WHAT ARE THEY DOING WITH ALL MY MONEY?!?!?!?!?!?!
If you have had that question fly from your lips upon seeing how much money has disappeared from your paycheck in the name of "Local 1573", you are not alone. Below you will find a breakdown of where your union dues go, as well as how those who receive your hard earned money actually use it.
Regular Monthly Deductions
$112 is deducted on a monthly basis and distributed as follows:
$24.50 - International Dues
$33.00 - Trainmen General Committee Dues (taken only if you are working as a conductor/brakeman)
$34.60- Enginemen General Committee Dues (taken only if you are working as an engineer & are a UTU member)
$15.00 - Oregon State Legislative Director
$15.00 - Local 1573 local fund
$24.50 - Local 1573 Trainmen Local Committee fund (TRAINMEN ONLY)
$22.90 - Local 1573 Enginemen Local Committee fund (ENGINEERS ONLY)
BUT WAIT!!! THERE IS WAY MORE THAN $112 GOING TO "LOCAL 1573" FROM MY CHECK!!!
If you now find this statement bursting forth, here is why=
In addition to the above money, if you have any insurance policies from the UTUIA covering you, as well as DIPP insurance, the premiums due them will be taken monthly. Further, if you have elected to make a monthly donation to the UTU PAC, this will also be added to the above deduction.
HOW YOUR MONEY IS USED
INTERNATIONAL DUES
International dues payments support the entire UTU organization. They fund the union’s strike fund, public relations fund, convention fund, maintenance of membership fund, and other education and training programs. These dues also pay for offices in Cleveland, Washington and Ottawa; the services of a full-time general counsel at the International; salaries of all officers and employees, and all legal and operating expenses of the UTU.
GENERAL COMMITTEE OF ADJUSTMENT DUES
These dues are used to operate the general committee assigned to your property (in our case, the Union Pacific Railroad SP WESTERN LINES area, GO #887 for trainmen and GO #888 for enginmen). This committee protects your contract, wages, rules and working conditions. It goes to pay for the offices, committee member salaries, and associated operating expenses. The rate is set by a vote of all local chairpersons on the property.
OREGON STATE LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR
These dues go to operate the legislative board in Oregon. The amount is set by the local legislative representatives and disbursed by the state director, Delmer Hanson. This is your legislative fund for protecting you on the state level with regard to safety, sanitation and other on-the-job problems which are subject to laws in the State of Oregon. You can ask your local Legislative Representative for more information.
LOCAL FUND DUES
The local dues are set by you to support the activities of your local. Salaries of local officers (NOT INCLUDING THE LOCAL CHAIRPERSONS), supplies, and other needs purchased by the local are paid from this fund. In Klamath Falls, the president, vice-president, legislative representative, and members of the board of trustees do not receive any compensation unless it is specifically requested on an as needed basis at local meetings, and approved by a majority vote of members in attendance. The secretary/treasurer receives two days pay per month. The rate of pay is called a "committee day". This is an amount established by the International, as a "basic day" so to speak, for union officer work. Currently, as of January 2007, the committee day rate is $210.62 per day. However, because our local is very small, we do not generate enough money each month to pay such a high rate to our officers. Therefore, the committee rate paid to our local officers is actually $175.83, which was the established rate in 2002. Local 1573 officers have agreed not to be paid a higher rate since then.
Our local in Klamath Falls is by law a legal rail industry employer. Therefore, the secretary/treasurer has to not only divide the funds he receives from the railroad from your payroll deductions and send them to the different entities listed above, but he also has to process the payroll for himself and the Local Chairmen, which includes paying Railroad Retirement Board Tier 1 and 2, State Income, and Federal Income taxes. Furthermore, the RRB taxes must be matched or exceeded by the employer, which means that, on top of the salary paid to the officers, the local as an employer also pays its matching tax amount toward the officers' RRB payments.
LOCAL COMMITTEE OF ADJUSTMENT DUES
These dues are set by you to fund the Local Committee of Adjustment to pay the cost of representation by this committee. This representation includes the processing of claims made by you for being improperly paid, written communications with the International, the General Committee of Adjustment, as well as the railroad regarding any issues involving you personally, and for defending you against disciplinary accusations brought against you by the company. For this the Local Chairman is paid three days at the reduced committee rate explained above. The Vice Local Chairmen are not paid at all, unless it is specifically requested on an as needed basis at local meetings, and approved by a majority vote of members in attendance.
If you have further questions about the use of your union dues, EMAIL me and I will find the answer for you.