Int'l Ass'n of Machinists Dist. Ten & Local Lodge 873 v. Allen

Section 302 of the Taft-Hartley Act, an amendment to the National Labor Relations Act, makes it a crime for an employer to give anything of value to a union representing, or seeking to represent, its employees. 29 U.S.C. § 186(a). But the law specifically exempts so-called "checkoff agreements," wherein an employee agrees to set off a portion of each paycheck for union dues, so long as the employee submits a written assignment not irrevocable *508for more than one year. Id. § 186(c)(4). Thus, federal law prohibits checkoff agreements irrevocable for more than one year, but permits those with…