§377-4.5 Religious exemption from labor organization membership. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, any employee who is a member of and adheres to established and traditional tenets or teachings of a bona fide religion, body, or sect which has historically held conscientious objections to joining or financially supporting labor organizations shall not be required to join or financially support any labor organization as a condition of employment; except that an employee may be required in a contract between an employees' employer and a labor organization in lieu of periodic dues and initiation fees, to pay sums equal to the dues and initiation fees to a nonreligious, nonlabor organization charitable fund exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, chosen by an employee from a list of at least three funds, designated in the contract or if the contract fails to designate any funds, then to any fund chosen by the employee. If any employee who holds conscientious objections pursuant to this section requests the labor organization to use the grievance-arbitration procedure on the employee's behalf, the labor organization is authorized to charge the employee for the reasonable cost of using the procedure. [L 1982, c 102, §2; am L 1983, c 124, §9]