekly, monthly, or yearly).
In industrialized countries the "dues checkoff" mechanism is commonplace, where the employer agrees to deduct all union dues, fees, and assessments automatically from each worker's pay-check and transmit the funds to the union on a regular basis.
For example, the Industrial Workers of the World prohibit employers to collect dues on its behalf through their constitution.