Proposed Dues Restructuring

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I’m bringing forward a motion to update our dues structure. This is about making our system fairer, simpler, and more in line with the values of CSU 52.

Right now, our dues are calculated as 0.75% of your wages, plus a flat $12 every pay period. That $12 includes $5 for the Emergency Fund. On paper, this has worked for us for years. But in practice, it creates an inequity. That flat fee means that lower-income members are paying a much higher share of their wages than those at the top of the scale.

To put that in perspective: under our current formula, a part-time member earning $25,000 a year is effectively paying 2% of their wages in dues. A member earning $125,000 a year is effectively paying only 1% of their wages. That’s double, and the difference is entirely because of the flat fee.

The Board believes we can do better. That’s why we’re proposing a new structure: a single percentage rate of 1.15% of wages, with no flat fee. Of that, 0.15% will go directly into the Emergency Fund, so that the increased support members approved in 2024 continues to be protected.

Further, 0.1% will be directed to the Members and Community Support Committee. This will ensure a solid source of funding for member assistance, student bursaries, and charitable support where permitted by Bill 32.

This change is revenue neutral. The union will not be collecting more money overall. But what it does mean is that members at lower income levels will see some relief in their dues, while members at higher incomes will see modest increases. For example, someone earning $45,000 a year would save about $132 annually. At the other end, someone earning $120,000 a year would contribute about $168 more annually.

This isn’t about raising dues. It’s about ensuring fairness and equity across the membership. Everyone contributes according to their ability, and everyone benefits from the protections, wage increases, and job security that our union delivers.

There are also other advantages. This new structure is simpler to understand, easier to explain to new members, and cleaner for payroll departments and our finance department to administer. It aligns us with what many other unions already do: one clear percentage of wages, no exceptions. And it helps future-proof our union, since dues revenue will be fully proportional to wages, reducing the need for further increase motions.

At its heart, this proposal is about solidarity. Lower-wage members should not bear a disproportionate burden. Higher-wage members, who gain more in dollar terms from negotiated raises, will contribute proportionally. That is the fairer way forward.

For all of these reasons, the Board unanimously recommends this change. On behalf of the Board, I move...