IBEW International Per Capita Dues Increase

 

At the 37^th IBEW International Convention, which was held in Cleveland, Ohio the week of September 11^th through the 15^th, 2006, the delegates approved amendments to Article IX of the IBEW Constitution.  What this means is they approved an increase in the dues you and I pay to the IBEW.  Effective January 1, 2007, the dues will increase $1.00 for all members and there will be an increase of 70 cents for the IBEW Pension Benefit Fund (PBF), which applies to “A” members only.  This makes the dues structure as follows:

 

                                                “A” Members               “BA” Members

            Per Capita:                         $11.00                          $11.00

            Pension Fund:                     $12.00                   Not Applicable

            Total:                                  $23.00                          $11.00

 

In accordance with Article IX of the IBEW Constitution, $11.00 per month from each member shall go into the General Fund, and the additional amount paid by our “A” members of $12.00 per month shall go into the IBEW Pension Fund.  There will be additional increase of $1.00 per month to take effect in 2009 and 2011.

 

This increase in the dues structure is to assist in the massive organizing push being initiated by the IBEW to increase our membership that has been losing ground due to  good paying manufacturing jobs that are being sent south or overseas.

I know I’m not the only person who reads the paper and shakes my head when I read about this plant closing or workers being asked to take huge cuts in their wages and benefits.  It’s going on all over the country.

 

What the IBEW wants to do is identify and organize groups of workers that traditionally were not related to the electrical industry.  We may see people from the service industry or health care industry being organized.  And as always, they will be going after folks from the utility and construction industry that have always resisted the unions.  There will be a statewide push to organize all Electric Utilities, large or small.

 

Local 763 will be asked to help organize and possibly take in a group of people similar to our good friends from Metro Community College.

So take a deep breath, roll-up your sleeves and get ready.  2007 looks like an exciting and very busy year.