Every dollar we spend is with you in mind, simply because we are you, meaning that as your elected and appointed council members, we too are dues-paying members and want to make sure those dues aren't going to waste. Every dollar we spend, beyond the portion we have to give the IFT, AFT, and other required payments, has to be approved by a majority vote. We discuss and vote on every penny spent, without exception.
The role of a labor union is to ensure that the balance is not tipped in favor of the employer when employees do not receive wages and benefits commensurate with their contribution. —William Burrus
What we get for our money: Full-time teachers pay $33.48 of each paycheck (Full-time secretaries and aides pay a few dollars fewer.) toward union dues, but what is that money actually paying for besides a t-shirt every couple of years?
We can easily see our operating costs in the chart above, but our benefits aren't reflected in an expense chart.
How much is it worth to have a seat at the table to negotiate salaries and benefits, or to have access to quality legal representation when we're wrongfully terminated? What's the cost of ensuring our employers can't fire us at will for any reason, or monopolize our personal time with friends and family by pressuring us to work longer hours?
Those are the types of things that we couldn't really have if we didn't come together as a union. It's difficult to put an exact price tag on the benefits of union membership.
