ANNUAL ADJUSTMENTS TO the union per capita tax, local lodge dues and the ISO Division assessment will take effect Jan. 1, 2016.
The per capita tax will increase by 55 cents, from $26.55 to $27.10 monthly. Article 12.2.2 of the International Brotherhood Constitution establishes how the calculation is made. It indexes the increase to the average hourly earnings in manufacturing over the previous 12-month period ( July to July) as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The latest BLS report, for the period of July 2014 to July 2015, shows that the average hourly earnings rose from $19.56 to $19.93, or by 1.8916 percent. Multiplying that percentage by the current per capita tax amount yields $.502, which when rounded to the nearest five cents comes to $.50.
Article 12.2.3 of the Brotherhood Constitution provides for a contingency per capita tax increase in the event of a membership decline. From June 30, 2014 to June 30, 2015, the union saw a decrease of 95 members, or .1734 percent.
Multiplying that percentage by the current per capita tax amount yields five cents when rounded to the nearest nickel. Thus the total per capita tax increase for 2016 is 55 cents (50 cents from the BLS calculation plus 5 cents from the contingency per capita tax increase).
The annual local lodge dues increase is determined by Article 28.2.2 of the Brotherhood Constitution. It provides that the dues will increase by an amount equal to two times the increase in the monthly per capita tax. Since the base per capita tax increase is $.50, monthly dues will increase by one dollar. The minimum monthly dues amount as of Jan. 1 will be $42.35 ($41.35 plus $1.00).
A local lodge may request to waive the increase in monthly dues to be retained by the local lodge based on the lodge’s financial condition, and with the approval from the International President.
Members in the Industrial Sector will see their division assessment increase from $3 monthly to $4 as of Jan. 1. The assessment was passed during the 2011 Consolidated Convention to fund the ISO conference as well as other functions.
Railroad Division dues are set at $28 monthly; Cement Division dues are calculated at $0.55% of gross wages, excluding bonuses.
Union members, on average, earn higher wages and enjoy better benefits than workers who aren't union members.
UNIONS HELP employers create a more stable, productive workforce—where workers have a say in improving their jobs.
UNIONS HELP bring workers out of poverty and into the middle class. In fact, in states where workers don’t have union rights, workers’ incomes are lower.
SOURCE: AFL-CIO
