A labor organization may condition the exercise of the right to vote
upon the payment of dues, which is a basic obligation of membership.
Such a rule must be applied uniformly. If a member has not paid his dues
as required by the labor organization's constitution or bylaws he may
not be allowed to vote. Thus, a rule which suspends a member's right to
vote in an election of officers while the member is laid off and is not
paying dues would not, in ordinary circumstances, be considered
unreasonable, so long as it is applied in a nondiscriminatory manner.
However, members must be afforded a reasonable opportunity to pay dues,
including a grace period during which dues may be paid without any loss
of rights. In the case where a member is laid off but desires to
maintain his good standing and thus his membership rights by continuing
to pay dues, it would be clearly unreasonable for the labor organization
to refuse to accept his payment.
