Investing in Equity: Your Dues Money at Work

As we’ve been talking to members about the dues referendum, some people are learning for the first time that IAPE is a professional operation with staff, a budget and affiliation to larger international unions The NewsGuild and Communications Workers of America. 

Your dues help fund collective bargaining, which in 2019 resulted in a compensatory increase of more than 2% for the first time in a decade, among other important enhancements. 

Your dues also help IAPE negotiate with Dow Jones in between bargaining through the grievance procedure to ensure that our contract remains strong. This is a crucial part of the union process and requires time, resources and legal advice to have a successful grievance strategy. Currently, the union is challenging a number of critical issues such as the improper exclusion of non union employees, suspected retaliation and failure to follow through on promised sales incentives. 

Eliminating the IAPE dues cap would result in a net annual increase in IAPE operational funds of approximately $115,000. The funds added to IAPE’s operating budget from the dues cap removal would go towards hiring a full-time professional staff employee to serve members, defend our contract and help prepare for an even stronger contract campaign in 2022.

The cap to our dues made sense when there was a complimentary cap for the union’s highest earners for the contractually obligated annual raises. Until 2007, those in the top 4% of pay only received 85% of the negotiated raise.

Unfortunately we haven’t kept pace on equity where our dues are concerned, which is why the board strongly encourages a “YES” vote  when you get your ballot.