What’s UP with my Dues?
Special Assessment
During the CUPW National Convention held in October of 2011, motions were passed making changes in an attempt to trim our costs in the face of a 
declining membership and rising costs.
Conventions will now be held every 4 years instead of 3. Area councils have been eliminated. Video conferencing will replace some trips to Ottawa. These changes alone will save the Union substantial costs, but not enough to solve the financial difficulties we face.
In light of this, the National Executive Board (NEB) decided to make use of section 7.09 of our National Constitution which allows the NEB to “levy special assessments” not to “exceed $10.00 in any one year” to pass the following motion:
“That the National Executive Board levy a special assessment of $10.00 per year on all members over the duration of this term and that these funds be allocated to the 2015 National Convention.”
There was an additional $10 amount added to your Union dues deduction in January. This was the second of four special assessments that our NEB levied. We were deducted the first $10 in August of last year.
There will also be $10.00 assessments deducted in July 2014 and January 2015. The NEB chose these months to deduct the assessments as three pay periods fall within all of them.
We get a raise and our dues go UP.
On February 1st of this year we will be getting the 3rd of the four raises mandated by the back to work legislation, bill C – 6. You will see your wages go up by 2%. Our Union dues will also be going up as they are tied to our wages. Article 7.06 of our National Constitution reads as follows:
7.06 In the case of the bargaining unit of Urban Postal Operations employees of Canada Post Corporation, the monthly union dues for all members and all employees subject to compulsory check-off of union dues shall be 300% of the maximum hourly rate for the lowest classification within the bargaining unit. However, the union dues shall not be less than 300% of the maximum hourly rate of a mail handler.
So, as of February 1, 2013 the maximum hourly rate for a PO 2 (the lowest paid classification) is $25.29. 300% of that is $75.87. The Vancouver Local assessment, unchanged since 1991, remains at $4.50. Your monthly dues deduction from February 2013 to January 2014 will be $80.37.
