Important Dues Announcement for 2009
February 5, 2009
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Dues for most TCU members who are working will increase by $2.20 per month, effective April 1, 2009. In cases where dues are normally deducted a month in advance, the April increase will be deducted in March.
The April dues increase is mandated by Article 26, Section 2(b) of the TCU Constitution which sets forth a formula to link members’ dues to wage increases obtained in bargaining. The formula was initially adopted by delegates attending the Union’s 1979 Convention, and it provides that minimum monthly dues will be adjusted April 1 of each year to be not less than two and one-half times the average hourly wage in effect on December 31 of the preceding year, plus assessments. In 1979 the then average hourly wage was $8.57 per hour as compiled from Interstate Commerce Commission reports. That rate was incorporated into our Union’s Constitution as the basis for any subsequent dues increases, and the delegates agreed to apply general wage increases and cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) obtained in national railroad negotiations to that base rate. The April 2009 increase reflects the 4% wage hike effective July 1, 2008 that is contained in the national railroad agreements.
