No! If you were to add up all of our Medical benefits, Dental, Vision, Chiropractic, Substance, etc. you would not be able to purchase a comperable package individually compared to what we have collectively.
This idea will not work because opting out when you are well and opting back in when you are sick would result in an unstable plan which is unable to project its costs. Additionally we would have multiple wage schedules for each classification depending on your benefits.
It's easy. Simply review the outline under VAC on this website. Submit your application and start looking for events on the VAC Calendar, or request one of your own considering the guidelines. At the conclusion of the event sign the sign-in sheet and fax that into the DC-16 office to get credit for the event. Attend three events in a calendar year and qualify for the awards banquet in February. This committee continues to grow every year, and the members really have fun giving something back to the community.
To answer your question specifically, roughly 75% of your dues money goes directly to paying the salaries of the full time employees of the Union. This would include business representatives, organizers and District Council and Local Union secretaries. The second largest expenditure category is market recovery and the remaining dues money pays for a myriad of other expenses such as the rent and utilities for our offices, affiliation fees to the International Union and other organizations such as Local, State and National Building Trades and Central Labor Councils…
Since a vast majority of our dues money is spent on the full time employees of the union we need to answer the important question, do our elected Business Representatives and Organizers and other staff deliver value to our members? I propose that our Business Representatives, Organizers and staff deliver value to each and every one of our members through our various skill sets. Our skill sets include negotiating, organizing, grievance handling, contract enforcement, market recovery administration, health & welfare administration and pension administration to name just a few. Let me give you some examples of how these skill sets translate directly into benefits for our members. Over the last three years alone our negotiating skills have resulted in a master agreement for each of our four crafts which yielded from $6.80 to $9.00 per hour increase in our member’s hourly total package wage rate. Over the last eight years we have organized 413 new contractors whom have provided over seven million hours of work to our members. Over the last two years alone our market recovery programs have generated over 300,000 additional hours of work for our members.
So when we ask the value question, keep in mind that non-union dues are paid in the form of a lower hourly wage and lower to no benefits. In our area non-union construction workers make on average over $15.00 per hour less than union construction workers and have no representation or continuity in relation to their wages and benefits if they even have benefits. If I was non-union last year and making $15.00 per hour less, that would have cost me $31,200. I call that non-union dues and more than likely I would enjoy very little benefits if any. I’ll pay $5,000 in annual dues to receive $31,200 anytime anybody wants to make that offer. The answer as to whether or not being a Union member and paying dues has value to you as a member can be answered another way. You would have to agree that if there were more gainful employment available to you wherein you didn’t have the burden associated with being a Union member you would probably be working there instead of pondering the answer to this question. So let’s not kid ourselves; the Union brings value home to the dinner table! I hope you see the value in Union membership as I do.
Doug Christopher