Your Say Before Dues Change
Back in Lesson 2, you learned a federal right: dues can’t be raised without a democratic process. Here’s how our own constitution makes that real — and it’s built so a dues increase can never be rushed through.
💬 In plain terms, the process from Article XII, Section 5:
- A proposed increase first goes to the Executive Board.
- If the Board approves it, the proposal is read at a membership meeting — but there’s no vote or even discussion at that meeting.
- It’s held over to the next membership meeting, and the notice for that meeting must tell members the proposal is coming and that a vote will be taken.
- Members get advance written notice (our constitution sets a minimum notice period).
- The increase passes only on a majority vote, by secret ballot, of the members in good standing.
📜 From Our Governing Documents
“A majority vote, by secret ballot of the members in good standing, shall be required to constitute acceptance of the proposed dues or initiation fee increase.”
— Local 109 Constitution, Article XII, Section 5 (Finances)
💬 Why this matters: No officer, and no Executive Board, can raise your dues on their own. It takes your vote — by secret ballot, after notice, with a deliberate cooling-off gap between the announcement and the decision. This is one of the clearest examples in the whole course of ownership in action: the money you pay in can’t go up unless the members say so.
💡 Think first: Can the Executive Board raise your dues on its own if it decides the union needs the money? Decide, then click.
No. The Board can propose an increase, but it can’t impose one. The proposal has to be read at one meeting, held over to the next, announced in advance, and then approved by a secret-ballot majority of the members in good standing. Your vote is the deciding factor — that’s ownership in action.