To cancel IHSS union dues, send a written request directly to your union, not to your county or IHSS office. California law puts the union in control of processing dues cancellations, so the letter has to reach the right place to do anything. The process is straightforward, but one detail trips up most providers: your membership agreement may limit when you can cancel, so that agreement is where to start.
Check Your Membership Card First
If you ever signed a union membership card, read the fine print on it before you do anything else. Many membership agreements include a “maintenance of membership” clause that limits cancellation to a narrow annual window, often just 10 to 15 days around either the anniversary of when you signed the card or the expiration date of the collective bargaining agreement. A letter sent outside that window gets rejected, and dues keep coming out until your next window opens.
Whether these window restrictions survive after Janus v. AFSCME is unsettled. The Supreme Court required “clear and compelling” evidence of consent before any money can be taken from a public employee’s wages, and some federal courts have found pre-Janus membership cards don’t meet that standard. Other courts have upheld window periods as a valid contractual commitment made after someone chose to join. Outcomes depend on which court hears the case.
The practical path: send your cancellation during whatever window your card specifies. If you don’t have a copy, call your union and ask when your opt-out window falls. If the union says you’re outside your window and you believe you never signed a card, or signed one without understanding what you were agreeing to, that dispute belongs in a complaint to California’s Public Employment Relations Board.
Identify Your Union
Two unions represent IHSS providers across California’s 58 counties. SEIU Local 2015 covers providers in approximately 37 counties, and United Domestic Workers (UDW/AFSCME Local 3930) covers providers in about 21 counties. Your pay stub should show which union is receiving your dues deduction. If it doesn’t, your county IHSS office can tell you which union has been recognized as the bargaining representative in your county.
A letter sent to the wrong union does nothing. Each one keeps its own membership records and runs its own cancellation process.
Write and Send the Letter
Your letter needs to state two things clearly: that you are resigning your union membership, and that you are revoking authorization for dues deductions from your paycheck. Include your full legal name, mailing address, and IHSS provider number (on your timesheet or any previous pay stub). The last four digits of your Social Security number or your union member ID helps the union find your record faster.
Send the letter to your union’s membership department. Under California Government Code Section 1157.12, the public employer relies on the union to confirm whether a dues deduction was properly canceled. Your county payroll office cannot stop the deduction on its own authority, so a letter to the county wastes time.
For SEIU Local 2015, send your letter to:
SEIU Local 2015
2910 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90057
You can also call the SEIU 2015 Member Action Center at 855-810-2015 (Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.) to confirm the current mailing address and ask about any additional steps. For UDW/AFSCME Local 3930, check your most recent union correspondence or the UDW website for the current membership-cancellation address.
Send the letter by certified mail with return receipt requested. That receipt proves both mailing date and delivery, and it becomes essential if the union later says it never received your request. Keep a photocopy of the letter. If the union also offers email or online cancellation, use those in addition to the certified letter, not instead of it.
Watch Your Pay Stubs
Check every pay stub after you mail the letter. Deductions typically stop within one to two pay cycles after the union processes your request. The lag exists because the union has to notify the payroll system, and payroll runs are prepared in advance.
If your cancellation lands inside an opt-out window and the union acknowledges it, the timeline is usually predictable. If there’s a dispute about your window or your membership status, deductions may continue longer while the issue gets sorted out. That is exactly why the certified mail receipt matters.
If Deductions Don’t Stop
If dues are still being taken two full pay periods after the union confirmed receiving your cancellation, contact the union again. Reference your original letter, give them the certified mail tracking number, and ask for a written explanation of why deductions haven’t stopped. Document every call: date, the name of the person you spoke with, and what they told you.
If the union is unresponsive or refuses to process your cancellation without a valid reason, you can file an unfair practice charge with California’s Public Employment Relations Board (PERB). The charge must be filed within six months of the conduct you’re challenging, so don’t let the clock run while you wait for the union. Filings go through PERB’s online ePERB portal, by mail, or in person at a PERB regional office. If PERB dismisses the charge, you have 20 days to file a written appeal with the Board itself.
Send copies of your cancellation letter, the certified mail receipt, and any union responses to your county IHSS payroll office as well. The county can’t unilaterally stop the deduction, but having the complaint on record with both the union and the county strengthens your position if you file with PERB.
Your Underlying Right Not to Pay
No IHSS provider is required to join a union or pay dues as a condition of working. In Janus v. AFSCME, decided June 27, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court held that deducting any payment from a public-sector employee’s wages for a union without that person’s affirmative consent violates the First Amendment. Consent must be “freely given” and supported by “clear and compelling” evidence. Silence or failure to object is not enough. If you never signed a membership card or dues authorization, no money should be coming out of your check at all.
After you stop paying dues, the union that covers your county still bargains on behalf of all IHSS providers there, including non-members. You keep whatever wages and benefits the contract provides. What you give up is access to member-only programs the union offers, such as grievance representation on individual disputes or member assistance funds.