The costs of being a member pale in comparison to the benefits. We understand, however, that many faculty struggle to make ends meet on state university salaries (and UNF’s salaries are some of the lowest in the State University System – an issue that we have been diligently working to solve!).
The cost to join the union is 1% of your pre-tax base salary (nine month). This means that for tax purposes, one’s annual salary is effectively reduced by 1%. Union dues are not deducted from summer pay or from additional university income (e.g., overloads or supplemental assignments). A standard rate (percentage of base salary) for union dues is standard practice; it is more equitable than a flat rate in that it allows for low-paid employees to join the union while not unduly stressing more highly paid employees.
Roughly 10-15% of one’s union dues come back to UFF-UNF. At the local level, dues are used to support organizing efforts on campus. The bulk of members’ dues go to the state and national organizations where they are used in support of Florida faculty.