BCNU members pay no union dues until BCNU has negotiated a collective agreement for them and the agreement has been approved by the membership in a rank and file secret ballot vote.

Once members are covered and protected by a ratified collective agreement, paying union dues becomes a condition of your employment. That's part of a long-time union principle  that all employees who benefit from the wages, benefits and conditions provided in a collective agreement should contribute to the on-going costs of maintaining and improving it.

Dues are the union's only source of funding. Without dues the union could not function.

The dues formula is set by the membership in a convention vote. BCNU dues are currently set at 2 per cent of gross straight time earnings. They are not calculated against overtime pay. Some premiums and allowances are also exempt from dues. Generally your dues will be deducted from your pay cheque the same way as deductions for income tax, pension contributions, EI premiums etc, and sent to the union by your employer. Regular union dues are tax deductible.

To learn more about our dues and our budget click here.