Back in 1982 the UFT membership voted to raise dues automatically. This is the structure as amended by the Executive Board in 1999:
As approved by the UFT Executive Board and the Delegate Assembly on Oct. 6, 1999, UFT members dues were reduced to .85 of one percent of the maximum salary of Step 8B plus L20 as defined in the teachers' contract plus the AFT and NYSUT pass-through.
This is a highly regressive structure that I do not support because of the high cost for beginning teachers. It is one of the most regressive taxes one will ever see.
Note that for retirees that dutifully vote for Unity Caucus the rate is only ".4 of one percent based on their retirement allowance." If you make less as a retiree, you pay less. This is not a progressive system but it is not as bad as the active member dues structure.
What does federal labor law say about union dues increases?
Rights regarding dues, initiation fees, and assessments
Increases in the rates of union dues and initiation fees, and the imposition of assessments, are prohibited unless the procedures contained in the Bill of Rights are followed. Briefly, these are—
In local unions, dues and fees may be raised and assessments imposed only by:
In local unions, dues and fees may be raised and assessments imposed only by:
- A majority vote by secret ballot of the members in good standing at a special or regular meeting, after reasonable notice of the proposal has been given; or
- A majority vote of the members in good standing in a secret ballot membership referendum.
Did anyone reading this have a say in that 1982 referendum on dues increases? I guess it lasts forever. Many of today's teachers weren't even born yet in 1982.
The rate isn't changing so the UFT is following the law.
However, challenging the regressive dues structure would be an interesting campaign.
18 comments:
This is a new low. Less than a year after the untimely death Of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia this blog has proposed what Rebecca Friedrichs was seeking in court. Be advised that every Ed Deformer in the country is hopeful and enthusiastic about your candidacy for whatever UFT office you aspire to. From Michele Rhee to Michael Bloomberg to Bill Gates every one of those union buster-wall street darlings and tech pioneers are hoping you will find a way to reduce union dues and weaken the Union that represents you. Maybe you can get some funding from Bill Gates. You can call yourself a Unionist For Excellence.
Really Unity slug - by calling for progressive dues structure where you pay based on your salary, this blog has proposed what Friedrichs called for? No wonder your policies are bankrupt for the members. The fact that the UFT can get the same dues for a newbie as for a senior teacher is why Unity has been silent in your pals' CSA and Farina war on senior teachers because the UFT gains when they replace a senior with 2 newbies.
We didn't even get a salary increase this September and dues went up. Dues go up whenever the union wants basically. When salaries were frozen from 2008-2014, dues went up. I'm sure they will increase more when we get a salary increase next May. Has anyone asked why they are up now too? Just asking and not condemning.
As for a progressive dues structure, Norm (Ed Notes) is 100% right. I should pay more than a new teacher. I changed the post to reflect that this would have to be a campaign as opposed to a case because regressive dues structures are legal.I changed the post because I don't want to imply that there is something illegal going on. The point was about the regressive structure.
There are many NYC teachers who support Rebecca Friedrichs and the California Teachers who are fighting the requirement to pay union dues. Teacher Unions fund and support causes unrelated to education with member's funds. I have financially supported the California lawsuit becuase the UNITY UFT does nothing substantial to support classroom teachers. Just think our contract was ratified in June 2014 and over 2 years later no member has received a hard copy of the contract book.
The UFT asked us last year to boycott STAPLES and yet they spent $171,163 at STAPLES. UFT UNITY passed a resolution to support the AFL-CIO request to boycott but
they still spent our money at STAPLES. I'd rather not have a union and keep the $1,300
plus dollars not protecting me at present. My class sizes are deplorable and UFT promised to addrss this issue with the 2007 contract. I'm still waiting UFT!!!
The UFT has some nerve raising dues again when members are getting $0 of the lump sum retro money in October. They just raised the dues last. I guess the UFT fights so hard for us that they need more money. Ha! Ha!. Mikey needs a new pair of shoes.
Congrats James! Looks like you got another voter to support your nihilistic fantasies (anonymous 1:04). You should start a gofundme page so E4E and the rest of the Ed Deformer tools can support your quest. Just for the symbolism of it all I just might go out and buy you a fiddle. You're gonna have to practice, practice, practice in preparation for the day when you get put in charge (lol). I'm sure your tunes will be sweet consolation when (choose your metaphor) Rome burns down/ the Titanic sinks under your leadership. By the way you said that there was no pay raise this September. Well duh, the pay raises come in May according to the MOA 2014, and salary schedules, which I guess you haven't read. Norm I have been thinking about you too. Compared to a lot of the people who comment in support of you and James, I believe you are the sanest of the bunch. That's kinda scary dontcha think? You're kind of like a fly that constantly bites a horses ass as it pulls a cart down the road. Each time you get swatted away you whine and moan unity slugs blah blah blah no diversity of opinion blah blah blah, loyalty oath blah blah blah. I know you love secrets so here's a secret for you, if you stare at a horses ass all day you won't see where it's going, you won't see where it's been. You'll just see some horse shit once in a while. And that's what you like to talk about. Horse shit. Enjoy the long weekend fellas, enjoy your protected pension plans, your tenure, your duty free lunches, your class size limits, your tda, all of your due process rights, your longevity pay raises, your retroactive payments (that's right I went there!), your current top salary of $108,811.00 going to $113,762 this May, and $119,472.00 in June of 2018. All brought to you thanks to the Unity Caucus. Don't thank us now. Wait until you retire. Norm can tell you how great it is. Guaranteed pension, super sweet TDA cashola, and everyday feels like Saturday. Maybe then you'll have some time to catch up on the reading you've been wanting to do lately. Like the UFT contract, the salary schedules, and payment dates for the retroactive money negotiated for you while you were working hard at whatever it is that you work hard at. Have a nice Monday off and again, I just want to say, you're welcome. Ta Ta!
Suburban teachers make upwards of $140,000 with more resources, smaller class sizes and better healthcare and work conditions including onsite parking. I agree with 1:04: " Why is the UFT withholding sending out the June 2014 contract books to the membership?"
One Long Island neighbor told me she pays less than $50 in union dues.
The UFT is simply a make work project for the cronies that collect a union paycheck They exist for themselves, and only for themselves. They put on a false face that they are for the classroom teacher but don't be fooled,the dues they suck from members pockets are used first and foremost for their own self interest . It is only when membership dues become voluntary that we will have a union that really works in the interest of the teachers on the front line.
I don't want to sound like a stick in the mud, but new teachers get the same "benefits" as veteran teachers when it comes to the UFT. (lawyers to represent them at 3020a hearings, etc) Thus, we should all pay the same in dues. The real item that should be addressed is the fact that these "benefits" are mostly a sham and not worth the over $1,000 that we are spending in the first place. I know for a fact that there are plenty of qualified teachers that would volunteer in a heartbeat to engage in contract negotiations instead of some hotshots from the UFT to hide out all day with make work projects in their ivory tower in lower Manhattan. The UFT spends way too much of OUR hard earned money on bullshit that is of no use to the teachers in the trenches. They should cut our dues in half and get rid of at least 3/4 of the UFT staff at headquarters, move into a smaller building, and get real with what they are suppossed to do which is protect teachers rights.
So cut the dues in half, cut the staff by 3/4, and give the same or better services? Sounds like a recipe for success (academy). News flash everybody! The Michael Bloomberg-Scrooge McDuck institute of Labor Studies endorses all and any idea that reduces union funding through cutting dues! Congratulations folks, you can get might get an invite to Campbell Brown's parlor room for a discussion on your ideas for how the UFT should operate. Your membership cards to E4E are in the mail. Act now and you get a signed picture of Rebecca Friedrichs to put on your classroom wall! If you donate a $1 you automatically get entered into a lottery to have dinner with Eva Moskowitz in the colocated school cafeteria of your choice.
You are with the deformers, you are anti-union, go work with Eva, join E4E, blah blah blah because you dare to question the high dues rate, especially for new teachers. Unity is the best. How much of a sell out are you?
Our pay is less than in the suburbs and the UFT does next to nothing for members in the trenches. Go file a grievance and see how long it sits there for. Tell your principal to follow the contract and watch yourself get targeted and end up in the rubber room.
Start teaching now and wait 40 years to qualify for a pension. We are evaluated using a bogus system that Mulgrew created. Ridiculous test scores made me developing but the UFT didn't challenge the system. It was a Long Island teacher who beat it using her husband as a lawyer, not NYSUT.
By the way many teachers have over 34 in most of their classes where the AP will probably come to them in about a month and tell us not to bother with my professional assignment since they can't do a thing about the oversize classes and the UFT will call it another win. Yeah it's all wonderful so why are so many people itching to leave the system as fast as they can? In the suburbs anything around 30 or over in a class will generate a local rebellion.
I will gladly trade this day with my friend on Long Island who will top out at over $130,000 a year and has a parking spot but had to work today but with 25 in a class.
And how many of us now have our probation extended for years and the UFT tells us to sign the extensions? Many are discontinued for nothing and the UFT tells them there is nothing they can do.
Typical limousine liberals on dues. Progressive taxes for all except us. We want your money and won't do a damn thing to earn it.
So the UFT cronie who commented at 10:06 is exactly the type of nitwit the UFT is depending on to continue to vote them in each and every election. It's mindless supporters like this who cant think for themselves, that created the very situation we find ourselves with this good-for-nothing union.
New teachers don't get the same protections. Discontinue threats and extended tenure and no defense on the contract by the UFT which tells them to grin and bear it. Not that anyone else gets all that support from the UFT/Unity slugs. But at least they have tenure even it even that grows tenuous over time. The proud Unity slug - I can guarantee you are not working in a school on a regular program so no wonder you are having so much fun. Estimates at this time are that only 20% of new teachers will ever last long enough to reach that max salary - especially with the UFT being silent in the face to salary dumps from the DOE. I would bet that 20% is way high. And I love that tier 1 pension which ended in 1973-- ask the current teachers how they like their tier - what number is it up to now?
Tier VI. Work 40 years after college to be eligible to collect anything. Great job UFT, NYSUT.
How about dinner with Eva in the UFT charter school? There was a dumb idea for sure. Does one of them still exist?
Unity slug is desperate and nervous about dues because that cushy union job might disappear.
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