Question on Union and dues.

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

How do you calculate how much is taken out in dues? Lets say you bring home $220 before taxes

Dues has nothing to do with your take home. Dues are a negotiated number multiplied by your hourly wage paid monthly. For example, my union dues are 3 times my hourly so roughly $86/month which is about $1K/yr (which BTW is tax deductible). I have to admit that I am not familiar with PT dues so perhaps a PTer can help us out.

 

[FAVREFAN]

Dues has nothing to do with your take home. Dues are a negotiated number multiplied by your hourly wage paid monthly. For example, my union dues are 3 times my hourly so roughly $86/month which is about $1K/yr (which BTW is tax deductible). I have to admit that I am not familiar with PT dues so perhaps a PTer can help us out.

I know on the last contract we were 2.5 x hourly. PT or FT. I think it remains the same now. I am a long term part-timer. I paid the same dues as full timers who made more than twice as much as me. They really need to adjust that. Should be 1.5x/3x or 2x/4x PT vs. FT.
OK. I am prepared to be shredded to pieces in this thread now. Go ahead, eat me alive.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

I know on the last contract we were 2.5 x hourly. PT or FT. I think it remains the same now. I am a long term part-timer. I paid the same dues as full timers who made more than twice as much as me. They really need to adjust that. Should be 1.5x/3x or 2x/4x PT vs. FT.
OK. I am prepared to be shredded to pieces in this thread now. Go ahead, eat me alive.

OK, let's do the math:

Say you are at $10/hour and I am at $30 (this makes the math super easy)

Currently you are at 2.5 x hourly so 2.5 x $10 = $25/month
Using your 2.5 would put me at roughly $75/month
This means I am contributing $50 more per month to the union than you are.

Using your 1.5/3 ratio would lower you to $15/month and increase me to $90, meaning that I contribute $75 more per month to the union.

Using your 2/4 ration would bring you to $20 and me to $120/month, increasing the gap to $100/month.

I was going to say that I concede that full time benefits are far superior to part time but not $100/month better but, as I was typing this, I began to see the merits of your argument. While this would be an accounting nightmare to payroll, this actually would help the union in the long run while allowing part timers to keep more of their take home while still enjoying their benefits. This is not a bad idea.

 

[MonavieLeaker]

Bdaz is it not time for you to start another stupid thread?

Dont jinx it

 

[BryantheLion]

Just to clear it up, they're deducting $20 from me. I'm at $9.50. They deducted $10 one time instead of $20, not so sure why. So $80 a month.

 

[gandydancer]

Just to clear it up, they're deducting $20 from me. I'm at $9.50. They deducted $10 one time instead of $20, not so sure why. So $80 a month.

That's not dues. Too high. It's initiation. Dues aren't "negotiated" -- they're set by the local, usually by membership vote initiated by the BA, and usually at some multiple of your hourly wage, rounded. In Local 278 monthly dues are 2x for $11/hr or less; otherwise 3x (as of 9/08). Initiation fee was $250 for pt employees or if wage rate less than $10/hr, otherwise $500 for ft employeees (as of 4/2003, probably higher now -- dues multiples have gone up since then). And the calculations are no burden on UPS' accounting department -- they just take out whatever dollar amount is in the file the local sends them.

 

[FAVREFAN]

OK, let's do the math:

Say you are at $10/hour and I am at $30 (this makes the math super easy)

Currently you are at 2.5 x hourly so 2.5 x $10 = $25/month
Using your 2.5 would put me at roughly $75/month
This means I am contributing $50 more per month to the union than you are.

Using your 1.5/3 ratio would lower you to $15/month and increase me to $90, meaning that I contribute $75 more per month to the union.

Using your 2/4 ration would bring you to $20 and me to $120/month, increasing the gap to $100/month.

I was going to say that I concede that full time benefits are far superior to part time but not $100/month better but, as I was typing this, I began to see the merits of your argument. While this would be an accounting nightmare to payroll, this actually would help the union in the long run while allowing part timers to keep more of their take home while still enjoying their benefits. This is not a bad idea.

Well, you know what they say about assuming right? So let's really do the math.
$22.48 per hour x 2.5 = $56.20(PT)
$22.97 per hour x 2.5 = $57.43(22.3's)
This is a second job for me. Part-time. Most 22.3's in my building made well over $50,000 w/ot. I made $26,800. So where is the fairness in that? I need representaion half the amount of time. Anyways, I'm not whining about this. It's just clearly a major flaw in how the union draws dues. I'm getting just as good healthcare as FT where I'm at so I keep my mouth shut.

 

[HEFFERNAN]

The union gets the first cut, then UPS takes whats left of your soul

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Well, you know what they say about assuming right? So let's really do the math.
$22.48 per hour x 2.5 = $56.20(PT)
$22.97 per hour x 2.5 = $57.43(22.3's)
This is a second job for me. Part-time. Most 22.3's in my building made well over $50,000 w/ot. I made $26,800. So where is the fairness in that? I need representaion half the amount of time. Anyways, I'm not whining about this. It's just clearly a major flaw in how the union draws dues. I'm getting just as good healthcare as FT where I'm at so I keep my mouth shut.

Did you skip over the part in my post where I said that I agree with you and that I thought you had a good idea?

 

[BryantheLion]

That's not dues. Too high. It's initiation. Dues aren't "negotiated" -- they're set by the local, usually by membership vote initiated by the BA, and usually at some multiple of your hourly wage, rounded. In Local 278 monthly dues are 2x for $11/hr or less; otherwise 3x (as of 9/08). Initiation fee was $250 for pt employees or if wage rate less than $10/hr, otherwise $500 for ft employeees (as of 4/2003, probably higher now -- dues multiples have gone up since then). And the calculations are no burden on UPS' accounting department -- they just take out whatever dollar amount is in the file the local sends them.

Why the heck while I was in orientation, the guy said the Union will deduct $20 from every pay check until it equals $320...meh.

So if those are not dues, when DO they start taking away dues from me?

 

[HEFFERNAN]

Why the heck while I was in orientation, the guy said the Union will deduct $20 from every pay check until it equals $320...meh.

So if those are not dues, when DO they start taking away dues from me?

After you pay your initiation fees in full, you will get your dues taken out on your first full week paycheck of the month.

Some locals might actually make you pay back dues from your months of paying the initiation fees. Find and talk to your steward about your union and he will answer all your questions.

 

[iowa boy]

Here in our local, the part-timers pay the first half hours wages for union dues. If you make 12 an hour, you pay six dollars a week (yes a week) for dues.

 

[HEFFERNAN]

Here in our local, the part-timers pay the first half hours wages for union dues. If you make 12 an hour, you pay six dollars a week (yes a week) for dues.

I don't see anything wrong with that.

 

[User Name]

I voted in the contract to take 6x the salary of a part timer, I figured that since we took insurance and didnt give them a fair raise this might help me out in the long run....

 

[over9five]

We had a guy that worked at UPS and DHL.

He was also a shop steward at UPS and DHL!

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

We had a guy that worked at UPS and DHL.

He was also a shop steward at UPS and DHL!

...and...?

 

[thebrownbox]

Your going to have money taken out while youre union at UPS whether its a certain percentage of money out of your wage or a set amount its going to continue...As for your intiation fee, keep records and make sure you hit the 320 mark if you continue to get it take out after that make sure you tell your sup and BA in writing, yea UPS technically has money taken out because theyre writing the check but they take out based on what the local says is due

I had to do this last year.. I got around the $320 mark for initiation fees so I was like YEAH next check I should be good.. got the next check and the damn fees started back to $0 again... and NO it was not the start of a new year or anything like that.. got that corrected and never had another issue.

 

[Seasoned UPSer]

B-Daz, what they are deducting is initiation fees, not dues. Once the fees stop the dues will start and it will be a set amount each month until they increase the dues or your pay increases depending on your local.

Gandydancer--The reason your 12/27 check was not reset is because some districts had 12/27 included in 2008. For most districts, it fell under 2009.

 

[drewed]

Up here our dues and intitiation run together so youre paying both until the intiation is paid off

 

[Reno Zepher]

In Nevada They wave your Initiation Fee. We unfortunately are a right to work state. ( That Really Sucks ) You can get all the benefits of the Union but don't have to pay dues. We are around 93% for the drivers and always trying to get more. We also pay 2 1/2 times our hourly rate for dues. Every one full time and part time.
Remember this though The Union doesn't take anything out of your check. UPS does. They make mistakes and sometimes charge you twice or even more. That is a UPS mistake so you should be able to take it up with your supervisor to get it fixed. They never seem to be in a real hurry until you ask for a shop steward. If they are taking out to much money theirs always penalty pay to get to. That usually brings them right around. If not you'll just be getting some interest coming sooner or later.