>> The employer can only take funds out of a paycheck if they are legally mandated by law, SS, fica, taxes, etc. But for union dues, the employee would have to produce some document asking the employer to distribute certain funds to the union. I really don't think the union can make such a demand upon a person's earnings.
Yes they can make demands upon your money in Cali. My employer provided me a signature form to authorize money be robbed from my check and given to a union. No siggy no job. I didn't have to join the union but I did have to give them money and my job classification was represented by them. Thank you Gray Davis for that! Thankfully that stint was short lived.
"My employer provided me a signature form to authorize money ..."
You just countered what you said. If the union could make a demand upon your paycheck - you would not have been given a form to fill out.
The fact that you believed that unless you authorized the deduction you would not get the job - that's a criminal offense. I can't think of the term at the moment - but doing that is totally illegal.