There will be a small increase in the dues rate for 2019: forty-one cents per pay period, which is about ½ cent per hour, or $10.66 for the whole year.
How does the dues increase compare to my raise?
The pay raise is approximately 100 times the size of the dues increase.
Example: For a full-time person getting a $0.50 per hour raise:
Retro: The raise is retroactive ($560.00) and the dues increase is not ($0.00)
Annually: The raise is $1,040.00 and the dues increase is $10.66
Per paycheck: The raise is $40.00 and the dues increase is $0.41
Hourly: The raise is 50 cents and the dues increase is ½ cent
What is the new rate and who sets it?
The 2019 regular bi-weekly dues rate for SHARE members will be $18.35 (it was $17.94). For members working 20 hours/week, the 2019 bi-weekly rate will be $13.73 (it was $13.43). The new rates will be reflected in the 1/25/19 paycheck. The annual increase is calculated by our parent union, AFSCME, based on the average percent increase of AFSCME members’ pay rates across the country in the previous year.
Why should I pay dues?
Dues are an investment that SHARE members make in themselves and their coworkers. Without a union, employees have very little leverage to make change, or even to hold onto what they have. With SHARE, we can work together to make work better.
The SHARE advantage more than makes up for the cost of dues. (see FAQ about Membership and Dues and SHARE Raise Advantage.)
The money from dues mostly goes to pay for the union staff. SHARE staff spend their time gathering information and opinions from members, sharing information with members, developing and supporting SHARE Reps, helping members with questions or problems, researching issues, negotiating contracts, organizing events, writing blog posts, lobbying the State House, etc., all on behalf of SHARE members.
More information
If you would like to know more about what SHARE at UMMS does, or about how dues are spent, please talk to a SHARE Rep, email share.umms@theshareunion.org or call 508-929-4020.