If you're in a union, how much are your union dues?

I was at a public school before, but then went to a private school. Now I'm at a public school again, and joining the union is optional. I don't know if I can afford it though..$70 a month. It seems really high to me. How much is yours?

 

Mine is higher--about $1200 a year.

Right now, as our contracts are set to expire and the provincial government has reconvened to pass legislation that will strip us of benefits and rights, it is worth every penny.

 

Ours are about the same as above. It hasn't been more important to support the union in my lifetime.

 

Ours are around $700/year. To me it is well worth the peace of mind I get knowing that the union will support me if I ever need it.

 

Ours is about $1000 a year.

 

I think it's $875 a year, real close to that anyway. And I agree with all the previous posters, it is worth the peace of mind and I would never consider not being a member of it.

 

I think also read on the boards a few weeks ago that you can write them off your taxes.

 

$110/mo in California.

I am more than happy to withdraw every year and get a tiny percentage of my money back. What a waste.

 

Almost $785.

For those of you who do not belong to a union, do you have an insurance policy to protect yourself from being sued?

 

Rabbitt~In TX we can join associations that would help if we ever got sued. It's not too expensive either.

 

Ours is somewhere around $700 a year. I was never a strong supporter, but recent national trends have definitely increased my support. It is worth it to me.

 

Around $700. per year and worth every penny.

 

I think mine is close to $1,000 a year, which is well worth it to me! And yes, you can deduct it on your taxes.

 

$900 a year. Due to my state's Fair Share laws, even if someone opts out of the union, they must pay a specified amount (usually the dues for national and state membership) towards a non-profit established by the union.

In my district, the fair share amount is $700.

 

Our union dues for last year were around $750.

 

60 dollars a month. I think it's very steep, but I am saving a ton in insurance costs per month in comparison from my previous district, so even with paying that every month I still come out ahead. My district's union is very strong and one of my grade level teammates is a rep. It's definitely worth it to join here. My previous district had a "teacher's association" but they had NO power whatsoever and did not offer any sort of support to teachers at all other than trying to negotiate salary, so it wasn't worth it to join. I didn't and never regretted it. They didn't offer support with working condition things like planning/duty free lunch, RIFs, unfair firings, admin abuse, legal council...so there would really be no reason to join.

 

Ours are about 70/mo. for 10 mos.

 

$550 spread over 10 months for now.

It's worth it to me. Even though it's a tough place to be in financially for some, it's a peace of mine I've got a group who's got my back when it comes to negotiations, teaching insurance, and when I want to vote for people who are at the state level. Without it, I wouldn't be able to have my vote counted for anything with the yearly contracts or at the state level.

 

No union. We have a teacher association for 400 a year. It gives me insurance in case I'm ever sued. They don't have any power. Wish they did.

 

Ours are about 1,000 a year. At the current moment worth every penny. During the prior leadership not really worth many of the pennies.

 

$0 - free dues for the president. It might be the only perk to this job. lol.

I think ours our around $700 a year though. I just don't even think about it.

I think I will be earning every penny of my free dues, but I hope my members feel like every penny of their dues has been worth it.

 

Around $600 for the year. With all the stuff going on in this state to strip teachers of their benefits, it's nice to know that there is an organization out there working to protect us.

 

They are about $20 per pay period. I think it's worth it.

 

I'm still not sure if I should join or not. I really want to, but $70 a month is a lot of money to me since I'm basically the only income for my family until my husband graduates college and get a job. Since I am the main income for the family, maybe it would be wise to join though, I don't know. The unions in Wisconsin have little power as far as collective bargaining, so the main reason they would be helpful would be if I got fired or something happened in the classroom. Before this new Wisconsin law passed, I would join the union without a doubt, but now I'm concerned with their lack of power and how much it costs to join. Do you think I can opt out of NEA to save $200 a year or you think it's an all or nothing package? Do you think if I talk to the representative about it costing too much, do you think he could reduce my rate?

 

$600 a year. I don't belong to the union. Not after they used union dues to pay for T-shirts advertising political candidates and passed them out to teachers.

I'm looking into http://www.penfl.org/default.aspx for liability insurance. Much cheaper than the union.

 

That's illegal. Did you report it?

 

Oh, someone definitely did. But I don't trust them anymore.

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again - if you are lucky enough to be in a state with union, get involved and help. Most union leadership and reps are volunteers, and a few people cannot (and shouldn't have to) do everything. Be part of the solution.

 

$500.00 a year.

I'm having it deducted in small amounts from my first 8 paychecks.

I know for a new teacher it seems a lot, but honestly, its a small price to pay for peace of mind.

 

I've said it before and I'll say i t again - if you are lucky enough to be in a state where you have the freedom to choose not to be in a union, get involved and make sure it stays that way.

I don't care if people want to join the union but I shouldn't be forced to if I'm not interested. Unfortunately in California the Teachers Union is the 4th branch of government so they get to set the agenda including requiring people to join for the privilege of working in a public school.

 

About $75 each month. Kicker is this, though: if you don't join the union, the same amount will be taken out of your paycheck for some reason... can't remember what the district said it was. I figured if the money was being taken out, I might as well join and reap the benefits of it. I do not always agree with things that are said/done in the name of our union, but they sure do have our backs and have negotiated for some very decent conditions.

 

This is called fair Share. Kind of like police and fire - I have never called 911, but it is there if I need it and I should help pay for it.

 

Ours is about $500 per year, taken out over the entire year. I wasn't sure about joining, but figured I should my first year, and boy, am I glad I did! Our union president went to our district office and threatened to call the police if a certain child (who had hit, kicked, spit at, scratched, and called me every name in the book and then some, plus spread feces on the wall, not to mention what he did to other students - all because it was fun) was not removed from my classroom that first year. The admin at my first school was useless, except for blaming the teachers for everything. On FIELD DAY, of all days, the assistant P decided to hand me FIVE separate write-ups (all bogus, btw) at the same time! I told Jackie about it, and interestingly, those write ups never made it to the district office (they are required to turn them in, but they just disappeared). I haven't needed them since then (4 years gone), but I know for a fact that they are there if I do! Oh, and I've been steadily watching Jackie and her cohorts fighting our wonderful governor's hatchet job on education, up to and including filing a lawsuit.

 

We pay $61 per month.

 

"Membership dues totals for calendar year 2011 are:

Teachers $1,000.24
PSRPs $600.16"

SO. WORTH. IT. :thumb:

 

<<This is called fair Share. Kind of like police and fire - I have never called 911, but it is there if I need it and I should help pay for it.>>

It's not actually like that much at all. Police and Fire help whether you pay taxes or not.

If you opt out of the union you still pay the dues but do not get union support. All you get is to be subjected to their bargained contract. You still cannot negotiate your own. One cannot possibly believe that $75/mo per teacher is spent on collective bargaining. That means, even when I opt out some chunk is going to support causes I have no interest in supporting.

Try asking your union for a breakdown of spending and you'll see quite quickly how little actually goes to bargaining.

 

I think it depends on your district in CA. Mine is a little more than $110/month.

 

FourSquares - what is PSRP?

 

It totally costs $75/teacher/month to bargain a contract. Those post-negotiations meetings require A LOT of alcohol. :lol:

 

I forget what it stands for....but I think it's something with paraprofessionals.